Keokanie Well – Well No. 12

Location

299 kilometres (straight line) ENE of Perth.

285 kilometres from York along the Hunt Track.

29 kilometres (straight line) north-west of Moorine Rock.

Keokanie Rock is in Reserve 1318 and has an elevation of 378m.

GPS Coordinates

 

UTM
Zone 50J
679236 metres East
6552196 metres North

DMS
31° 9'1.80"S
118°52'49.00"E

Directions

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Condition

The location of the well is unknown.

The Bicentennial plaque close to Bodallin North Road was arbitrarily positioned in the absence of a specific location of the well.

History

C.C. Hunt was at Keokanie, a native water source, from 17-22 March 1865. He listed it as Camp No.13 and made it his depot while his men built the well and he explored the country to the east. He recorded:

20 March 1865 Party variously engaged, cutting rushes, collecting stone, timber etc. shoemaker making saddlebags from the poisoned bullocks hide.

21 March 1865 Tuesday. Party variously engaged collecting and bringing in, poles and rushes for the hut and well, the latter very hard to sink, still good prospect of permanent supply of water. The work is progressing slowly the materials being brought from a considerable distance. This day sent two men with the native George to blaze a track towards Kookoordine, having struck out and staked a compass line for them for some distance to enable them to go nearly straight if the country will allow it.

22 March 1865 5h p.m. completed the well and covered it in, it one of the best on the route though shallow, it has been very hard to sink but [h]as well repaid the labour, having a standing supply of water three feet deep – depth of 6 feet 6 inches breadth 8 feet at top – bottom 7 feet in the clear.

The name is spelt as Keo-canie on Exploration Plan No.25. Throughout his 1865 Report of his Wells and Tracks Expedition he spelt it Kercanie. During his Koolyanobbing Expedition, on Saturday 26 March 1864, he recorded:

11am halt, at Koyucanie grass and water fair but uncertain a month hence ...” Coyacanie Camp No.10

In 1889 Surveyor H.S. King referred to it as Keokanie and this named has been retained.