Carnarvon Heritage Precinct receives Lotterywest funding to help historical artefacts weather the storm

Several historical artefacts in Carnarvon will be sheltered from weather events, with Carnarvon Heritage Group securing a Lotterywest grant to design and build new facilities. The $215,000 grant will go towards the design and construction of four cyclone-rated protective shelters over several currently unprotected heritage structures. Located at the Carnarvon Heritage Precinct on Babbage Island, the artefacts include a railway carriage, a historic vessel and two camel wagons. “The Carnarvon Heritage Precinct project aims to enhance facilities for volunteers, support increased visitation to the precinct and will improve community access to cultural spaces in Carnarvon,” a Lotterywest spokesperson said. The small and large camel wagons, and vintage rail wagon are the last surviving examples of the wool wagons that originally operated in the the Gascoyne and Murchison. They once carried wool from inland stations to One Mile Jetty to be shipped onwards. The large camel wagon originating in the 1920s is the only one of the wagons believed to have been fitted with wheel bearings. Carnarvon Heritage Group chairman Dudley Maslen said the grant was important for the work the group was doing at the precinct. “These structures are a mandatory prerequisite in our efforts to preserve the rich pioneering heritage of the Gascoyne and Shark Bay,” he said. The grant has been delivered through the first round of Lotterywest’s Arts and Culture Infrastructure Grant Program. “Because of Lotterywest’s generous support and encouragement, we now have interest and tangible support from the Australian National Maritime Museum and the Fremantle Maritime Museum,” Mr Maslen said. “This grant is a massive boost to enabling the Carnarvon Heritage Group to progress its efforts to preserve a major piece of Western Australian and Australian history.” The grant will also go to improving cultural recognition for visitors, providing interpretive signage for the artefacts.