Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory contains within its boundary the historic Boolardy Station, which is listed on the Western Australia State Register of Heritage Places for its historic, aesthetic, scientific and social values. It has rarity and representativeness significance due to the completeness of the collection of buildings from the original shepherd’s cottage of the late 1870s to the plane hangar of the 1960s.
Description and Plan (including name and Location)
- Pastoral Lease: Understood to be comprised by Lot 502 on Plan 55945 LR 3157 Folio 70, Lot 18 on Plan 220344 LR 3064 Folio 479 and Lot 226 on Plan 220344 LR 3085 Folio 52.
- Street address: Boolardy Station, Beringarra Pindar Road, Murchison WA 6630
Discrete Heritage Place Identification Number for each place
Boolardy Homestead Group – WA State Register – Listed under Place ID number 01698:
- Building No. 003 – Wittenoom Cottage (identified originally as F. Wittenoom House), numbered 013 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 004 – Storage Garage, numbered 017 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 005 – Accommodation Donga (identified originally as Jackeroo Quarters), numbered 008 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 006 – Store Building (identified originally as Office and Store), numbered 007 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 007 – Underground and Covered Water Tank, numbered 015 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 008 – Meat House, numbered 009 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 010 – Boolardy Homestead Residence, numbered 001 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 012 – Shed (identified originally as Old Store), numbered 002 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 013 – Feed Store (identified originally as Motorcycle and Saddle Room), numbered 006 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 014 – Equipment and Fuel Store (identified originally as Harness Room, Fuel Store, Feed Store, Windmill room) numbered 005 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 015 – Ex–Blacksmith Shed (identified originally as Blacksmith’s Shop), numbered 004 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 016 – Ex–Blacksmith’s Quarters (identified originally as Shepperd’s Cottage), numbered 003 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 017 – Original Equipment Shed and Workshop (identified originally as Cart Shed), numbered 012 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 019 – Vehicle and Aircraft Shed, numbered 014 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 082 – Generator Shed, numbered 010 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 083 – Tennis Court, numbered 020 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 089 – Hay and Milking Shed, numbered 018 with WA Heritage Office.
- Top Shed Precinct
- Bottom Shed Precinct
Sequential summary of the use of the place
- Pre- 1830s – Occupation by the Wajarri Yamaji People.
- 1839 – The Murchison area was explored and named by Lieutenant George Grey.
- 1860s – Various pastoral stations began to emerge in the Murchison area.
- 1874 – Jonh Perks and Edward Wittenoom explored the region 30 miles north of Ngatta water hole and take up their first lease.
- 1876 – The Wittenoom brothers take up Lease No A4695 at Ngatta Pool and The Shepherd’s Cottage is built. The property was referred to as Gnatta Station and spanned 150,00 acres with 5,000 sheep.
- 2009 – CSIRO purchased the WA Pastoral Lease of 333,945 ha for Boolardy Station and entered into a lease of 12,803 ha with the WA Government for the MRO site.
- 2010 – 2013 – The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) began construction and involved a substantial upgrade to facilities at Boolardy Station that included refurbishment of existing facilities, and installation of new accommodation and catering facilities, power generation, and water treatment facilities. Refurbishment works were undertaken to the Boolardy Station homestead including repairs and upgrades to structure, cladding, interiors, plumbing, and electrical installations. A number of adjacent buildings were repaired and made good to lock-up stage and an Archival Recording was made of the Married Couples Quarters and Roo Shooters Cottage prior to their demolition.
- 2014 – The Station’s pastoral use ceased.
- 2022 – CSIRO handed back the WA Pastoral Lease and MRO lease in return for a single WA Lease of 343,849.4377 ha for the entire site.
Summary Statement of Significance
Boolardy Homestead Group, comprising a collection of Victorian Georgian buildings, including the main homestead, old store, shepherd’s cottage, blacksmith’s shop, feed, fuel and windmill rooms, saddle, harness and motorcycle rooms, store, office and bookkeeper’s room, jackeroo’s quarters, married couple/cook’s quarters, meat house, engine room, cart shed, F. Wittenoom House and other associated buildings and structures, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:
- the place is unusual in that it is a large collection of largely intact, pastoral buildings. The full development of the property, from the original shepherd’s cottage dating from the late 1870s, to the plane hangar of the 1960s, is evident in the built fabric;
- the place has considerable aesthetic value, both in the design, scale, and materials of the individual elements and as a sizable collection of Victorian Georgian pastoral buildings;
- the place is closely associated with the early pastoral settlement of the Murchison Region and with a number of Aboriginal people who worked and lived on the property. The place is has [sic] also been associated with the Wittenoom and Lefroy families since 1888;
- the place demonstrates considerable achievement in construction in a remote environment through the use of local materials, including stone, mud brick, mulga and ant bed;
- the place is associated with builder Alf Couch, well known throughout the Murchison for his unique curved corrugated iron roof constructions;
- the place is closely connected with the operations of local government in the Murchison area; and
- the place is highly regarded in the Murchison Region as a former important pastoral property.
Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory contains within its boundary the historic Boolardy Station, which is listed on the Western Australia State Register of Heritage Places for its historic, aesthetic, scientific and social values. It has rarity and representativeness significance due to the completeness of the collection of buildings from the original shepherd’s cottage of the late 1870s to the plane hangar of the 1960s.
Description and Plan (including name and Location)
- Pastoral Lease: Understood to be comprised by Lot 502 on Plan 55945 LR 3157 Folio 70, Lot 18 on Plan 220344 LR 3064 Folio 479 and Lot 226 on Plan 220344 LR 3085 Folio 52.
- Street address: Boolardy Station, Beringarra Pindar Road, Murchison WA 6630
Discrete Heritage Place Identification Number for each place
Boolardy Homestead Group – WA State Register – Listed under Place ID number 01698:
- Building No. 003 – Wittenoom Cottage (identified originally as F. Wittenoom House), numbered 013 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 004 – Storage Garage, numbered 017 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 005 – Accommodation Donga (identified originally as Jackeroo Quarters), numbered 008 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 006 – Store Building (identified originally as Office and Store), numbered 007 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 007 – Underground and Covered Water Tank, numbered 015 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 008 – Meat House, numbered 009 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 010 – Boolardy Homestead Residence, numbered 001 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 012 – Shed (identified originally as Old Store), numbered 002 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 013 – Feed Store (identified originally as Motorcycle and Saddle Room), numbered 006 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 014 – Equipment and Fuel Store (identified originally as Harness Room, Fuel Store, Feed Store, Windmill room) numbered 005 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 015 – Ex–Blacksmith Shed (identified originally as Blacksmith’s Shop), numbered 004 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 016 – Ex–Blacksmith’s Quarters (identified originally as Shepperd’s Cottage), numbered 003 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 017 – Original Equipment Shed and Workshop (identified originally as Cart Shed), numbered 012 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 019 – Vehicle and Aircraft Shed, numbered 014 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 082 – Generator Shed, numbered 010 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 083 – Tennis Court, numbered 020 with WA Heritage Office.
- Building No. 089 – Hay and Milking Shed, numbered 018 with WA Heritage Office.
- Top Shed Precinct
- Bottom Shed Precinct
Sequential summary of the use of the place
- Pre- 1830s – Occupation by the Wajarri Yamaji People.
- 1839 – The Murchison area was explored and named by Lieutenant George Grey.
- 1860s – Various pastoral stations began to emerge in the Murchison area.
- 1874 – Jonh Perks and Edward Wittenoom explored the region 30 miles north of Ngatta water hole and take up their first lease.
- 1876 – The Wittenoom brothers take up Lease No A4695 at Ngatta Pool and The Shepherd’s Cottage is built. The property was referred to as Gnatta Station and spanned 150,00 acres with 5,000 sheep.
- 2009 – CSIRO purchased the WA Pastoral Lease of 333,945 ha for Boolardy Station and entered into a lease of 12,803 ha with the WA Government for the MRO site.
- 2010 – 2013 – The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) began construction and involved a substantial upgrade to facilities at Boolardy Station that included refurbishment of existing facilities, and installation of new accommodation and catering facilities, power generation, and water treatment facilities. Refurbishment works were undertaken to the Boolardy Station homestead including repairs and upgrades to structure, cladding, interiors, plumbing, and electrical installations. A number of adjacent buildings were repaired and made good to lock-up stage and an Archival Recording was made of the Married Couples Quarters and Roo Shooters Cottage prior to their demolition.
- 2014 – The Station’s pastoral use ceased.
- 2022 – CSIRO handed back the WA Pastoral Lease and MRO lease in return for a single WA Lease of 343,849.4377 ha for the entire site.
Summary Statement of Significance
Boolardy Homestead Group, comprising a collection of Victorian Georgian buildings, including the main homestead, old store, shepherd’s cottage, blacksmith’s shop, feed, fuel and windmill rooms, saddle, harness and motorcycle rooms, store, office and bookkeeper’s room, jackeroo’s quarters, married couple/cook’s quarters, meat house, engine room, cart shed, F. Wittenoom House and other associated buildings and structures, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:
- the place is unusual in that it is a large collection of largely intact, pastoral buildings. The full development of the property, from the original shepherd’s cottage dating from the late 1870s, to the plane hangar of the 1960s, is evident in the built fabric;
- the place has considerable aesthetic value, both in the design, scale, and materials of the individual elements and as a sizable collection of Victorian Georgian pastoral buildings;
- the place is closely associated with the early pastoral settlement of the Murchison Region and with a number of Aboriginal people who worked and lived on the property. The place is has [sic] also been associated with the Wittenoom and Lefroy families since 1888;
- the place demonstrates considerable achievement in construction in a remote environment through the use of local materials, including stone, mud brick, mulga and ant bed;
- the place is associated with builder Alf Couch, well known throughout the Murchison for his unique curved corrugated iron roof constructions;
- the place is closely connected with the operations of local government in the Murchison area; and
- the place is highly regarded in the Murchison Region as a former important pastoral property.