SnapShots: Gawler Ranges Trip, South Australia "part six"

Sunday, 17 June 2007

Gawler Ranges Trip, South Australia "part six"

Click for 503kb image

This image of the Siam Station homestead has been taken from a rise in the landscape that was always referred to as the 'Little Hill'. After having children of my own I asked my mum did she ever worry about my siblings and myself traipsing for miles away from the homestead. In a matter of fact voice her reply was "No, you always came home!". It was in the later years that I also found out that mum used to watch us kids up in the hills through the scope of a gun.

Just a little about the homestead:

When my dad took on the job of overseer, we lived in the house on the far right.
Second building from right is the mens quarters.
Third building from right used to be the 'Siam Rural School'. The school was housed in the mens quarters until this building was ready but prior to all of this my mum taught correspondence lessons to me.
Moving across to the left is a very large iron shed. This shed wasn't part of the station at the time I lived on Siam Station.
Top of that very large shed is the main homestead. I never lived in this house although some of my family did when my dad became manager of Siam Station.
There are other various small buildings as part of the main house that have had different uses over the years.
Shed near main homestead is the workshop for Siam Station where many jobs are done on the stations equipment. It also used to house the main engine for the power supply although not sure if it is still the case.
The stone shed was always nicknamed 'The Top Shed', not sure if that stuck after we left. There are various rooms to this building that include stables, blacksmith, feed room and so forth. These yards were also used for the time that work needed to be done with cattle.

click for 550kb image

Walking around on the top of the 'Little Hill' memories came flooding back when I saw this bulb flower. As a child it wasn't unusual for me to pick flowers to take home but this time a snapshot is a much more lasting memory leaving the flower in its own environment.

Click for 353kb image

This is the crutching shed and if you take a look at the first image you will see this building and yards at the top of the trees. When it was time for crutching the sheep I couldn't wait for school to be finished for the day so that I could rush down to the yards and be part of what was happening. Oh memories...... life was so simple back then!