Location
383 kilometres (straight line) ENE of Perth.
418 kilometres from York along Hunts Track.
48 kilometres (straight line) east of Southern Cross.
GPS Coordinates
UTM
50J
769920 metres East
6538675 metres North
DMS
31°15'17.88"S
119°50'3.94"E
The coordinates refer to the well located along the Information Trail at Karalee. It is not a Hunts Well. The well built by Hunt's team is submerged by the reservoir.
Directions
From Great Eastern Highway
Turn left (north) at the signpost and follow the dirt road north for three kilometres. At the cross roads turn left and drive one kilometre to the parking/camping area.
Along Hunts Tracks
Follow the track south from the Weowanie Rock.
Condition
The well along the Information Trail is not a Hunts Well. It was more than likely built by the PWD in the 1890s to cater for the large number of people travelling to and from the Goldfields. It is in good condition.
The coordinates given above relate to this well.
History
Hunt referred to this location as Karolling and Carolling, however, his maps and references /bearings to nearby features clearly show that it is current day Karalee.
On 29.05.1865 explorer surveyor C.C. Hunt camped at Mount Clara. Next day he recorded:
“. 7h 30m a.m. went over with the teams and horses to Karrolling, distant from Mt Clara 1½ miles SSW, it being a good place to spell the bullocks for a day or two”
1½ miles SSW = 2.4 kilometres 191-214 degrees.
This places Hunt’s Karolling at current day Karalee. His Exp Plan 28 shows Karolling - a later notation on the Plan (not by Hunt) names this as ‘Karalee’.
In 1890, in his Field Book 4, page 39, surveyor N.M. Brazier recorded the name Karalee for an un-named granite outcrop at 31 15 51 S 119 49 31 E, 1550 metres SSW of current day Karalee. This is actually an extension of Karalee Rock.
On an historical basis current Karalee should be Karolling (ex Hunt) and current un-named granite outcrop at 31 15 51 S 119 49 31 E (a south-west extension of Karalee) should be Karalee (ex Brazier). However, that is not going to happen.
Hunt and team were camped at Karolling (Karalee) for a week in early August 1865 cutting a track to Weowanie. He complained of the "dense and numerous thickets". The track today from Weowanie to Karalee is characterised by dense thickets.
Caroling
Current day Caroling Rock at 31 16 43 S 119 49 14 E is not the rock referred to by Hunt when he recorded Karroling on 29.05.1865 or 11.08.1865 (he was referring to current day Karalee) and the Corling he showed on Exp Plan is current day Morlining Rock.
When Hunt used the spelling Caroling he was not referring to current day Caroling but rather Karolling (current day Karalee).
It is likely he never visited current day Caroling Rock. It is 3.4 kilometres SSW of Karalee.
Morlining Rock
Hunt referred to current day Morlining Rock as Korling and showed it as Corling on Exp Plan 28.
On 10.08.1865 he recorded:
“Bearing from the summit of Karrolling [Karalee]
Korling N250°E mag”
On 11.08.1865 he recorded:
“from the summit of Korling
Karrolling [Karalee] bore N 75°E mag. 3 miles”
Resections show this to be current day Morlining Rock.
The name Morlining did not appear until 1890 during Brazier’s survey of the area.
The current Morlining Rock should be Korling Rock or Corling Rock.
References:
Peter Bridge and Kim Epton, (eds), Exploration Eastwards 1860–1869, Hesperian Press, Carlisle, Western Australia, 2018.
Landgate, Geonoma.