100 Years Ago - KHS Album on Flickr - "1923"

Walter Okes - "The Oil Stockman"

Significance (Definition)

 "Significance refers to the value and meanings that items and collections have for people and communities. Significance helps unlock the potential of collections, creating opportunities for communities to access and enjoy collections, and to understand the history, cultures and environments of Australia". From Significance 2.0 a guide to assessing the significance of collections, by Roslyn Russell and Kylie Winkworth for the Collections Council of Australia Ltd. (Now axed - This may still be available online as a PDF - Search title).

In Search of "Black Pat" Durack's 1885 View Hill Store

Field trips by boat on Cambridge Gulf and overland in 2018

An expedition in 2018 with the Gt Grandson of Patrick Mantinea Durack, who came into Kununurra Museum and asked if I knew of "Black Pat" Durack?"  I replied in the affirmative and reached for the book, "Kimberley Scenes," turned to the page with the photo of Black Pat, and said, "Brad, I've known of your Great Grandfather for more than 30 years. Do you know why they called him Black Pat" - Before he could answer I said, "because he had black hair like you do!," so have once or twice called him "Black Brad." 

  I had known of Black Pat from a book I've owned since year of publication, a Kimberley Gold Rush history bible, "Kimberley Scenes" (P. Bridge & C. Clement - Hesperian Press)  and how he built a store at View Hill in 1885, the year before Wyndham started. 

 I had always wondered, did he really cut down a boab tree to make a canoe to move his goods 3km along the Gulf?  Which Black Pat describes in his memoirs.  

"The difficulty now was to move my goods from where landed, to where I decided to build a store"...

 [Which was where he had found water - a spring at low tide - under the sea twice a day - about 3 km away - KHS Added note]. 

"I decided to make a canoe out of a Bottle Tree and with the aid of three Chinamen..." 

[Three men brought from Darwin as cooks for the newly forming stations - Argyle Lissadell and Rosewood stations.  One of them,  Ah Moi never managed to get away from View Hill, Cambridge Gulf, his work for Black Pat, fetching water and catering for dozens in great heat, living for months in primitive and extremely remote conditions, drove him to shoot himself (in the stomach?). An inquest was held (KHS has a copy in the archive photographed at WA SRO), finding a verdict of Suicide, he was then buried in his blanket on the edge of the saltmarsh, not far from the store.  Some years later when his countrymen went to exhume the body to take him back to China, poor old Ah Moi had solidified, as they termed him the "Fossilised Chinaman" - KHS Added Note 17 III 2023] 

"I decided to make a canoe out of a Bottle Tree and with the aid of three China-men we cut down a large bottle tree 16 ' [foot or ~5m] long and 4' [feet] 6" [inches or just over a metre] wide.  The tree was solid but as it was soft inside we had little trouble in digging it out and when completed, we carried one ton of sugar, each load, also same of flour, iron and timber."  

[Now that is not a bad "canoe" to carry a "ton" in the old measurement was about 1,000 kg - Will your canoe carry a ton? KHS]

We need to go back a bit before telling you about our trip out to View Hill, looking for evidence of where he built his store.  Before he got to View Hill, Black Pat had been on the cattle drive with his brothers, Big Johnnie, Long Michael, Jerry Brice and James - All Duracks but from a different branch to the Argyle Durack's but they were Patsy Durack's first cousins. Their mother was the older sister (by 12 years) of Tom Kilfoyle, so these Duracks were all Tom's nephews, with Tom closer in age but older than them all, he was no doubt a big influence on them. 

 This branch of the Durack family I term the "Kilfoyle - Duracks" which helps to sort out who's who.  They were nearing the Victoria River with cattle, when Black Pat realised that all three mobs of cattle, would all need stores when they got to the Ord.  So with Tom Hayes crook with fever and needing to see a doctor, he and Black Pat left on horseback for Palmerston, Port Darwin as Darwin was known as then.  

Black Pat must have had a map showing Cambridge Gulf and where the Ord flows in to the Gulf at View Hill  (~40km north of Wyndham but still only half way to the top of Cambridge Gulf), which was where he had told them he would build his store, as before he left he said to them, "follow the Ord and you will find my store."  

At Port Darwin he purchased 46 tons of stores to take to View Hill, with word of the Halls Creek gold discoveries, there were already men on the ground, so Patrick Mantinea Durack got stores for the stations, and for any miners coming from the field with gold, they could get their provisions, and we even found evidence that he had Champagne to sell (see in the DV).  But how to get the 46 tons moved to Cambridge Gulf?

An American timber carrying ship, the "Lorinda Borstel" had brought Karri from Hamelin Bay near Augusta for construction of the Darwin wharf in 1885.  Black Pat talked to Captain Henry Borstel, who I found a photograph of, as well as a photo of his wife, Lorinda, who he had named the ship after (Their photos are in the video). The Lorinda Borstel also took a store-keeper from Darwin to Derby after Black Pat was dropped off about 50 km down into Cambridge Gulf to the "South East Arm" which is where the Ord River comes into the gulf.  It is very remote and wild.

And so it was at Coghlan's Landing, the same place we landed - the only place at View Hill you can land almost onto the rocks, while everywhere else for 20km or more up the South East Arm is mud and mangroves.  From here we had a 6km walk so had to have swags and food to leave on the next high tide - giving us 24 hrs on the ground.  We had come 40km north of Wyndham in Cambridge Gulf, so an 80km round trip in a dinghy.  

About two weeks after Black Pat had finished building his store, Griffiths, a store-keeper came down from Darwin and had soon erected a second store a few hundred metres away, that would be run by former NT Mounted Policeman, August Lucanus, who'd come overland [?]. 

This was the start of the Halls Creek Gold Rush that Black Pat and Lucanus (for Griffiths) knew about and catered for at their stores.  It was about a 3km walk from where we were landed in 2018 to what we now call, "Black Pat's Boab," where we did find compelling evidence of Black Pat's 1885 presence, as you can see in this DV.  Hope you enjoy.  

Uploaded (August 9th 2020) a new digital video of two history field trips made by members of the Kununurra & Wyndham Historical Societies - Hope you have time (41 mins) to watch what was, some almost ,"Lost Kimberley & NT History," we found evidence of on the ground!  You can read more linked from the "Research" pages - http://www.kununurra.org.au/research/1885-view-hill or watch the film now from here.

Will you be our 4,000,000th image view of Kununurra Historical Society collections on Flickr?

We are now (March 2023) approaching the 4,000,000th view of our collections on Flickr, making our archives accessible to all.   Kununurra Museum Flickr Albums and Collections You can access photos within an archive collection or as subject themes, in organised collections from KHS Archive Collections on Flickr, like the Calder Family 35mm Slide Collection.

 All of the KHS collections, including this latest collection are also discoverable on the National Library of Australia's wonderful Trove Search Engine as part of the "Trove - Australia in Pictures" 'Group' on Flickr (where we make photo collections accessible to all :^) Try searching Kununurra on Trove (Pictures) from https://trove.nla.gov.au/picture/result?q=kununurra.

Kununurra Museum Photo Collections on Flickr

Latest Online Collections - 3,000,000 Views

 The Kununurra Historical Society (KHS) collections on Flickr have now had more than 3,000,000 image views (passed in June 2019) - So half a million views since the 2.5 millionth view in March 2018 and the 2,000,000th view in December 2016, which equates to an average of more than 30,000 views each month or around a thousand image views per day.  These images could have remained in the KHS archive and seen by very few, so by digitising and documenting these KHS collections (and many not yet online) KHS is making them accessible to all.

This is a classic piece of 1963 history that is relevant to today's use of renewable energy, showing part of the Kununurra Historical Society's Jim Gooderson collection, from when he was on a PWD survey crew that was making a survey of Tidal Power along the Kimberley Coast. A paper was published by Public Works Department Engineer, John Lewis, who was involved with the Ord River Diversion Dam construction. John has kindly given KHS permission to re-publish his paper, which we hope to have online shortly.

View Jim Gooderson's photographs of the 1963 Tidal Power Survey on the Kimberley Coast (Goes to the collection on Flickr).

Latest Online Collections - 2,500,000 Views (March 2018)

The Kununurra Historical Society collections on Flickr have now had more than 2,500,000 image views (passed in March 2018) and the 2,000,000th view in December 2016, which equates to an average of more than 30,000 views each month. 

 All of the KHS collections, including this latest collection are also discoverable on the National Library of Australia's wonderful Trove Search Engine as part of the "Trove - Australia in Pictures" 'Group' on Flickr (where we make photo collections accessible to all :^) Try searching Kununurra on Trove (Pictures) from https://trove.nla.gov.au/picture/result?q=kununurra.

James Gooderson Collection - 1960-1962 

PWD Ord Surveys and Survey of Tidal Power in the Kimberley 1963

A new collection placed online in March 2018 is from James Gooderson now of Mornington Island, who was working with a PWD Survey Crew for the Ord River Irrigation Area 1960-1962 and was on the PWD Tidal Power Survey along the Kimberley Coast in 1963. A great collection that is relevant to the current push for renewable energy in Australia.

Pictured to right - 1961 -  Old Kimberley Research Station - Carlton Reach - 'A prospective buyer yours truly - Jim Gooderson'g 

[A "prospective buyer" - of the truck? cab ;^) AB - KHS Added to original caption on photo]  KHS-2012-97-ap-a-P10-D (Image link goes to the KHS James Gooderson Collection on Flickr)

View the Jim Gooderson Collection at Kununurra Museum on Flickr or view a separate Album from his collection...

1963 Tidal Power Survey of the Kimberley Coast

Kununurra Museum "Date-sorted Slideshow" (Web) 4

(From 1855 to 1885 - Will be coming soon - Come back to see :^)  

[Image above links to Kununurra Museum KHS News Page - 50 Years of Races in August 2017 & other news items.]

 A great new collection of 193 photographs have been derived from the album made by Henry Hall, who was in charge of Operation Ord Noah during the 1971-72 wet season, which saw Lake Argyle fill for the first time. Henry was part of the wildlife group Western Australian Wildlife Association (WAWA so when you see WAWA on boats in this collection that is nothing to do with the Water Corporation's former title post PWD, Water Authority of Western Australia - WAWA).

 Clicking album page below will take you to the Album collection, once there click on an image then scroll down for further information or view ALL as a slideshow (only available from main album page - near top right of page). 

"Where is Dr. Leichhardt?"

"The Greatest Mystery in Australian History"

Book - "Where is Dr Leichhardt?" written by Darrell Lewis.

Could the famous lost explorer have made it past the Kimberley? Read more about a new book launch on Thursday May 16th at the National Museum of Australia from the KHS News page.

Also see - The Victoria River District Doomsday Book (in the Research Section :^)

Museums Australia Conference in Canberra - May 2013

Thanks to Museums Australia (the peak body for Museums in Australia), the KHS President was successful in applying for a bursary, to help cover costs associated with  travel between May 15th and 23rd, to attend the Museums Australia Conference in Canberra, which has a great range of topics relevant to a regional museum (See full conference program from KHS News).

The Brass Gun Plate - "1848 Ludwig Leichhardt"

Found on a Boab tree with an "L" (for Leichhardt) by Charlie Harding c 1900

  Down the Duncan Road and out to the southern side of the Buchanan Highway to beyond Birrindudu. There on the edge of desert country, on the northern slopes of the Browns Range, lies a belt of about 280 "big, old" boab trees, cut off by great distance from the nearest of all other Kimberley boab trees, with the possibility of other boabs further south.  This is close toward the Gardiner Range, which is where the men went "wet season prospecting,"  when the Leichhardt name-plate is said to have been found over a century ago.

 The name-plate, with the words "Ludwig Leichhardt 1848," was found on a burnt/broken gun in the hollow of a "bottle-tree," (boab) reputedly with an "L" inscribed on the tree. The gun to which the brass nameplate (145mm wide x 20mm high x 2mm thick) had been attached, was left at the tree.  The tree and gun were said to have been found by the Aboriginal assistant to stockman, Charlie Harding, named "Jackie." 

Little is known of this pair's Kimberley movements, who it has been written went out "wet season prospecting" from Hall's Creek towards the Gardiner Range and near the Sturt Creek WA/NT border region.

Despite intensive search by helicopter and quad bike, by Darrell and others in 2007 and 2008, respectively, no boab with an "L" inscribed, nor the gun remains (which would have been an early muzzle-loader), have yet been located. 

 In Darrell's book he has researched and documented all of the different searches for Leichhardt, drawing on some fascinating facets of his new research, which suggests that Leichhardt had made it across Queensland, then across the Northern Territory, and if a 'good year' of rains to make Sturt Creek flow, he would have found that with his Scientific methodology, and would most likely have followed it, like AC Gregory did seven years after Ludwig had left Moreton Bay.  

 This would have taken Leichhardt's party to the place where Inverway was later taken up by the Farquarson Brothers, close to Sturt Creek then down towards the Gardiner Range and the Browns Range dome, the home of the old boabs Darrell found.  One fascinating piece of evidence from an article I had come across and digitised, that I showed Darrell, and he went through the newspapers to successfully find which issue the museum display article had come from.  I feel proud that this snippet fitted the story and had come from the Kununurra Historical Society's archive.  The article was from an issue of the predecessor to the Kimberley Echo, titled, "Kununurra News" and was an interview with a local Aboriginal woman, Martha Lawrie, who had been brought up on Inverway station.  

[Add the Amy Lawrie Story]

[AB for KHS - 14 VII 2013 - Updated 21 V 2023 ]

The Leichhardt nameplate is on display at the National Museum of Australia (NMA), where more information can be found. The image below of the nameplate is from the NMA s web page for the object listing - NMA Collection Object Listing - Leichhardt Nameplate [This link will open in a new tab to keep this page open]

Flickr Collection URLs

http://www.flickr.com/photos/khs-museum/albums

Collections (of Albums)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/khs-museum/collections

Subject Themes

https://www.flickr.com/photos/khs-museum/collections/72157625849162917/

Hope you enjoy.

 Activity on Social Media to promote these commemorations has resulted in posts to the Kununurra Museum Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/Kununurra.Museum/ to promote the 8 x Parts of the Wirraway-Challenge digital video (DV) on the 'Kununurra Museum YouTube Channel' from http://www.youtube.com/user/KununurraMuseum.

  As well as new collections for the Kununurra Museum's Flickr account with more being added over following weeks to the 2000+ photographs in collections there. See below for more about...

KHS on Flickr - Our 2nd Millionth View

 In December we had our 2nd Millionth view of our archival photographic collections on Flickr!  KHS has over 2,000 images online which can be viewed in various ways. Our first Million came in August 2014 which took 3 years and six months from when we started on Flickr in 2011. Our 2nd million views took 2 years and four months from August 2014 (1st Million).

 If we had not digitised and put these online, they would have still been in the archive and virtually nobody would have seen them. KHS - Making archives accessible to all - from anywhere in the world!

The KHS photographs on the Flickr site, have now had over 1,938,650 image views (August 20th 2016). In Feb 2016 it was 1,760,057, a good increase of 70,789 views in the two months before (Feb 2016). Views peaked on January 28th – 7,006 views on that day.

KHS – Ord History Photographs

BEST Ways to View as...

Albums (Sets)

[These Links open in new tabs/windows]

2016 - 75 Years of Ord Irrigation

 In March 1941 Kimberley Michael Durack (KMD) published a thoroughly researched document, 'Developing the North - A Proposed Research Station for the Kimberleys,' and by the end of 1941 his proposal had become a reality.

 In 2014 it was realised that we did not have this document of great significance to Ord River Irrigation history, in the KHS archive, so in February 2015 the document was photographed at the Battye Library, then back in Kununurra each page was transcribed by KHS volunteers. Since then the transcriptions and 'Proposed Research Station' page images have been compiled into a new electronic document format, which we are placing online to make this accessible to all.

 It is fascinating to realise that Kim Durack was just 24 years old when he wrote this proposal, researched and written with great skill. We hope you enjoy reading...

Download KHS archive number KHS-2015-1-H-BD - 'Developing the North - Proposed Research Station for the Kimberleys' (5.6 MB) written by KM Durack and published 75 years ago on March 31st 1941 (in 2016).

KHS hopes you enjoy and we would appreciate any feedback you may have.

[As this PDF is hyperlinked it is best viewed by saving to your hard drive and viewing in Adobe Acrobat Reader and not in web based viewers as hyperlinking may not work correctly. - Below - Crop from cover of the KHS transcribed document - Click image to download this document of historical significance, to mark 75 years of Ord Irrigation history in 2016, made accessible to all by KHS in August 2015.]

Amazingly in 2016 our 'new' purpose-built archive and museum facility, today known as the Kununurra Museum, will have been in operation for fifteen years. This amounts to half of the existence of the Kununurra Historical Society, having been inaugurated on June 5th 1986, we will be commemorating 30 years as a society.

Kim Durack's Pump Engine is Now at the Kununurra Museum

 Since locating and researching the provenance of the 36HP "Petters Atomic Diesel Engine," KHS member volunteers have worked at trying to make the engine more accessible (to all! :-), for display at the Kununurra Museum, to help show the local, State and National significance of tropical agriculture on the Ord and in the Kimberley Region.

The engine first used for irrigation from the Ord River in 1941 is now in the Kununurra Museum grounds.

The Carlton Reach Pump Engine

Used to 1st Pump the Waters of the Ord for Irrigation Experimentation 75 Years Ago in December 1941

The Petters 36 HP - Carlton Reach Pump Engine in place at the Kununurra Museum on October 24th 2013 KHS Archive Number - KHS-2013-124-P-BD - Note that the original river loam is still embedded in the fly-wheel and outer belt pulley wheel, left there when the engine was removed from the Ord River east bank at KRS, by Murray Shiner and one of his excavators, some years ago. A request was made when moving the engine this year, to leave this in place and amazingly this soil has remained in place throughout the various movements to get to the museum grounds.

[It was the intention to leave this dirt in place, to help tell this story, however, this may need to now be removed to prevent further rusting.If so at least here, that story is remembered, with photographic evidence. - AB 23 X 2013. This was removed.]

Read more on the KHS News Page.

[For detailed information go to the KHS Carlton Reach Pump Engine RESEARCH page.]