Natural craft a fine way to enjoy station life

With West Australians encouraged to “wander out yonder”, Melangata Station, north-east of Yalgoo, has played host to its first weekend-long bush furniture workshop. Eight participants learned how to make a three-legged milking stool with natural woods. The workshop earlier this month was led by Les Trouchet, a retired trade instructor from Albany, assisted by Merv Chambers and Anthea and Geoff Draper. The woodworkers were taken on to the station to collect dead Minerichi (acacia) wood. It was then down to business in the station’s old shearing shed, and after three and a half , the beautiful milking stools were finished. The result was eight beautiful stools, all slightly different due to the nature of natural wood. I also conducted a bush basket workshop which attracted five basket-makers. Over two days, the basics of basket-making were learnt, with lovely baskets being the end result. The old shearer’s cookhouse was the venue and the original wood stove was put to good use, with a chilly wind ever present. As well as the two workshops, a group of farming families from the Northampton- Binnu region camped at the station. They enjoyed tours of the historic homestead and the breakaways on the station, along with a camp cooking demonstration by Jo Clews. Ms Clews and Ken Darnell took over Melangata Station more than four years ago and immediately opened it up for camping. Toilets and showers were the first development, and they have gone on to open up homestead and shearers’ quarters accommodation, with work continuing in this area. The number of visitors to the station has grown each year, with the campground proving very popular. The station is 48,562ha, and its homestead was designed by the well-known priest-architect Monsignor John Hawes. The homestead is built of local stone and contains a tiny chapel. His churches and other buildings in the Mid West are part of the architectural heritage he left. The weekend was hailed as a great success by Ms Clews and those camping and attending the workshops. It proved to be a great venue with the scope to host more. * Glenda Blyth is a Geraldton artist who exhibits and holds occasional workshops.