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Balladonia Western Australia
Balladonia Roadhouse, 2017
Balladonia
Coordinates	32°27′29″S 123°51′58″E / 32.45806°S 123.86611°E / -32.45806; 123.86611
Population	0 (SAL 2021)
Established	1879
Postcode(s)	6443
Area	15,267.6 km (5,894.9 sq mi)
Location	916 km (569 mi) from Perth 192 km (119 mi) from Norseman 518 km (322 mi) from Eucla
LGA(s)	Shire of Dundas
State electorate(s)	Eyre
Federal division(s)	O'Connor

Balladonia is a small roadhouse community located on the Eyre Highway in Western Australia. It is the first stop east of Norseman on the journey east across the Nullarbor Plain. Between Balladonia and Caiguna is a 146.6-kilometre (91.1 mi) stretch of the highway which is one of the longest straight stretches of road in the world.

History

The name is an Aboriginal word meaning "big rock by itself".

The area was settled by Europeans in 1879, and the original Balladonia homestead was built 28 kilometres (17 mi) away from the present townsite. From 1897 to 1929, Balladonia was a telegraph station on the East-West Telegraph, a telegraph line running from Perth to Adelaide telegraph line, due to a previous coastal line being shorted by salt spray from the Southern Ocean.

The arid climate and lack of suitable water sources restricted the town's development.

In July 1979, the area gained worldwide attention when the re-entry of the Skylab space station left a trail of debris across the nearby countryside.

Balladonia Station / Balladonia Aggregation

Balladonia Station is a pastoral lease, originally run as a sheep station, adjacent to Noondoonia Station to the north, and Nanambinia Station to the south of the Eyre Highway.

The station was visited and written about in a newspaper in 1924, and the reflections on the conditions at that time included concern about rabbits. By the 1930s, the homestead of the station was notable for its substantial size and architecture. An earlier photograph in the 1890s reveals the stone walls in the vicinity of the homestead, and a possible earlier stage of the homestead building.

During most of the twentieth century the station was a popular stopping place on the Eyre Highway.

In 2012, the property was converted into a cattle station, and the old shearing shed was no longer used for its original purpose.

In September 2019 the 671,277-hectare (1,658,760-acre) pastoral lease known as the Balladonia Aggregation, comprising four stations – Balladonia, Nanambinia, Woorlba, and Noondoonia – was sold. It had been advertised for A$8,500,000, including all stock, comprising 5,300 head of cattle.

In September 2021, the station was operated by John Croker.

Facilities and attractions

The Balladonia roadhouse, located on the Eyre Highway, is known as Balladonia Hotel Motel, and includes a caravan park. Its Balladonia Museum has a display of Skylab debris and newspaper clippings, as well as information and artefacts relating to Aboriginal heritage; European exploration and settlement; the history of the Royal Flying Doctor Service; the construction of the Eyre Highway; and local flora and fauna.

Access via four-wheel drive is possible to the start of the cliffs, believed to be the longest in the world, of the Great Australian Bight from Balladonia.

There is the ruined shell of the telegraph station just to the east of Balladonia at the start of the "Ninety Mile Straight". However, it is signposted as being private property.

Afghan Rock

Also in the area, on the Balladonia–Rawlinna Road, are freshwater pools 14 km (8.7 mi) east at Afghan Rock(s), named for an cameleer who was shot nearby on 13 October 1894.

The pools were a vital stop for drinking water during the 19th century, when goods were being transported across the Nullarbor by teams of horses or camels, especially during the days of the Western Australian gold rushes. On this date, there were two groups of men and their beasts: white men, using horses, and "Afghan" cameleers. Tom Knowles, after noticing one of the "Afghan" cameleers, Noor(e) Mahomet, washing his feet in one of the rock holes (known as gnamma in WA). After being met with a refusal to desist, Knowles knocked Mahomet down and drew his gun. Mahomet's friends came to his aid, throwing stones and waving sticks. Knowles shot one of the other men dead and wounded Mahomet, who died later of his wounds. After running out of ammunition, he ran away, but the cameleers caught him, tied him to a tree, and beat him until he lost consciousness. His companions came to the Afghan camp, where they were tied up against trees for the night. In the morning, the cameleers untied the men, whereupon Knowles rode to Israelite Bay (then referred to as Point Malcolm), 120 mi (190 km) away, and report the incident to police.

The case was extensively reported in the newspapers at the time, which also followed the trial of Knowles, on charges of manslaughter. Knowles was acquitted, but the decision was controversial and Knowles fled to the Northern Territory. The case is described in detail in The Ballad of Abdul Wade (2022), a book about cameleer Abdul Wade, by Ryan Butta.

Today, Afghan Rock is accessible by soft roaders, but travellers need to obtain permission and directions from the manager of Balladonia Station. It is approximately 447 m (1,467 ft) above sea level.

Climate

Balladonia experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk).

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Balladonia (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022. 
2. ^ "Balladonia". WA Now and Then. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
3. Shire of Dundas. "Eyre Highway". Archived from the original on 6 October 2006. Retrieved 17 October 2006.
4. "Balladonia, W.A." Western Argus. Vol. 24, no. 5052. Western Australia. 4 March 1924. p. 18. Retrieved 5 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
5. "The Substantial Homestead on Balladonia Station". Sunday Times (Perth). No. 1849. Western Australia. 2 July 1933. p. 11 (First Section). Retrieved 4 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
6. "Balladonia". Western Mail. Vol. XIV, no. 685. Western Australia. 10 February 1899. p. 25. Retrieved 4 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
7. "Balladonia Station, owned by Messrs. Panton Bros, and Sharpe, is a very popular stopping place for overlanders". The Bunbury Herald and Blackwood Express. Vol. 36, no. 5452. Western Australia. 5 April 1929. p. 5. Retrieved 4 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
8. Wynne, Emma; Carmichael, Alan (28 February 2012). "Sun sets on the old shearing shed" (photos + text). photos by Alan Carmichael. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
9. "Western Australia's Balladonia aggregation under offer". Beef Central. 4 September 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
10. "Stranded on the Nullarbor Plain". Trucks at Tracks. 18 September 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
11. "Home Page". Balladonia Hotel Motel. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
12. "Balladonial Museum". Balladonia Hotel Motel. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
13. "Afghan Rock WA". ExplorOz. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
14. Sydney Morning Herald (8 February 2004). "Travel – Balladonia". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 October 2006.
15. ^ "Afghan Rock WA". ExplorOz. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
16. ^ "The Knowles shooting case". The Daily News. Vol. XIII, no. 6121. Western Australia. 10 December 1894. p. 2. Retrieved 6 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
17. ^ Butta, Ryan (2022), "Chapters 18–20", The Ballad of Abdul Wade, Affirm Press, ISBN 978-1-922806-00-0
18. "Afghan Rock". Shire of Murchison. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
19. ^ "Afghans in Western Australia". WA Now and Then. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
20. "The Knowles shooting case". The Inquirer and Commercial News. Vol. LV, no. 3, 001. Western Australia. 14 December 1894. p. 4. Retrieved 6 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
21. "The tragedy at Point Malcolm". The Australian Advertiser. Vol. VII, no. 1011. Western Australia. 5 December 1894. p. 3. Retrieved 6 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
22. "Afghan Rocks". Roadtrippers. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
23. "Climate statistics for Balladonia". Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 12 May 2009.

External links

Media related to Balladonia, Western Australia at Wikimedia Commons

• Shire of Dundas – Towns of the Eyre Highway

• Towns in Western Australia
• Shire of Dundas
• Nullarbor Plain
• Roadhouses in Western Australia
• Pastoral leases in Western Australia
• Eyre Highway