Nor was this an isolated case., An 1892 police file identified the eyewitness as William Collins, a squatter of West Kimberley who informed Mr Haynes that he, with others about the time J. Durack was murdered, rounded about 120 natives up and shot a large number consisting of men, women and children., In 1932, Michael Patrick Durack, Big Johnnys cousin, wrote in the Royal Western Australian historical society journal that a punitive force of police and volunteers were sent out by the government and a lot of the blacks were shot.. Michael died instantly, with the boy on his knees in the sand and his arms around the broken, lifeless body. The Homestead is now managed by the Kununurra Visitor Centre and provides a wonderful opportunity for visitors to learn about the lives of the regions early pioneers. Living conditions were harsh for the colonial settlers. But life in Goulburn, was providing insufficient outlets for his energy, land hunger and organizing powers. Patrick passed away on month day 1898, at age 63 at death place. KHS Archive, Library, Museum & Research ''Family members think that if Mary had lived, she would have put the brakes on and told Elizabeth this was not a good idea,'' Niall says. THE work of Aboriginal artist Eddie Burrup was much admired in the mid-1990s. In his Victoria River District Doomsday Book, published last year, Lewis cites a 1928 diary entry from Michael Terry who heard about a fight between a group of white men and 100 Aborigines by Waterloo Hill after the spearing of J Larry Durack. In a subsequent trial two young Aboriginal men were tried for his murder. Niall was going to include the Durack sisters in another work, a group study of women friends and relations, but decided they needed a book to themselves. Spelling variations of this family name include: Durack, Durach, O Dubhraic and others. Elizabeth was the younger sister of Dame Mary Durack (1913 - 1994). Three days in, the group found and attacked a camp they estimated to include 100 people. The Duracks had gone bust. When and how dare I call him up?''. When the Argyle dam was created in the 1970s the homestead was dismantled stone by stone, from lower down in the valley. Given their age and background of pastoralist privilege, they were ahead of their times in having doubts and difficulties. Read more 1986 Mary Durack (P)2008 Bolinda Publishing Listening Length 17 hours and 20 minutes Author Mary Durack Narrator Jenny Seedsman They were finally defeated at the beginning of the . We enjoyed our visit to this lovely homestead museum. Hilary Smale takes a tour around the Durack homestead, Durack sisters find the Kimberley not all what they believed, Durack generations from the Kimberley to stage and song. She described the murders in these terms: After the death of Big Johnny Durack a chain of fires blazed defiance from range to range. Mr Wyatt presented a statement of intent to handover management of the land to the traditional owners during the anniversary. Walk through the 1890s home of the famous Durack family, relax in the grounds with a coffee and muffin and have a look through our great range of books, DVDs, stubby coolers, tea towels and more! Were working to restore it. 0000009654 00000 n The fatal spearing of Big Johnny Durack from a pastoral station along the Ord River (pictured here) led to the deaths of hundreds of Indigenous people in retaliation. Nyining-Gija man Jack Banggaiyerri Sullivan was born on Argyle station in 1901 and spent most of his life working on Durack pastoral stations as a stockman. Documentary evidence and oral histories indicate about 220 Aboriginal men, women and children were massacred in retaliation for death of pastoralist. In his 1983 biography, Banggaiyerri tells a different story to that of Mary Durack: When they started forming the stations, Johnnie Durack would ride around from the old station with a pack, round and round to find the good places. Shortlist Hide Brochure. She has been married to Christopher Horsey since 5 April 2014. 24 0 obj << /Linearized 1 /O 26 /H [ 1340 380 ] /L 208101 /E 131196 /N 5 /T 207503 >> endobj xref 24 45 0000000016 00000 n Seller Rating: Contact seller Book Used - Hardcover Condition: good US$ 9.99 Convert currency Free shipping Within U.S.A. Brother of Bridget Mary (Durack) Cahill, Patrick Mantinea Durack, Catherine Mary (Durack) Nisbett, Michael Durack, Jeremiah Bryce Durack, Margaret (Durack) McEvilly, Mary Ann Durack, Sarah Mary Agnes (Durack) Stokes, Thomas Durack, Lawrence Joseph Durack, James Matthew Durack and William Durack [spouse (s) unknown] A set of framed images and a new and updated family tree were unveiled, and are now on display at the Museum for visitors to enjoy. What's missing, I think, is Niall's willingness to make up her own mind about these women. The Homestead was dismantled stone by stone, stored in Kununurra, and rebuilt towards the end of the decade, 15km from its original position. Anyway their message of love got through.''. He said the handover dated back to the 2005 Ord Final Agreement. Recent research undertaken for the University of Newcastle Colonial Frontier Massacres map found the revenge spree crossed state borders. Old maps and the history of the Durack family certainly worth perusing. Since it was published in 1959 it has gone on selling as new generations of readers discover the pastoralist saga of the Durack family and their cattle spreads across the continent. These are the earliest records we have of the Durack family. Mary gathers the papers she will turn, years later, into her family saga. Fascinating to hear how the original was dismantled read more and rebuilt to prevent it sinking beneath the waters of the lake for ever. The Durack family in particular lost at least two men to the fight, but over time they grew fantastically rich. John Durack - of county Galaway, married a Connemara lass Amy Forde (known as Mammie Amy') in 1806 and they reared a large and sturdy family. Once the Ord River Dam was completed, in early 1971, Lake Argyle began to fill more rapidly than anyone anticipated. 2000- 2023 Swyrich Corporation, all rights reserved. 0000005528 00000 n View the 2023 events and activities calendar. The story of her family's history, beginning with the mid-19th century migration from Ireland, is presented by Durack in Kings in Grass Castles, and its sequel, Sons in the Saddle. August Lucanus was a civilian who volunteered for reprisals against the blacks. Niall sees the sisters' long fascination with Aboriginal life as a journey from innocence to experience. Niall had a great deal to cover. %b&J( #j3J.|Su!306=iY`%Y67V.EV In the late 1800s, the Duracks became one of the first families to establish large stations near Kununurra, shipping their cattle out of Wyndham Port. Were working to restore it. ( 52 ) $10.99. Book your accommodation and tours in Kununurra. 0000010658 00000 n The Durack family were pioneers in the settlement of Australia by Europeans. They built a homestead that coped well with a climate that experienced extremes of heat and rain, explains Mr Rodda. Mary was horrified at how the lively, charming children she had seen in the family's homestead at Ivanhoe in the 1930s turned into listless, despairing young adults, such as Dot: ''She goes about like an old hag, face averted, a long piece of hair hanging down to hide the sunken socket, her whole life warped and ruined because in the conditions in which the natives live it would not be possible to restore her self-respect with an artificial eye. Lucy Durack is known for Love in Lockdown (2020), Lift (2019) and A Perfect Pairing (2022). Council delivers a number of annual events and activities that enables people living, working or visiting our city to experience and participate in. The Argyle Downs Homestead Museum offers a fascinating insight into the lives of the early pioneers in the Kimberley. Actress: Love in Lockdown. Along with his brother Michael and brother-in-law John Costello, they set out to establish a property in South West Queensland in 1863. Alternatively, you can visit our office for a . 129 talking about this. 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A fascinating piece of Australian history, rescued from the rising waters of the new Lake Argyle. We trust they will find them, and administer a lesson such as will not soon be forgotten.. Pioneering farming family the Duracks, at Argyle Downs ca 1920. Dame Mary Durack Miller was born into a pastoral legacy that made her name famous even before she became one of Australia's most popular literary . Today's updated Durack family tree includes another generation of leaders in their field, such as actress Lucy Durack, Sandalford Wines owner Peter Prendiville and ABC journalist Doug Durack. "Now of course MG [Miriwoong and Gajerrong] people and the traditional owners, their future is inherently bound in both.". ''They were brought up with the ideas of a generation born in the 1860s. "Giving us that parcel of land really allows MG now to work directly with any proponents we need to work with, or the cattle company, we can work with anybody we need to work with, other than a middle man.". "Himself" found compensation for the bitter restrictions of his tenancy in the production of a fine, fiery brew of potheen', the proceeds of which he gambled on the turf or put to the breeding of hunting hounds and sold them to English squires. It's mildly shocking to discover Elizabeth in old age siding against Henry Reynolds's histories of frontier encounters, objecting to native title and concocting the shameful commercial guise of Eddie Burrup. But it was an ill wind, for the bitter blight of 1845 that struck deeper at the roots of the Irish life. The Eddie Burrup incident is perhaps the most surreal and disturbing in a complex and ambiguous story of two sisters and their work, family and heritage. Mary married Denis Durack. What would they think of life in the Kimberley now? That the Duracks succeeded in this aim was due largely to the trust and cooperation received from those people. Royal stock sisters Mary (left) and Elizabeth Durack, whose family once ruled the Kimberley. He settled his mother and siblings, and moved to Victoria, returning 18 months later with 1000.[1]. Patsy's six living children would play their part in the new enterprise. Excellent historic house. Patsy Millett, daughter of famed Perth writer-historian Mary Durack (1913-94), hasn't spared the vitriol throughout Inseparable Elements, her astounding memoir of her mother's tribulations. With the turning of the century comes other stories with the new generations of the Duracks. Mary ended her days a dame of the British Empire. What was the point of grandfather Patsy Durack's heroic odyssey across country, his conquest of the land, when within the sisters' own lifetimes it was all sold and the dynasty was no more? a very special breed! Interesting place to visit. Local Aboriginal families also had to relocate at that time, and their traditional country is forever under water. Lake Argyle Road, LAKE ARGYLEAdults (15 yrs +) $5.00, Children (up to 14 yrs) $2.50Family (2 ad, 2 ch) $12.00Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday : 9am to 2pmOctober & November Coach/Group please contact:Kununurra Visitor Centre Toll Free (Aust): 1800 KUN UNU (rra)Ph: 08 9168 1177 Fax: 08 9168 2598. Far from privileged, Durack's adult years were a struggle, and how she managed to write what she did with six children, a difficult husband and ongoing money troubles is beyond me. In 1840 there was 1 Durack family living in New York. 0000001927 00000 n "How soon you have become a colonial!" 0000003668 00000 n They arrived with cattle from western Queensland in the mid 1880s having undertaken, during the years 188385, one of the longest cattle drives in history with the aim of establishing a pastoral industry along the fertile Ord River, land of the Miriuwung Gajerrong. And Elizabeth needed him, Niall says. We took part in this event during the Ord Valley Muster and found it fascinating. 0000114865 00000 n Well worth a visit. 0000009023 00000 n Meanwhile, Darby Durack wrote to his brother Michael entreating his family to delay no longer. See the final version of the colonial massacres map, History should be no surprise, but many have to be dragged to the truth, Colonial Frontier Massacres digital map project, serialised in 1937 in Western Australias Daily News. The Bulletin When Patrick Durack left Western Ireland for Australia in 1853, he was to found a pioneering dynasty and build a cattle empire across the great stretches of Australia. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The original site is now under 25 metres of water in Lake Argyle. Thomas Durack. Amazing story of the Durack family, the home relocated after the original homestead was flooded for a Lake Argyle. Photos: Landi Bradshaw Photography / Kununurra Weddings, 2023 Argyle Homestead Museum. There he brought his family and soon increased his assets. . In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14. The Aboriginal men retaliated by throwing their spears and, according to one police report, two men who appeared to be the ringleaders were shot and killed. The stone building is open and breezy, funnelling the cool air through the gun barrel hallway. The Killing Times is based on data from the Colonial Frontier Massacres digital map project led by Prof Lyndall Ryan at the University of Newcastles Centre for the 21st Century Humanities. Lake Argyle Tours and Boat Cruises are proudly locally owned and operated by the Sharpe family, they have called Lake Argyle home since the Dam first filled back in 1973. In 1998 it was the basis of a TV mini-series of the same name.[5]. It's an imposing legacy but Patrick Durack and his family were often larger than life characters in Western Australia's history. Again, the material is there but Niall's reluctance to decide for herself about the fundamental circumstances shaping her subjects' lives gives True North a drifting quality. It sure is a lovely parcel read more of Australian history. It is well designed and the historical information in each room is presented well and very interesting. 0000054866 00000 n It's estimated to be about 85 per cent true to the original building. ! The Durack family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. Front Inscription. The current hilltop location of the homestead is not the original site. On Christmas Day in 1886, just weeks after Duracks killing, the NT Times and Gazette reported that a party of six troopers has been sent out in search of the murderers of the late John Durack. Theres plenty of parking, toilets with disabled access, good power for your lights and music and photo opportunities galore with the Homestead as a backdrop, to capture your very special moments. Set amongst boab and gum trees at the edge of Lake Argyle in the rugged East Kimberley, the 1895 Durack homestead is a reminder of the colonial story of the pioneering Durack family. "Acknowledging the past, but really picking out those positives as well and I think that's what happening.". He fell across the track, the dray lurched backwards and jolted over him with its crushing load. Old maps and the history of the Durack. 0000106466 00000 n 0000080637 00000 n There are clues to further reprisals at a place called Waterloo, on Rosewood Station, in the Victoria River district of the NT. Durack covers the northern parts of Western Australia. Officially, little is known about the names origins, but the historian Dr Darrell Lewis says Waterloo is said to be a reference to the unrestrained slaughter of local Aborigines by police after the spearing of Big Johnny Durack near Mount Duncan in 1886. P.O Box. The current museum homestead was first opened to the public in 1979. Fascinating to hear how the original was dismantled read more and rebuilt to prevent it sinking beneath the waters of the lake for ever.