House Beach 1913, site of first whaling station in WA (1836)

3 Whaling stations Doubtful Island Bay 1836-1867+

Research by Heppingstone, McIlroy and Gibbs
There is information about whaling in West Australian waters, in the Battye Library, top floor, Alexander Library in Northbridge, Perth. Much of the initial research was by D Heppingstone, often reported in the Journal of the W.A. Historical Society. According to a booklet by Jack McIlroy (1987) “19th century bay whaling stations in Western Australia” (Battye Library Q994.1 McI), there were 20 whaling stations in the 1800s, including east of Esperance, Cape Riche, Cheyne Beach, Two Peoples Bay and Albany. French and American ship based whalers operated in the area as early as 1803. It was probably as a result of their favourable reports, that whaling was undertaken in such an isolated place. Data in Martin Gibbs (University of WA thesis, 1995) “Historical archaeology of shore based whaling in WA 1836-1879” shows that Doubtful Island (House Beach) was the earliest whaling station in West Australia, in 1836. This was only 7 years after Perth was settled in 1829 (was Albany settled in 1826). Thus, Doubtful Island Bay was one of the first places settled in West Australia and yet, there still isn’t a good road into the place, 174 years after first settlement. According to McIlroy, Doubtful Island was the second whaling station in West Australia but he had doubts about when the whaling station east of Esperance commenced. Gibbs is more likely to be correct as his work used McIlroy’s work as a basis, is more recent and more detailed. Gibbs initial work was produced in 1994, titled “An archaeological conservation and management study of 19th century shore based whaling stations in Western Australia. Report to the National Trust of Australia, for the Australian Heritage commission” (Battye Library, Q994.1 GIB).

Businessmen involved in whaling
Gibbs shows that there have been 3 whaling stations at Doubtful Island Bay. The first was organised through a partnership between Thomas Sherratt an Albany merchant and William Lovett, a Hobart Captain. John McKail, resident of Albany, was manager. The same team operated in 1837. A second whaling team, organised by George Cheyne, Albany merchant, was based at House Beach in 1837, working in conjunction with the Master of the American whaler “Charles Wright”. Sherratt and Lovett complained to the Government but eventually entered into an agreement to sell whale oil to the American ship. Its uncertain whether whaling occurred in 1838. Gibbs considers that there was no whaling from House Beach 1839-1862. Whaling recommenced in 1863, under the direction of John McKenzie (son of Hugh), who also whaled at Torbay and possibly Cape Arid, that year. The final date for whaling from House Beach is uncertain, it may have been in the 1870s. The information about whaling in the Heberle fishing book (page 12) was based mainly on Merle Bignell’s 1977 book about the history of the Gnowangerup Shire, which included Doubtful Island Bay at that time. It is incomplete and incorrect.

Whaling stations
Sherratt and Lovett’s whaling station was at House Beach, at the eastern end, near to where Hassell’s shearing shed and wool shed were located, years later. In 1836 John McKail was permitted to occupy a small area at House Beach and in 1837 he was granted a whaling station lease of 4.4ha at the eastern end of House Beach, 200m wide and 220m long, with boundaries at right angles to House Beach, 100m each side of the summit of Whalebone Point. These measurements don’t necessarily work out on the ground. All access would have been by ship. House Beach and possibly the South corner of Reef Beach are the only reliable anchorages for sailing ships in this area. Cheyne’s whaling station, if at House Beach, would have been outside of McKail’s lease, at the western end of House Beach. Some flat rocks laid in the southern corner of Reef Beach, might have been associated with whaling but could have been associated with sealing or Hassell’s operations.

People and accommodation
Initially many of the men might have lived in tents. Most of the whalers were young, so probably did not have wives and children. Managers might have had some family members with them. Permission was granted in 1836 to erect houses as well as whaling station buildings, tanks/vats etc at House Beach.
Gibbs thesis lists 7 Aboriginals who worked at Doubtful island Bay for McKenzie (based on Government gazettes), ie Jack Hansome (1863, 1865, 1867), Jack Hardy (1865-66), Nebinyan (1863), Rattler Nebinyan (1865-66-67), Pillar (years unknown), Screechowl (1867), Dicky Taylor (1865-66). Jack Hansome was a boat steerer 1863 and 1865), the rest were hands.
Gibbs lists 23 Europeans who worked at House Beach for McKenzie, hands unless stated otherwise, as W Arnot (1866-cook), William Armstrong (1867), J Baines (1867), G Baines (1865-cook), William Barrett (1863), J Barrett (1867-boat steerer), William Bilborough (1866), Roderick Cowden (1867-boat steerer), James Foot (1867), John Foster (1865), John Graham (1863-boat steerer, 1865-66 hand), Joseph Grumley (1863), George Kelley (1863), J Morris (1867), W Morrison (1867), G Nichols (1867), J Percy (1865), John Raisin (1866), W Smith (1866), A Tansley (1865), William Walker (1863), George Weaver (1863-cook), James Young (1866).
Gibbs lists 7 management people, Sherratt, McKail, Cheyne and McKenzie, who were present at various times. Captain William Lovett was a co-owner, with Sherratt. He arrived in 1835 on the barque “Jess”, with Mr Dring from Perth, for whaling and sealing. Nehemiah H Fisher (American Captain 1863, 1865, 1866-headsman). Several other men worked at House Beach, date unknown, including Chase (headsman), Dultons, 2 Mansfield brothers, Parish, Pillar, Sinclair (headsman), Tomlins (headsman). Possibly the latter were there in the 1836-38 period.

Whaling teams, whaling season, whales taken
McKenzie’s whaling team at House Beach, consisted of 13-15 men in 1863-67 and they probably only lived in the area for the whaling season and until the whaling produce was shipped out. The team consisted of management, a cook and 2 boat crews (4-6 rowers and a headsman/steerer). Sometimes one of the managers was the steerer. Each team had a cooper for making and repairing the barrels, for storing whale oil. There was also a spotter. The cooper and spotter probably joined the boat crews.
Gibbs has data for the whaling season at Cheyne Beach. In the 1840s and 1850s, the season typically was from mid July to mid November, = 4 months. The main species taken 1836-1870 were Southern Right whales (Eubalaena australis) and Hump back whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). Less than 10% were other species. After 1860, few Right whales were taken, (perhaps fished out) and the catch was 90% Hump backs. Sperm whales (Physeter catadon) are evidently high yielding of oil but are typically located well off the coast.
Payment was by the lay system, with the men receiving a % of the seasons profit, based on their position in the team.
Based on data in Gibbs’ thesis, House Beach (and West Australian) production in 1836 was about 13 tonnes of whale oil and 2 tonnes of whale bone. In that year, the whalers attempted to kill 15 whales and 7 were taken. Reliable catch data is not available per team for later years. The catch in 1837 and 1838 might have been about 20 tonnes of whale oil per year. McKenzie’s team produced perhaps 10 tonnes of whale oil in 1863 and less than 20 tonnes in both 1864 and 1865, from House Beach. The catch in 1866 was possibly about 10 tonnes and 1867 about 2 tonnes. Based on this data, only about 2 to 10 whales were caught each season, per team. In those days, whaling teams only caught a small proportion of the whales they attempted to catch eg 25-50%, according to Gibbs. The teams may also have done some sealing. Certainly management and the teams would not have made much money whaling at House Beach. Some teams worked 2 or more areas in the one whaling season eg start near Albany, move to Doubtful Island Bay, then east of Esperance. If so, they may have only stayed at Doubtful Island Bay for only 1-2 months each season.

Whale oil production
McIlroy described the processes involved. When the whale has been landed, blubber is cut off (flensed) and cut into small pieces for boiling = trying. Trying was done in 2 or 3 round iron cauldrons of typically 700-1100 litre capacity, placed on iron grates, over a brick or rock base, inside a wall, with a fire door and chimney. The fire was started with wood but blubber remains were burnt later. Implements included a stirring pole, blubber forks, scoops (to remove scraps). Oil was removed with bailers into cooling tanks (often copper), before being transferred to barrels. The barrels were later transferred to a ship.

Vegetable growing
According to the Doubtful Islands area coastal plan (1994) page 12, the whalers grew vegetables where they could. Vegetables would have been grown at House Beach, where the cook was based. The South corners of Reef Beach and Trigelow would also be suitable but are probably too far away. The plan mentions on page 12, Location 1306, an area of 16ha around an old chimney, with a sheep camp, vegetable garden, water tank and possibly a well. This was probably used in the Hassell era.

Whale spotting
Each team had a whale spotter located on a good vantage point, within signal or verbal range of the boat crew (Gibbs). When a whale was spotted, the spotter could join a boat crew. This suggests that typically whales were only taken within sight of the station. Some whaling teams also had cutters or schooners, which could be used to carry the boats to other locations. Usually the boats did not go out until whales were sighted but some teams sent boats out each morning, weather permitting. Possibly at House Beach, only whales within about 8km were taken. Sometimes a hut or shelter was erected for the spotter. I did find a rocked floor structure near Whalebone point, many years ago.

Whaling boats, gear
The whaling boats were typically 8 or 9 metres long and about 1.8 metres wide, in the 1800s (McIlroy). Whales were speared with a harpoon attached to the boat by rope. When the whale tired, it was finished off with a killing lance. If whales were caught a long way from the whaling station, or the wind was unfavourable, it might take all day and half of the night to tow the whales home. A fire would need to be lit to guide the boats in. The whaling boats could also be used to transport the whale oil out to the ship. Presumably the boats were not operated in rough seas or strong off-shore winds (which would make it difficult to bring the whales back to the station). At the station, whales were usually dragged in by a winch or capstan, over rock or a wooden deck, where they were cut for processing in the try works. Barrows and pallets might be used to move the blubber.

Graves at House Beach
Chinese cook Ping Hweng, employed by Hassell, died 1892 and was buried at House Beach. According to the Management plan (page 12) 2 whalers were killed by a whale in 1878, according to some reports, one was never found, John Raisin was buried near whalers well. Whaling had probably ceased well before 1878. According to Gibbs, the whalers were killed in 1866, their names were Abraham Appleyard and John Raisin and they were buried a few metres from Whalers/Flinders well. If well water was used for drinking, it may not have been a good idea to bury bodies nearby. The spot was marked with an inscribed whale bone.  Ping Hweng was later buried nearby.

Archaeological evidence of whaling
Work would be needed to find any signs of occupation eg using sub surface radar and excavation (by tractor), like that in the British TV show “Time team” led by Tony Robinson. Hassell’s later buildings might confuse the situation. Archaeologists probably haven’t looked at House Beach because of poor access, McIlroy couldn’t make it, his vehicle got bogged and broke an axle. Gibbs also couldn’t visit House Beach, because of the poor access.
Evidence of whaling would include remains of huts for the men and management (eg floors of flat rocks), remains of cook house, cooperage, storehouses, tryworks, ramp, lookout, remains of barrels, try pots, cooling tanks, commercial rubbish (eg broken spears, lances, barrels, oars) and domestic rubbish, whale bones, teeth. Ron Heberle senior told me that there were some whaling station remains in that area, in the early days. He and Graham Bowden found whales teeth at House Beach. Hassell found some broken try pots near Whalers/Flinders well (Gibbs).

Comparison with salmon fishing teams
Gibbs makes the point that salmon teams (in the old days using wooden boats and cleaning fish) had many similarities with whaling teams. They used many of the same beaches.

Economics, competition
Until the late 1840s, whaling was the major export earner for West Australia, providing 20%+ of the colony’s export value 1836-47, thereafter its importance dramatically declined to a few % 1865-80. The whaling stations could not compete with the French and USA whaling ships. In the early 1840s there were sometimes as many as 200 whaling ships in West Australian waters. They decimated the Right whale population.

Tracks and farming at Doubtful island Bay
There were no tracks linking this area to the outside world until 1870-1890. The whalers probably did not have any horses or drays, buggies etc anyway, so roads were probably not needed for whaling in the 1800s. Quaalup/Qualup was settled in 1858 (by Wellstead), Bremer Bay area in 1860 (by Wellstead) and the Overland Telegraph Line was established 1875-78. Hassell took over Qualup in 1890. The original house was built at House Beach in 1893 and the shearing shed in 1894. In 1895, Kent location 1306 (see Vegetable growing) was surveyed and probably also location 1307, near Reef Beach. Details about Albert Young Hassell are in the Cyclopedia of Western Australia, including photos of Hassell (c1910) and House Beach (c1913) showing the shearing shed and wool shed. He was born in Albany in 1841, the second son of John Hassell, who arrived in Tasmania in 1822. J Hassell returned to England in 1837, married, returned to Australia and purchased Kendenup station from George Cheyne. In 1849 he took up Jerramongup station, which was eventually taken over by AY Hassell. John Hassell opened the first gold mine in West Australia, on the Kendenup property.
 

Greg Heberle
11.4.2012

My "Doubtful Island Bay" book published 2016, provides more details.

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