Measuring History
/
IF YOU RESTORE AN HISTORICAL BUILDING, IS IT STILL CONSIDERED HISTORICAL?
How do we compare 128 years of restored history to 40,000 years of indigenous history?
Mungo Woolshed, located 108km north-east of Mildura, is one such piece of restored history built between 1877 and 1880 by Chinese workers under Victorian pastoralists, the Pattersons, as part of the extensive Gol Gol station.
The wealthy Patterson family ran the 345,407-acre property for 44 years until the land was broken up for use as soldier settlement blocks after the First World War
In 1881 a wool press for the property was purchased at a cost of £31, and in 1888 the woolshed was converted from hand clipping to mechanical shearing. This shed, today sitting quiet and stoic against sun and dust, had a throughput of 29,182 sheep in 1886…two years before the introduction of mechanical shearing.
In 1921, as part of the Federal Government’s soldier settlement scheme, Gol Gol station was broken up and the new 39,520 acre Mungo station was created. Taken up by the Cameron brothers, Ewan and Angus, this station was thereafter managed as an independent station.
The brothers, although prospering in their first few years of occupation, were hit hard by drought and sold the property in 1934 to Albert Barnes who, having considerable experience in similar properties in the area, spent much of the early parts of the lease improving the property by sinking wells and mending fences.
During his first year on the property, Albert fell in love and married Venda Stirrat, the niece of the owner of the neighbouring Zanci station. This partnership led to a large amount of socializing with young families travelling from all over the district to Mungo station. To play tennis, cricket and attend the short lived Mungo horse races.
Standing inside this woolshed, away from the searing heat and, surrounded by worn timbers, the corrugated iron roof cracking in the sun there is an overwhelming sense of calm.
If you listen carefully you can almost hear the bleating of hot, wooly sheep. The call and swearing of sweaty Aussie shearers, you can practically smell the lanolin. And run your hand over the upright timber posts, smoothed by the years and you can feel a history, which although relatively short, was eventful and full of character.
Our pastoral and European history is comparatively short. Although not always something to be celebrated, it is part of what has built this country and hopefully taught us lessons for the future.
How can we compare to the history of this lands traditional owners. A history that for over 35,000 years lay about 10km from this woolshed. That is not something that can be described; it is something that must be felt.
In 1978 The National Parks and Wildlife Foundation purchased Mungo Station for $116,000 from the Barnes Family to protect Mungo area, and in 1979 the area was declared part of the Mungo National Park. It was after this time that the historic woolshed was restored.
Today, the Paakantji and Ngyiampaa people jointly manage Mungo National Park with the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Mungo National Park is accessible via a number of two wheel drive unsealed roads, however latest road information should always be checked.
