Lap Around Australia: Greenough

Greenough, Port Denison & Dongara

Our friends drove through this lovely area south of Geraldton a few days ago and reported that it was definitely a place to visit while we're awaiting our car repairs in Geraldton. Although the round trip is further than our 100 km per day hire car limit, we have plenty of kilometres still in hand if you average it out.

Just 25 kilometre south of Geraldton is the Central Greenough Historic Settlement. During the 1860s Greenough became a thriving agricultural area but the threat of rust on the wheat crops, drought, flood and falling crop prices led to a decline. A lot of the buildings fell into disrepair. The National Trust took over in the 1970s and set about reconstructive work and saving this important heritage.

There was only a couple of cars outside when we arrived and we went into the main building, which was once the General Store. Now it has been refurbished as the visitor centre, café and gift shop. We were given very informative brochures with a diagrammatic map of the buildings in the precinct and let loose to wander around at our own pace.

The Central Greenough School was built by William Trigg in 1865.It also served as a community hall and an Anglican place of worship. It stated out with just 19 pupils and two teachers initially, but grew with the town until its decline in the first half of the twentieth century.
They had school desks set up with a Bursary Exam from 1898. Visitors can take the test and get the answer sheet at the end of their tour. John and I only just scraped a pass. The math questions in imperial system measures threw us. As did the geography questions. Who draws maps these days? We were okay on the English and history which saved some embarrassment.

The Police Station, Court and gaol was constructed in 1870. The building complex served a variety of purposes, all associated with Government services. It housed a police station/charge room, a retiring room used by visiting magistrate and doctor, police sergeant's and a school teacher's quarters, kitchen for preparing prisoners meals, four prison cells and a fifth larger cell where all Aboriginal prisoners were thrown in together and chained to a bar. Out back were stables, outside toilets and a 22 metre deep well enclosing an exercise courtyard. It all looked pretty dire to us. The prisoners in particular had it tough, but even the staff had very basic amenities.

St Catherine's Anglican Church is the second Anglican church built at Greenough in 1913, replacing an iron and timber structure that was shipped out complete with all fittings from England in 1892.
This building is still in regular use.

The Greenough Road Board was the predecessor of the local Shire. The building was built in 1906 and used for board meetings until 1952 and was the centre of government administration for the whole Greenough district.

St Catherine's Hall was built in 1898 as a community hall and was used for dances, parties concerts, political meetings and flower shows. From the archive photos inside it looked like a lot of fun was had here by all, being the only place where larger social gatherings could be held.

Hackett's cottage was built after the 1888 flood on land adjacent to his general store. Ned Hackett was a busy chap. He also acted as the village cobbler, carpenter, blacksmith and undertaker, while his wife ran the store.

The Presbytery was built in 1900 and housed the local priest for thirty years. The last priest to occupy the house was Monsignor Hawes (yes! The architect priest). Afterwards it was used as a boarding house for some of the boys at the convent school.

St Peters Catholic Church was built in 1908 and continues to be used as a place of worship. Next door was the Greenough Convent. Built in 1898 to house a group of Dominican Sisters from New Zealand who ran a school there. It then passed to the Presentation Sisters who used it as a dormitory for their boarding school.

We were surprised how much we really enjoyed our visit here. Including meeting the resident alpacas and having morning tea on the porch. We'd though Greenough was mainly noted for the leaning trees! We did stop on our way back to see that too.

We drove further down the coast to see Dongara. We stopped first at a lookout over the Estuary of the Irwin River. We saw the white colour on the trees lining its banks. The poo from cormorants who nest and hide from their predators in the trees. Nice! You can look all the way over to Port Denison from this vantage point. We also visited a beach near here, but the windy weather didn't make it very inviting to explore the beach. We did see the Big Lobster at Dongara's entrance to the town. It's the thing Dongara is most noted for and there's a big fisheries building down near the marina.

Someone from the Belair caravan park told us we must try the Port Denison Bakery. We found one
opposite the park but it didn't appear too special so we had a wander around the marina and park. Barb found her first " WA Rocks" painted stone at the fish sculpture in the park. We will have to hide it for someone else to find further along our travels.