Location

286 kilometres (straight line) ENE of Perth.

261 kilometres from York along the Hunt Track.

9 kilometres (straight line) north-east of Westonia.

GPS Coordinates

UTM

50J
667261 metres East
6542612 metres North

DMS

31°14'19.39"S
118°45'22.68"E

Directions

From Great Eastern Highway

Turn north off the highway at Carrabin and drive 10 kilometres to Westonia. Take Boodarockin Road north east out of town 10 kilometres to Sandford Rocks.

Along the Hunt Track

Leave Boodalin Soak and head east-south-east to Westonia. Take Boodarockin Road north east out of town 10 kilometres to Sandford Rocks.

Condition

The location of the well is not known.

History

These rocks were named after surveyor Henry Sandford King who was active in the area in the late 1880s.  He was Surveyor General of Western Australia from 1918-23.

They are now in the Sandford Rocks Nature Reserve, 10 kilometres north-east of Westonia along the Boodarockin Road.

The Nature Reserve protects 800 hectares of granite outcrop, pools and diverse species of flora and fauna.

In March 1864 C.C. Hunt recorded the name as Yorkarakine Rocks and that name remained in use until 1958 when it was changed to Sandford Rocks to avoid confusion with Yorkrakine, 120 kilometres to the west and 30 kilometres north of Tammin.

Work on the well at Yorkarakine commenced in early 1865:

27 February 1865. Monday…. 7h a.m. sent the bulk of the party forward with the constable and my native to guide them, having given them instructions to open out the wells at Boodlookin, Yorkarakine, Moorine and Kercanie, and to mark a track and clear …

16 March 1865. Thursday. 6h a.m. party engaged collecting stone, timber etc to build up the well at this place, which may be made a good one off [sic] though I shall not build it up untill my return from Kercanie or I might be enabled to send a team at some future time from that depot to build it up, the stone having to be carted about one mile …