They Wished Upon a Star – book review

They wished upon a star : a history of Southern Cross and Yilgarn  by P.T. McMahon.

Did you know that ‘MIRRABOOKA’ is the aboriginal word for Southern Cross???

YILGARNIA

On that ancient sea bed of Yilgarnia, one of the oldest land surfaces in the world. Yilgarnia, timeless and mysterious, a land of such antiquity, that figures alone are beyond the conceivable.
Charles Laseron wrote in the Face of Australia: “It was here…….. before there was any living thing either on the earth or in the sea”  The Yilgarnia has remained almost unchanged geologically for seven hundred million years and its solitude may well have remained virtually undisturbed but for the gold in its rocks

This excellent book has very little information on it, even on the State Library web site. It was published in 1972, 45 yrs ago. If you are interested in the Southern Cross and Yilgarn area you will find it very interesting. In the foreword by the Hon Lionel F Kelly, he states ‘This book is a historical gem, it would be difficult to find a single important event that has not been included. It is a true story interspersed with records which has resulted in a first class story which is easy to read.’

Typical Mining Camp

The book is dived into ten sections entitled:-

Early Exploration
Discovery of the Yilgarn Field
Frasers and Yilgarn Group
Wheat an Pastoral Activities
Mining
“Little Rats, A Hermit and Hoppers”
“Oil Hoax, Migrants and Murder”
Biographies
Yilgarn Today
The Depression

There are only a few photographs in this book but some I have not seen before, such as the following one showing the breeding of thoroughbred racehorses by the uncle of the author, Owen McMahon, who was also one of the districts first farmers.

The uncle of the author, Owen McMahon, Breeding racehorses

From the ‘Biography’s’ section I would lie to share with you two that I found interesting:-

Joe KEARNEY
He unsuccessfully tried to ‘Jump’ the Fraser’s Mine, he was brother to a doctor who was practising in Kalgoorlie at the time. He amassed a substantial wack out of ‘Long Reef mine in a Lennonville mining deal, but he was a born gambler. He once set out on a trip back to Tipperary with £800 in his pocket but stopping off in Perth he decided to put the whole lot on a horse with the result that he had to borrow his fare back to the Murchison.

Ernest BEATON
Born in Glasgow Scotland in 1902, he came to Australia in 1910 and first settled in Bruce Rock. He came to Southern Cross in 1923 and he established a farm of 1000 acres, six miles north of the Cross. By 1929 he had 400 sheep and was well on the way to success when the depression struck. Most of the other farmers around abandoned their properties but he held on a battled through. In 1969 he had 15,000 acres in crop and 5500 sheep. He also built a fine modern shop in the main street of Southern Cross called ‘Yilgarnia’. His son became a champion shearer.

Wheat Crop grown by the Rev Orchard

Some well known names feature in this section such as, Warden Michael Finnerty, George Spencer Compton and Daisy Bates.

Staff of the Southern Cross Times c1910

Should you wish to read this book you can only access it in person at the State Library as they only hold two copies and both, unfortunately, are ‘Not for Loan’. I am happy to look up any names in my own copy.
The ISBN is 095980580X

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Moya Sharp

Owner at Outback Family History

My name is Moya Sharp, I live in Kalgoorlie Western Australia and have worked most of my adult life in the history/museum industry. I have been passionate about history for as long as I can remember and in particular the history of my adopted home the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia. Through my website I am committed to providing as many records and photographs free to any one who is interested in the family and local history of the region.

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