Round Pool
Round Pool is an important part of Woodanilling’s history because of its association with the development of the pastoral industry in the region and with pioneering families. It is also important for its association with the building of the Great Southern Railway and the consequent siting of a railway siding in the vicinity. The original name for the railway siding was taken from this pool. The pool was also significant as a meeting place for the early settlers.
Round Pool was one of several pools providing fresh water for early pastoralists, shepherds and their flocks of sheep. It was also a source of water for sandalwood cutters and carters in the early days of European settlement.
The Quartermaine family had, from the mid 1860’s, held huge pastoral leases on the Boyerine Creek. Extending northwards from their base at Yowangup, some 65,000 acres (26,000 ha) were held in this manner up to William Andrews’ holding around Norring Lake.
In 1868 Elijah Quartermaine (Junior) took the northern leases over in his own right and, after freeholding land at his home at Boyamine, secured permanency at the creek pools by buying 40 acre (16 ha) blocks surrounding Boyerine Pool (1873), Ngeatalling Pool (1878) and Dolapin Pool (1879). The original Quartermaine lease (555) surrounding Round Pool was converted to Williams Location 281 in 1890. A surveyor’s sketch show tracks crossing from Boyerine and Yowangup from the two Quartermaine homesteads.
The building of the Great Southern Railway brought the first official use of the name Round Pool. The Police Commissioner, in seeking a more direct link for the mail coaches between the rail-heads, asked John Chipper (mail contractor) if he knew anything of the road from Arthur River to Round Pool.
Moojebing Hotel
“Round Pool”, as the farming property became known, was owned for a time by Clair Stewart around 1907/8. Stewart did the brickwork for the Moojebing Hotel which was built in 1904. It was then purchased by Richard Wilcox who had previously leased Jas Doyle’s property west of Boyerine. In 1908 this was auctioned and sold to the Ramm family. Wilcox, who was a keen horse breeder, erected substantial stables at “Round Pool” however, these were razed by a fire. In 1912, Tom Garstone of “Martling”, Moojebing, purchased “Round Pool” and other blocks which were taken over by his second son, Clarie (1951).
Round Pool is one of a series of permanent pools in the Boyerine Creek which flows north from the Moojebing/Marracoonda area into Norring Lake. From the north the most significant of the pools are the Dolapin, Noomberring, Boyerine, Bintamilling, Ngeatalling and Round Pools.
The pool was circular in shape (hence its name) and is located in Moojebing Creek, one km south of the Woodanilling townsite. Round Pool was fed by a fresh water (now saline) spring (Woodanilling Spring) 200 m east of the pool. Over the years the pool has become almost silted up with a large sand bar on the south west side. The pool had a diameter of some 20-30 m.
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