ne hundred years ago, a homestead was built in the Oremote and spectacular part of the Region, known today as Millstream Chichester National Park. The homestead was constructed alongside the picturesque Millstream wetlands, which have spiritual significance to the Yindjibarndi people, who also call this place home. The first family to live in the homestead – Claude and Ella Irvine and their children, who came to the station from , which they managed for David Forrest – considered it the best house in the State’s north-west (see ‘Return to Millstream’, LANDSCOPE, Autumn 2015). And the Previous page property’s proximity to abundant fresh Main Millstream homestead stands proud 100 years after it was built. water from a large limestone aquifer and Photo – Jackie Baxter/DBCA the large pools of the , Inset bottom Jirndawurrunha Pool is one made the station, which was established of Millstream Chichester National Park’s in 1865 when Alexander McRae took up freshwater pools. 100,000 acres of land, one of the north- Photo – Peter Nicholas/DBCA Inset centre right The Irvine family at the west’s most desirable. homestead in 1919. Photo – Courtesy of the Gordon family BUILT TO LAST Built in 1919, Millstream homestead’s Above The kitchen building is still standing. hip roof, shady verandas and concrete Photo – Cliff Winfield floor are characteristic of many other Right Poinciana trees that were planted a few station homes. However, the building’s years after the homestead was built provide walls are unique, having been made from shade for visitors today. hair and lime mortar with a ‘coating of Photo – Jackie Baxter/DBCA concrete’ on the outside. When it was being built, station manager Claude Irvine had his concerns about this construction technique, but the builder assured family in 1964. The Kennedys converted him that “… it will be strong enough to the homestead to a tavern in 1975, but withstand anything…”. So far, it has. it closed in the 1980s and it became the Mrs Turnbull, who managed the station At the time it was constructed, the national park ranger’s office and a park with her husband from about 1879 to homestead was surrounded by other visitor centre, which is still open today. 1898, was woken by a crackling noise buildings, including the previous house, It was the third house built on this site. and then smelt smoke. She roused her a men’s hut, a carpenter and blacksmith The first homestead had a thatched roof husband and the pair discovered the roof shop, a store, shearers’ quarters, wool and walls made using an ancient building was ablaze. They had enough time to shed and five out camp huts. All of these technique called wattle and daub. Walls get out, but were not able to get water out buildings are long gone, but the were constructed from a woven lattice of on the building so it burnt to the ground homestead, surrounded by lawn and shady wooden strips called wattle, which were within an hour, destroying everything poinciana trees planted a few years after then daubed with a sticky material that inside, including family treasures, clothes the house was built, remain. consisted of a combination of materials, and £30 in notes and important business including soil, clay, animal dung and straw, papers; a loss of £150 pounds. The building HOME, SWEET HOME depending on what was available. and furniture were valued at £250. The Millstream homestead was home This building was destroyed by fire The second homestead was made to three generations of the Irvine/Gordon in October 1897 when a spark from of iron and weatherboard and was family before it was sold to the Kennedy the chimney ignited the thatching. surrounded by verandas. The veranda

30 LANDSCOPE Hear more about the homestead’s ● Millstream Chichester National Park centenary Scan this QR code or visit Parks and Wildlife Service’s ‘LANDSCOPE’ playlist on YouTube.

Above The second homestead was built in another cyclone. When then owner Harold from was close to the river, so was often 1898. Cookson visited the station from England very boggy, and they had to wait for the that year, he and Claude collaborated on a river to drop and the area to dry out. Above right (left to right) Ella, Cecil, Nellie and new design, which was to include hollow Claude Irvine with Kath Salt and Ken Irvine in A LONG, HARD ROAD the sitting room of the second homestead. concrete blocks and an oval roof. The Photos – Courtesy of the Gordon family budget was set at £2000. The logistics involved in arranging transport of 86 tons of building material Far right Each room of the homestead opens BUILDING A LEGACY from Fremantle to Cossack and then out to the veranda Claude visited Perth and met with south to Millstream were challenging. Photo – Jackie Baxter/DBCA architect join JC Smith, who advised Communication at Millstream relied on against the blocks, saying they wouldn’t be word of mouth or letters, and a letter substantial enough to withstand a cyclone. could take up to seven weeks to be Instead, he proposed a hip roof and delivered. Telegrams could be sent from posts are believed to have been trunks reinforced concrete walls. A tender was Roebourne, but if the roads were too wet, from the local paperbark tree (Melaleuca placed in The West Australian for a builder they couldn’t take the motorcar (T Ford), argentea). Unfortunately, the house lost and the successful applicant was Mr C so had to take the horse and buggy, which its roof and suffered major damage in a Turner, whose price came in just under could take two days. violent storm on 6 February 1916. budget at £1997, although didn’t include At this time, steamships operated by Wind blew sections of the roof off, the architect’s fees or freight. the State Shipping Service of Western rain destroyed what was left of the ceiling Back at Millstream, Claude was Australia were the only means of and several walls and the entire back tasked with collecting sand samples transport for people, stock, wool clip and veranda and part of the front was blown from the Fortescue River to send to the freight to and from the north-west. Ship away. The building was uninhabitable so builder to determine if the local materials timetables were coordinated with tides Claude and Ella Irvine moved their family would be suitable for construction. They and weather conditions, so they weren’t into the shearers quarters until the building also required rubble from off the clay caught in cyclones. During summer could be repaired at a cost of £150. tablelands. After sending sand samples months, cyclones were always (and still The building continued to decline, to Perth, Claude and the station hands are) a hazard for shipping. A trip by sea and by 1918 it was in such poor condition, got to work carting the sand. This was from Fremantle to Point Samson could Claude didn’t think it would survive challenging, as the area they were carting take three to four days. The Point Samson

LANDSCOPE 31 Top left Camels were sometimes used to transport material thoughout the north-west.

Above Millstream homestead in the 1920s.

Left Doug, Geoff, Les and Stuart Gordon in the 1930s. Photos – Courtesy of the Gordon family

Far left The original fireplace can still be seen in the homestead dining room. Photo – Jackie Baxter/DBCA

there was enough building material at Millstream to begin construction. Things progressed until September, when they ran out of material and had to wait for jetty was built to replace the Cossack Roebourne to secure another team, but more to be delivered. jetty that was unable to receive bulk cargo found they were in the same situation; due to the 18-foot rise and fall of tides. their horses were in poor health due to ON WITH THE JOB Cargo was then transported by rail to lack of good feed. He finally managed to Roebourne. secure a teamster, but he pulled out at While the house was being built, Then, transport was required to the last minute to take on another job. station life continued. Times were harsh transfer the cargo the 135 kilometres Things weren’t looking good; the building and the drought caused considerable stock inland to Millstream. The Millstream materials and some shearing supplies were losses, including lambs that were unable to station horse team was capable of carrying being stored in Roeburne with no way of feed from their mothers that had no grass only four ton per trip, and each trip took transporting them. to graze on. Windmills needed constant 10 days each way. In 1919 the north- Claude’s luck changed when he met a maintenance and Claude spent a lot of west was experiencing a severe drought man in Roebourne who had a camel team. time fixing them. Out camps were closed, and there was no food or water for the Claude purchased the team of 22 camels, and horses and stock brought back to the horses along the way. In order to make which were able to cart two loads at a main homestead. Water was plentiful, the journey, they would have had to carry time until they reached The Big Hill at but food for the animals was not. Sheep water for the horses and purchase chaff the base of the Chichester Range couldn’t be sold as they were not strong and oats from Perth, which would have escarpment (close to Python Pool in enough to travel. been very expensive. Millstream Chichester National Park). In November, when the building was Claude hired three teams of Here they would double up the camels near completion, Claude wrote to the horses, but they got stranded more than to get the loads to the top, then split architect. 160 kilometres up the road and seven them again and carry on. This way they “Now that the building is advanced of the horses died. He travelled to could carry 13 to 14 tons per trip. By May it looks very nice and am sure will be

32 LANDSCOPE Above far left Jennifer and Roger Gordon being home-schooled on the homestead veranda in the 1960s.

Above left Mildred Gordon with her childen Sue, Colin and Donald. Photos – Courtesy of the Gordon family

Above The camp kitchen at Millstream campground was inspired by the homestead kitchen.

Left The homestead kitchen offers a glimpse into yesteryear. Photos – Jackie Baxter/DBCA

very comfortable. Excepting the floors was used by the bookkeeper and then a nurse but she became seriously ill and (badly cracked) and colouring of the became the school room in the late passed away on her nineteenth birthday. walls (a dirty white colour) the work is 1950s. She was buried in the same grave as her a credit to the architect and builder.” The bathroom had a shower and a grandfather Claude Irvine. Claude Irvine and his family moved in bath that was added later. There was Les and Nell continued to manage to the homestead on 17 December 1919. a gas power plant out the back of the Millstream station with their sons Doug, The following week a thunderstorm hit homestead that provided gas for the Stuart and their families until Les’s sudden the area and the roof leaked badly. Finally lights in the building and fresh water was death in 1954. The pastoral lease then the drought had broken. channelled from the Millstream creek to passed to Doug and Stuart. Doug, his “We are now living in the new service the homestead. wife Mildred and their children lived at house and find it most comfortable it is Claude and Ella Irvine lived in the the cattle camp ‘Kangiangi’, and Stuart, beautifully cool. The general opinion homestead until they retired to Perth his wife Pixie and their children lived at is that it is the best house in the North in 1924. Their daughter Nell and her Millstream. The children are reported West.” husband Les Gordon moved from Broken to have enjoyed an idyllic childhood at GRAND DESIGN Hill with their three children Geoffrey Millstream. (a daughter who was named after Nell’s In 1964 the Gordon family left the The building contains five rooms. brother Geoff who was killed at Gallipoli), north-west and the station was sold to The central room was used as a dining Doug and Stuart. Geoffrey left the north- the Kennedy family. The Kennedys lived room and the others were mostly used west to train in Royal Perth Hospital as in the homestead until a downturn in the as bedrooms. As was the norm, rooms were added under the extensive veranda, including a bathroom and a storeroom “We are now living in the new house and find it most that was later used as the governess’s bedroom. Off the right back corner of comfortable it is beautifully cool. The general opinion the homestead was another room that is that it is the best house in the North West.”

LANDSCOPE 33 cattle industry in 1975 had them convert and interpretive displays installed. These Above left Park rangers, including Noel it to a tavern to supplement the station’s were in place for 28 years. Nannup (pictured with then regional manager income. A bar was installed in the front Hugh Chevis and Madeleine Clews) used the ONE HUNDRED YEARS ON homestead as a ranger station. room with a door leading to beer fridges Photo – Jiri Lochman in the room behind. The dining room This year, to celebrate the one catered for counter meals and the other hundredth anniversary of the building’s Above Walk trails guide visitors around the two bedrooms were used for storage. The erection, the homestead has been fitted national park. tavern also offered accommodation. with a new gyprock ceiling (to replace the Photo – Jackie Baxter/DBCA During this time, the Kennedy family suspended ceiling installed in 1975), given Below Millstream homestead. moved into a transportable building and a fresh coat of paint, and some repairs Illustration – Gooitzen van der Meer catered to as many as 2000 tourists a year. have been carried out and old displays The Kennedys sold the station and have been removed. in the 1980s the homestead was used While Millstream homestead has by park rangers as an office. When new had a few cosmetic updates along the of us won’t be around to see Millstream offices were built, the homestead was way, the memories of yesteryear seem homestead celebrate another 100 years, it’s transformed into a visitor centre. In the to echo through the building. Visitors are comforting to know that the building, and early 1990s the building and roof were encouraged to imagine what it was like the spectacular national park it sits in, are painted, terracotta tiles laid throughout living there 100 years ago and, while most protected for future generations to enjoy.

Judymae Napier is DBCA’s Pilbara Region education and interpretation officer. She can be contacted on (08) 9182 2024 or by email ([email protected]). Judymae would like to thank the Gordon family for their contribution to this article as well as their valuable support in recording the history of the station and the homestead and providing wonderful photos from their personal collections. Claude Irvine’s letter books (1914–1924) now kept in the Battye Library in Perth, provided a lot of the detail for this article. Doug Gordon provided valuable information to the department when the first lot of displays were installed in 1991. His book The West Pilbara Sail and teams to Bulk Carriers and Bitumen provided an excellent resource for the goings on over the last 100 years. Doug sadly passed away last year at age 96.

34 LANDSCOPE