Bilgoman Well
Submitted by wlscapes on Sat, 06/11/2011 - 16:24
While out exploring with my camera the other day I came across Bilgoman Well.
Bilgoman Well – Perth Hills, Western Australia, June 2011
Shen Hao 4x5 with Rodenstock 90mm f/6.8 Grandagon; TMAX 100
12 sec @ f22.0
Located near the top of the escarpment (in the Perth Hills), and next to the Great Eastern Highway, this well was constructed in 1846 by Surveyor Chauncy. The name 'Bilgoman' is the aboriginal name for the adjacent tea tree swamp. The well was apparently a popular stopping place for travellers on the York road up until the 1880s after which the rail system took over the majority of the traffic. The area was used as a picnic area for the next fifty or so years, after which it was gradually forgotten. In 1979 the local ratepayers rediscovered the well and restored it as an Australian Bicentennial project. Since then, it has obviously been somewhat neglected.
The well, and the area around it, now lies still and quiet amid the overgrown grass and scrub. It has a satisfying atmosphere of peaceful age, which is rudely contrasted by the continuous traffic noise from the highway close by.
