Burracoppin Well
Location Information
Hunt's Wells and Dams
Between 1864 and 1866 explorer Charles Hunt led four expeditions into the eastern interior of Western Australia. The third and most important expedition lasted from January to October 1865. With a party of six pensioner guards, George Mundial (an Aboriginal man who accompanied Hunt on all his expeditions) and 10 convicts, Hunt cleared a track some 500 km to the east, sinking wells at convenient intervals.
The wells were generally located at the base of granite outcrops, sites well known to Aboriginal people as sources of water. While most were fairly shallow, they often took up to a month to construct with their granite linings and timber poles.
While Hunt’s expeditions had little immediate impact, they were to prove invaluable when gold was discovered at Southern Cross and Coolgardie some 20 years later. A road was surveyed from York to Coolgardie in 1889 using the track developed by Hunt. This road and the network of wells and dams established by Hunt provided an invaluable lifeline for the thousands of prospectors rushing to the Goldfields.
Burracoppin Well
Construction on Burracoppin Well (No. 9) began on 23 February 1865. The completed well was 7 feet deep and 9.5 feet wide. The well has been renovated in the last decade by local interested groups.
The site is today used for motorcross activities, with tracks lining the base of the hill.
Access Information
This cache is 2WD accessible, from Burracoppin South Road (sealed). There is no room for caravans or towing vehicles to enter or turn around the parking area.
Cache Information
Container Description
This cache is a preform tube. It contains a logbook, but does not have room for swaps or trackables.
Important Reminders
Please replace the cache as found and bring your own pen to sign the log.