And the name Jarramongup?
The Ednie Hassell, who ran the property in the twenties and thirties told me it originated from a local native name —YERRA (yate tree) MO-UP (upstanding)-In other words, place of upstanding yate trees.
On the old maps and lithes of the last century you'll find it spelt Jerramongup. But in the Hassell diaries and records it's mostly Jarramongup. In fact the settler who got the homestead property found the old gate name plate. It was Jarramongup.
In Government circles it is still Jerramongup. But out of deference to the original owners I propose to call it Jarramongup.
Just over 141 years ago (in 1822) Captain John Hassell sailed from London as chief officer in the ship Belinda, and became engaged in trading between Australia and Tasmania.
He returned to England in 1837, married, revisited Tasmania and eventually settled in the infant colony of Western Australia.
At Albany he bought Kendenup pastoral station from well-known George Cheyne and divided his time between trips to work the property and living at Albany. In 1849 he took up Jarramongup.

Albert Young Hassell
Captain Hassell's second son Albert Young Hassell, was educated at Albany and sent as a jackeroo to Kendenup to learn farming life.
At the age of 20 (in 1861 he was assigned by his father to take up the management of Jarramongup and stayed there two years.
In 1863 his father posted him back to Kendenup station and he managed it for 29 years making it more than pay its way as a farm and pastoral proposition.
In 1894 the properties were divided and Kendenup went to his brother John F. T Hassell. while Jarramongup again passed to Albert Young Hassell.
Albert erected an imposing home, known as Hillside, at Albany and made extended and frequent trips to Jarramongup to direct and control operations.
Jarramongup originally started sheep-raising with about 2,000 Merino sheep, descendants from the McArthur Merinos bought by Captain John Hassell from N.S.W. for Kendenup in 1840. As they increased, from four to six shepherds took charge of the flocks which numbered from 1,000 to 1,200 sheep.
The old Hassell diaries state that Wanganella rams were brought over from time to time to maintain the quality of the flocks.
Climatic conditions gave no cause for concern for only one severe drought occurred and that was in the early seventies.
But dingoes were troublesome and A. Y. Hassell had to erect over 100 miles of dog proof fencing. But he still lost sheep in the leasehold section of the property.
The natives were troublesome too, because they regarded the sheep roaming on their hunting grounds as fair game, and many losses occurred in the first 30 years or so.
At least one shepherd was speared to death when he interrupted their foraging on the southern run.
The estate was originally 20,000 acres but it was increased to a total of 40,000 freehold and leasehold by Captain Hassell.
In 1912 there were 12,000 sheep on the Jarramongup runs and the station diary of that time stated that the average weight in a clip of 12,000 fleeces, including 3,000 lambs was over 6lb. and the ordinary price obtained in London was 134d. a pound.
Lambing was from May to July and averaged 85 per cent.
Twelve thousand sheep on 40,000 acres does not sound much of an achievement. But remember those were the days before improved pasture, when cropping was limited and the sheep had to be supported in native grasses and on what was virtually sandplain country in the southern leases.
The first Jarramongup crop was sown in 1861: 20 acres of wheat and barley and a mill was erected at the homestead to grind the flour. As supplies had to be carted from Albany as much as possible was grown on the property.
Although he ran a small herd of cattle, Albert Hassell frequently expressed the conviction that they were not such a good proposition as sheep.
 

He kept blood hacks and reared both hacks and draughts which were always in demand at good prices.
Albert Hassell had a manager at Jarramongup until the property passed to his heirs and took an increasing part in public life at Albany. He was made a Justice of the Peace for the whole of the State in 1872 and was member for Albany in the first Legislative Council in 1871.Other properties, well known in the south coastal region, were held by A. Y. Hassell and his family including Warriup, 47 miles east of Albany— 8,000 acres freehold and 11,000 acres leasehold.
It was originally used as a reserve for the parent station
There was also Magedup on the Salt River which consisted of 3,000 acres freehold. At the mouth of the Gardner River near Quaalup, inland from Doubtful Island Bay, was another estate of 1,600 acres freehold and 17,000 acres lease-hold.
Located at Doubful Island Bay was a shearing shed where all sheep from the adjoining Hassell runs were shorn. The wool was lightered to ships which called in periodically and eventually shipped to London.
Doubtful Island Bay was once the centre of a thriving whale industry and remains of the old hoists and mouldering whalebones can still be seen off the beach at the lower end of the bay.
The late Ednie Hassell, the last owner of Jarramongup, before it was purchased from his estate by the War Service Land Settlement Scheme for one of the biggest soldier settlement projects in the State, was a keen student of native lore and legend, and recorded for posterity many of the native name places in the big area covered by the Hassell station properties.
He spoke with the natives in their own language and had a good smattering of the legends and beliefs of the Pallinup and Bardock tribes. In fact his knowledge of native words extended over an area from Katanning to Esperance.”

 

References:                 Article:      Gnowangerup Star, October 17, 1963. Reprinted by courtesy of the "Albany Advertiser"

                                  Image:     1. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7       Many thanks to Roz Butterworth for these wonderful photos of the Hassell homestead.
                                                   

 

Copyright : Gordon Freegard 2024