Old Onslow was a ghost town, located in a remote coastal area between Exmouth and Karratha. First settled in 1885, primarily as a port for the wool industry in the region, it was moved 20km to the north in 1925 after finally succumbing to repeated cyclone damage and silting of the river mouth.
Vaguely helpful signs gave the impression it had once been a rather bustling town. Most of the original buildings had either been relocated to the new Onslow township or had yielded to the elements so we relied on a series of poorly maintained plaques to map out the old town’s key services and structures. There were a few remnants of old ruins, providing us with a peep into the past. The police station, goal and cemetery were the best preserved sites, an indication of where the most durable and presumably most expensive materials had been used.
We set up camp for the night beside the Police Station and gaol. A modern table & chairs and long drop toilet (or long pong as Jesse dubbed it!) had been added for visitors. There were no eerie sounds or ghosts to report (but the kids and dogs did seem overly fascinated with the decaying skeleton of what looked like a dingo lying beside the wall of the ‘exercise yard’). Compared to modern prisons, the gaol was fairly rudimentary. Security was as sophisticated as broken glass cemented haphazardly to the top of the walls and solid metal bars on the windows. The Police Station had a number of chimneys but the kids were a bit shocked to learn that prisoners had to tough out the extremes of weather without the comforts of heating or cooling!
The cemetery provided a fascinating insight into the lives, loves and tragedies of Old Onslow during its brief history. The kids were saddened to see many gravestones with memorials to children their own age. They were also surprised that many adults died in their 20’s and 30’s. We explained that common illnesses were often fatal 100 years ago, that childbirth was incredibly dangerous and that there were few laws protecting worker’s health and safety. Life was tough! Looking around the cemetery, I think they understood.
It seems the town’s entrepreneur, James Clark, owned or built more than half the buildings and contributed significantly to the sizeable infrastructure that helped keep Old Onslow’s commerce alive. Many would have thought it impossible to make it rich in these parts in the 1800’s but James was surely gifted with vision, determination and a steadfast work ethic. Other similarly entrepreneurial family members owned some of the large sheep stations in the region, including Emu Creek Station (then known as Wogoola Station)! Parts of the homestead at Wogoola were built using timber and iron from the Rob Roy Hotel in Old Onslow. James had owned the hotel and when the town relocated, the hotel was dismantled and taken by donkey teams to Wogoola.
We made a quick visit to the new Onslow for a few supplies but there was nothing very noteworthy there – certainly not as interesting as OLD Onslow!
Photos from left to right
Old Onslow ruins - the Police station
Old Onslow ruins - the Police station
the site of the last ruins - the gaol is on the left, the Police station is on the right
At the Old Onslow cemetery
An old wagon used for carting wool bales
Remnants of an old tram car
An original water tank and windmill
Sunrise with industry filling the horizon
A silhouette of the huge scale of local industry near Onslow
Salt pans near Onslow
Interesting landscape near Onslow