An adventure to the ‘Wild Kimberley’ just wouldn’t be complete without spending some time in and around Halls Creek.

Halls Creek is surrounded by spectacular scenery, with a rich Aboriginal, pastoral, and gold history. 

Many travellers plan to do some prospecting while in the Kimberley. If you are one of them, make sure you follow the ‘Seven Golden Rules for Prospecting’, visit www.dmp.wa.gov.au/prospectingwa for more information.

Things to do while visiting:

• Head up to the lookout for a view over town, this is especially nice around dawn and dusk.
• Visit the ‘Helicopter Memorial’ at the Rodeo Grounds on Duncan Road which commemorates the fallen pilots. The two bins at the ‘Helicopter Memorial’ have also been painted with helicopters mustering cattle as a mark of respect for those that have been tragically lost.
• Walk around the Shire Park to see the statues of ‘Jack Jugarie’ and ‘Russian Jack’ and read the stories on the plaques.

Important services at Halls Creek include:

Halls Creek Health Service – 70 Roberta Ave, Halls Creek. (08) 9168 9222

Halls Creek Post Office – 7 Thomas St, Halls Creek. 13 13 18

Halls Creek Police Station – Great Northern Highway, Halls Creek. (08) 9168 9777

Duncan Road

With diverse and spectacular scenery, the Duncan Road is a 429km gravel road between Halls Creek and Kununurra snaking back and forth several times across the Western Australian and Northern Territory border and rejoins the Great Northern Highway to the east of Lake Argyle. It offers spectacular outback scenery. The Duncan can be rough and is subject to flooding. A 4WD vehicle is recommended and as always, check the road conditions before travelling.

Places to visit along the Duncan Road and within 50 kms of Halls Creek include:

• China Wall
• Caroline Pool
• Old Stone Hut
• Old Halls Creek
• Pioneer Cemeteries
• Palm Springs
• Sawpit Gorge

A little further is Ringer Soak (Kundat Djaru) community or camp alongside some gorgeous creeks and rivers.

CHINA WALL – remember to shut the gates

The name is acquired because it is somewhat reminiscent of the Great Wall of China. It is known as Burraluba in the Jaru language and is Mulugunjiny in Kija. The family of Chamia Samuel, who lives at Billiluna, are Aboriginal custodians for the story of this place.

China Wall is a natural vein of sub-vertical white quartz rising to 6 metres above the surrounding country in places. This striking formation transects the country for many kilometres, rising high out of the ground and then disappearing back into the earth again. Scientists believe the wall was formed when the rock surrounding the much harder and more resistant quartz was weathered and eroded away.

 

CAROLINE POOL

This is a picnic, swimming and bush walking place set amongst cool shady trees and wide sandy creek banks. Swimming is best following rain when the water level is high. Caroline Pool is known as Wimirri in the Jaru language.

Older residents fondly remember Caroline Pool as the place where families would go on the weekend to swim and play sport on the river sand. It was also an important water source in the days of the early gold rush.

PIONEER CEMETERIES

Many of the original pioneers of Old Halls Creek are buried in the Pioneers Cemetery at Old Halls Creek. Other people who have played key roles in the development of the region are buried near Lundja (Red Hill) off the Great Northern Highway. The cemetery in current use is on the outskirts of town and accessed off the Duncan Highway.

OLD STONE HUT

At the time of the Halls Creek gold rush the nearest port for supplies and the export of gold from Halls Creek was Wyndham. Originally by necessity the horse track from Wyndham to Old Halls Creek closely followed the important watering points. From Wyndham the track wound south through Turkey Creek and Mabel Downs. The Stone Hut on Sophie Downs was the last stop to rest before heading into Old Halls Creek. The ruins of this hut have historic significance.

OLD HALLS CREEK (OLD TOWN)

This significant site is the location of the first gold discovery in Western Australia and where the WA gold rushes began. In 1885 Charles Hall found a 28-ounce nugget and men (very few women) soon streamed into the arear in search of their fortune.

The ‘Golden West’ had its beginnings in Halls Creek, and this is the site of the original gold mining community where prospectors followed the gold up the creeks and gullies from Brockman to Old Halls Creek.

The Halls Creek gold rush might have been short lived, but it nevertheless left an important legacy. The gold strike contributed to the establishment of the Ports of Derby and Wyndham as well as the town of Halls Creek as men and mining equipment were brought in from places as far away as California.

During the rush Old Halls Creek was a town of makeshift tents. After the gold was all but exhausted Halls Creek subsequently developed into a small centre for commerce and trade. At its peak the town boasted a Post Office, Hospital, Police Station, two stores, and a hotel.

Men who came to the fledgling WA colony in search of gold stayed on. Many moved on to more lucrative gold discoveries in places such as Cue, Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie and significantly contributed to the development of Western Australia. In 1885 when gold was discovered at Halls Creek the total population of the colony was just 30,000. By 1900 there were 239,000 people in Western Australia.

Old Halls Creek has an Aboriginal history. Right up until the early 1950’s Aboriginal people from outlying areas were brought into the Police Station here in chains. The area around Old Halls Creek is known as Jungulu in the Jaru language. There was an Aboriginal camp across the creek and Aboriginal people traded what gold they could find to eke out a living. After the gold ran out, they sold dingo scalps to the Halls Creek Roads Board. They also had goats for milk.

In the 1950’s the town of Halls Creek was relocated 14kms away and Old Halls Creek became a virtual ghost town. The foundations of the old mineshaft can still be seen, and visitors can still see the ruins and remnants of some of the old buildings.

The cemetery at Old Halls Creek contains the graves of many Kimberly pioneers. Most of the original mud slab buildings have eroded away to their foundations, although substantial sections of the old post office remain. Old Halls Creek is in a picturesque setting in undulating stony country along a shady creek. It is accessed along the Duncan Road.

SAWPIT GORGE

The gorge is located on the Black Elvire River where flood waters have cut through a range. There is a towering rock wall on one side and sandy shaded banks. This is one of the more secluded and beautiful locations in the Shire of Halls Creek. It is also a great place for a bushwalk with plenty of wildlife and spectacular scenery.

This is a popular swimming place. Fresh water crocodiles can be seen in this gorge. Sawpit is located 52kms from Halls Creek a few kilometers off the Duncan Road.

PALM SPRINGS

Palm Springs is known as Lugangarna in Jaru language. This is a palm fringed, spring fed, permanent freshwater pool on the Black Elvire River that has long been a refreshing stop for travellers along the dusty Duncan Road. It is a famed ‘oasis in the desert’. There are striking rock wall reflections and abundant local wildlife dependent on this water source.

Afghan teamsters are thought to have planted the original date palms found at Palm Springs. They played a prominent role in the early days of Halls Creek. Afghan man Sam Hazlett and his Aboriginal wife Duddru lived at Palm Springs for many years. Sam used the springs for drinking water and to grow vegetables, which he sold in Halls Creek.

An old Aboriginal man call Wellman lived at Palm Springs and worked in the gardens with Sam. He was known as ‘Wellman’ because he was the man who got the water from the well. Wellman Road in the Garden Area of Halls Creek is named in his honour.

Sam Hazlett maintained this valuable water resource by regularly cleaning out the reeds and overgrowth. He passed away in the 1980’s and Palm Springs has been unoccupied since that time. Many people in Halls Creek stress the importance of maintaining and protecting the natural and cultural values of this place. Palm Springs is located 45kms from Halls Creek along the Duncan Highway. Fresh water crocodiles have been seen here.