The Presentation Convent, Greenough Village

Greenough (including Walkaway)
One of the most interesting historic towns in Australia
Located 24 km south of Geraldton and 400 km north of Perth (via the Brand Highway), Greenough is one of the most interesting historical towns in Australia. Claimed by some to be the country's best preserved nineteenth century town, this small settlement has enough buildings of interest to keep the enthusiast busy for at least a day.

Today the heart of Greenough - a collection of eleven buildings including the gaol, courthouse, police station, churches, and school - is administered by the National Trust and open from 9.00 am - 4.45 pm daily (It can be opened upon application by phoning (08) 9926 1084). There are guided tours of the village which depart from the National Trust building almost constantly throughout the day.

Beyond this National Trust zone lie the ruins of the Wesley Church (the area was settled by large numbers of Wesleyans), the gracious old Grays Store, Clinch's Mill and the Greenough Hotel. As well, a short distance up the road is the companion settlement of Walkaway.

The appeal of Greenough lies in its sense of solidity and certainty. Realistically it is now a ghost town - only the National Trust guides are here to haunt the visitor. Yet in the churches, court house and police station - all of which are built in stone - there is a suggestion that this was a town built to last for eternity.

In his novel The Merry-go-Round in the Sea Geraldton–born novelist Randolph Stow capture the contradiction of a solid ghost town when he observes of Greenough: 'And on the Greenough Flats were big houses, a two–storied barracks that had quartered the soldiers who protected the first settlers against the blacks, a two–storied corn chandlers', a solid-looking church which suddenly, startlingly, disgorged a full congregation of sheep. The Greenough was full of ruins and history and agreeable reminders of the world's vanity.'

The valley where Greenough now stands was first explored by George Grey in 1839. Grey named the area after his sponsor Sir George Bellas Greenough, the then president of the Royal Geographical Society. It was an astute and political gesture. It has been claimed that Grey said the area would become 'the granary of Western Australia'.

In 1851, due to pressure from pastoralists, the explorer A. C. Gregory surveyed 30 000 acres of land which was subsequently broken up into 20 and 30 acre lots. At the time it was the northern-most settlement in Western Australia.

The Greenough Front Flats were first settled in 1852 and within a few years had developed into a highly successful wheat growing area. The people who settled in the area were poor (some were ex-convicts from the Labour Depot at Port Gregory) and many of the farms were prepared for sowing with nothing more than a shovel. Sowing was commonly done by hand and the wheat was reaped with a sickle.

That same year Clinch's Mill was built and houses, usually made from either local limestone or mud bricks, began to go up. In the next decade most of the buildings were constructed. With a population of over 1000 wheat farmers there was an obvious need for a hotel - the Hampton Arms was completed in 1863, a general store - Gray's Store was built in 1861, a police station - it was built by convicts between 1863-1868, and a school (1860). In the early years people lived in the simplest of shelters. It wasn't until the 1870s that residences began to be built in stone.

But the success of the settlement was short-lived. A series of disasters conspired to drive the wheat farmers off the land. A cyclone caused enormous damage in 1872, the area experienced bad flooding in 1888, and the wheat was adversely affected by red rust. These mishaps were enough to persuade many of the farmers to try their luck in the newly discovered goldfields to the east. By 1900 most of the settlers had either left the area of given up wheat farming for grazing. The town was left to fall into disrepair. It wasn't until the 1980s that a concerted effort was made to revitalise the settlement. Today it is one of the premier attractions of the Central West.

Things to see:  

The ruins of Gray's Store

Greenough/Walkaway Heritage Trail
The Greenough/Walkaway Heritage Trail identifies some 36 buildings on interest in the area including the fascinating Pioneer Cemetery, Clinch's Mill (built in 1858 it continued to operate until 1922 and at its peak became an important supplier of flour to the Murchison gold fields), the elegant ruins of the Wesley Church, Gray's Store (constructed with convict labour in 1861) the Hampton Arms Inn (the first hotel in the area it was built in 1863 by Robert Pearson and is now an excellent restaurant - it has a beautifully decorated ballroom) and the buildings of the National Trust controlled Greenough Hamlet.

The Hampton Arms Inn
On 5 September 2001 Dr. Judy Edwards, the Minister for Environment and Heritage, issued the following press release:

"The Hampton Arms, the first hotel to be built in the Mid-West's Greenough district, has been listed on the State's Register of Heritage Places. The hotel, which still functions as a licensed inn and restaurant, has been lovingly restored for the past 16 years by owners Judy and Brian Turnock.

Environment and Heritage Minister Dr Judy Edwards said the Hampton Arms was one of only a handful of colonial hotels to survive to the present day.

"What makes it even more rare is that it is still operating as a hotel," Dr Edwards said. "It is also important as a surviving remnant of the town of Hampton, which was established in 1862, not long after the Greenough Front Flats. As the district's first hotel, it was a focal point for Greenough settlers for social gatherings, balls and political meetings. It also provided shelter during times of flooding when settlers on the western side of the Greenough River were cut off from settlement on the eastern side."

Dr Edwards said the two-storey stone and iron building, which had single-storey wings each side of the main section and a stone stable block, was an excellent example of the Victorian Regency style.

"Unlike other surviving buildings which once functioned as inns, the Hampton Arms was a purpose-built hotel," she said. "Francis Pearson, who designed the first smelter in Western Australia and was a key figure in the early settlement of the Mid-West, built the hotel in 1863 with his two sons."

The Hampton Arms was officially opened on May 1,1863 and named after John Hampton, Governor of the day. The district's first ploughing match was held in 1868, adjacent to the hotel and for several decades it was a centre of social life. However, hard times and economic developments began to affect conditions in the area. By the 1870s a series of droughts, floods and fires had reduced the cropping capabilities of the region, which had been important in supplying the colony with much needed flour supplies. A disastrous flood in 1888 further reduced the area's profitability and population and when the Midland to Walkaway railway line was completed in 1894, road traffic along the Perth-Geraldton road decreased. The combination of these events led to a decline in patronage of the Hampton Arms and eventually it closed in the 1890s. The building was used as farmhouse and gradually deteriorated until it was bought in 1978 by Alistair and Robin McKechnie, who began restoration work. They opened a restaurant in 1979 and completed work on the ballroom in 1981, subsequently being granted the first Historic Inn licence in WA.

The Hampton Arms was Classified by the National Trust in 1977 and placed on the Register of the National Estate in 1978. It was placed on the Shire of Greenough's historic buildings list in 1984 and included in its Municipal Inventory in 1998."

Museums in the Area
Apart from the Hamlet (which is a multi–building museum) the area also has the Walkaway Station Museum and the Pioneer Museum. The Walkaway Station Museum was completed in 1887 and closed in 1966. It now houses exhibitions which offer insights into regional transportation and education. It also has a fine collection of early weapons and military relics.

The Pioneer Museum, originally known as Home Cottage and built for the miller John Maley by convicts from Port Gregory in 1862, is now a folk museum concentrating on the agricultural history of the area. It is administered by the Geraldton Historical Society.

Around Greenough
The region around Greenough and Walkaway is characterised by river red gums which have given up defying the prevailing winds and bent themselves almost parallel to the earth in an attempt to escape the salt and the wind blowing off the Indian Ocean. The whole area does lie in the lee of a range of sand dunes which protect it from the worst of these winds.

Walkaway
Nearby is the tiny settlement of Walkaway with its railway station, store, hall, school and church. The story is told that Walkaway received its name when an Aborigine reported that one of the early European settlers, disappointed in his wheat crop, had 'waggaway'. Known as Wagawa for many years the name was finally Anglicised to Walkaway. The story is charming but we must not forget that the Aboriginal name for the bend in the Greenough River was 'Wagga Wah'.

In 2001 it was announced that the Walkaway Railway Station was going to receive some major repairs. In the press release the Minister pointed out "the station is one the State's earliest Government-built railway complexes and the terminus for Western Australia's only privately owned passenger carrier," she said. "The work undertaken will help to ensure ongoing conservation of the Walkaway Railway Station and Goods Shed and also importantly, allow continued community access and use."

Designed by George Temple Poole and built in 1886, Walkaway Station was originally the same pattern as the Claremont Railway Station also designed by Poole and built in 1886. Prior to alterations and additions, the two stations were almost identical. Both structures derive from the Federations Arts and Craft style of architecture.

The buildings are part of a railway precinct, which includes the station, platform, goods shed, track levers, ramp, wishing well, weighbridge, cabin and loading ramp. Conservation works involved repairs to roof sheeting and plumbing, stonework, brick quoining, joinery and stormwater damage.

"Repairs to the station also included several sash windows, replacing missing fascia decorative dentils and ten sheets of corrugated iron on the verandah roof," Dr Edwards said.

The best coverage of the Greenough/Walkaway area is in the brochure Greenough/Walkaway Heritage Trail: Settlement of the Greenough River Flats available from the National Trust shop at the southern end of the village. When used in conjunction with the National Trust's sheet on Greenough, which concentrates on the hamlet, it provides the visitor with a very detailed account of all the major buildings in the area.

Most visitors to Greenough tend to stay in Geraldton because of its proximity and more comprehensive services.

	Tourist Information
	Geraldton-Greenough Tourist Bureau Bill Sewell Complex P.O. Box 187 Greenough WA 6530 Telephone: (08) 9921 3999 Facsimile: (08) 9964 2445
	Hotels
	Hampton Arms Inn Company Rd Greenough WA 6529 Telephone: (08) 9926 1057
	Resorts
	Greenough River Resort 1 Dover Crt Greenough WA 6529 Telephone: (08) 9921 5888 Facsimile: (08) 9921 8245 Rating: ***
	Caravan Parks
	S­Bend Caravan Park Brand Hwy Greenough WA 6529 Telephone: (08) 9926 1072 Rating: ***
	Greenough Rivermouth Caravan Park 4 Hull St Greenough WA 6529 Telephone: (08) 9921 9845 Rating: ****
	Restaurants
	Greenough River Resort 1 Dover Crt Greenough WA 6529 Telephone: (08) 9921 5888 Facsimile: (08) 9921 8245
	Hampton Arms Inn Company Rd Greenough WA 6529 Telephone: (08) 9926 1057
	Cafés
	Greenough Hamlet Tea Rooms Brand Hwy Greenough WA 6529 Telephone: (08) 9926 1084