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Central Greenough
 The
first St Catherine's Church was an iron and timber building that had been
shipped complete with all fittings from England in 1892. It stood for twenty
years on Company Road but suffered severely from attacks by white ants. It
was replaced by a new church which was built in 1913 and all that was
salvageable was incorporated into the new building. St Catherine's Church is
still used for worship today.
This hall was built in 1898 to provide a social centre for the people of the
Front Flats. It used to house a stage and held school concerts, political
meeting, dances, flower shows, bazaars and film shows.
St Catherine's Hall is currently serving as the Tearooms while the new
visitor centre is being constructed. Entry to the Hamlet is via the northern
end and takes you the "old way into town". The community hall has converted
effortlessly into the temporary tearooms, where you can sit inside or out,
eating burgers, scones, cool drinks and coffee and teas. The walls of the
hall display images of the local area and pictures of times gone by. All the
latest tourist brochures are available as well expert staff to tell you more
about the local area and buildings of the Hamlet. A perfect rest point on
the trip north out of Perth, and one stop to Geraldton, the hub of the mid
west. Info available: Wildflower Tours, John Hawes Heritage Trail, Greenough
River Nature Walk, Bed and Breakfasts, Museums, Artist in Residence, Gunnado
Farm, Ellendale Pool, Beaches, Fishing and Farms.
This church was built in 1908 to replace a smaller chapel, which once stood
in front of Clinch's Mill. It is still used regularly for worship by the
local community. Compare the decor of this church with that of the Anglican
Church.
The Bell
The bell was cast at Murphy's foundry in Dublin in 1879 and it was moved
here from the original St Peter's Chapel.
The First School
The first school in Greenough was built by the Wesleyans in 1861 on
Company Road. At that time there was no bridge over the Greenough River and
many children had difficulty getting to school when the river was flowing.
The Central Greenough School was built in 1865 by William Trigg. The
building also originally served as a community hall and a place of worship
for Anglicans. By 1875 there were two other state schools of similar design
on the Front Flats and a total of six schools in the region. The number of
schools reflected the growth of the population at that time.
Catholic Presbytery
 Built
in 1900 and furnished by the church, this building housed the local priest
for thirty years. Monsignor Hawes was the last priest to occupy the
Presbytery. Later it was used as a boarding house for some of the older boys
from the Convent School.
Built in 1898, this building was used to house a group of Dominican Sisters
from New Zealand. They ran a mixed day school in the large room until they
moved to Dongara in 1901 ... The Presentation Sisters moved in and ran a
boarding school for boys. The large room was converted into a dormitory and
extensions (now demolished) were added along the west side. When the convent
closed, the building was leased to the O'Brien family who lived there until
the place was purchased by the National Trust.
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Court House
In 1870 work began on the construction of a Police Station and Court
House at Central Greenough. The police were first stationed in Greenough in
1863 and Maitland Brown became the first Resident Magistrate in 1865. The
strong police presence in Greenough might partly be explained by the
perceived threat from the Aboriginal people and the presence of Ticket-of
Leave men.
Court Room
At first Greenough had its own magistrate but then the position was replaced
by a Circuit Magistrate and later by local Justices of the Peace. The Court
Room also doubled up as a meeting place for the Greenough Road Board until
it had its own offices completed in 1906. The bars on the windows were
originally placed there to stop people breaking into the Court Room!
Retiring Room
This room served a dual purpose. It was used by the Magistrate and as a
Doctor's Surgery. The latter visited fortnightly to deal with all manner of
complaints from toothache to amputations. The Magistrate and Doctor
sometimes had their meals cooked for them by the Police Sergeant's wife who
lived next door.
Kitchen
This kitchen was used for the preparation and cooking of prisoners' meals.
The constables occasionally slept in this room.
The Cells
This area was a Lock-up not a prison. After a trial, convicted felons would
be sent to prison in Geraldton. There are five cells - four were for white
in-mates and only held one or two prisoners. The larger cell was for
Aboriginals who were chained to the iron bar along the back wall.
The Exercise Yard
Note here the height of the walls. Despite this a local drunk once climbed
over the walls and went to the stables where he cut off the horses' tails in
order to spite the Police Sergeant. He then climbed back into the yard to
escape detection.
Police Sergeant's Quarters
These were relatively spacious quarters for the Police Sergeant and would
have been welcome when families were often larger than today.
School Teacher's Quarters
These also seem quite spacious. However, originally two families were
housed here - that of the school teacher and that of the Police Constable.
This provides an illustration of the social class structure in Greenough
whereby the Police Sergeant was rated as more important than the teacher.
The Post Office
The Post Office was completed in 1874. In the early days of Central
Greenough messenger boys delivered the mail and telegrams. The Post Office
was quite often run by a single woman and the coming of a new postmistress
was a significant event for the bachelors in Greenough. A number of the
women married into the community.
The Courtyard and Stables
The stables were for the police horses. Nearby were two outdoor toilets -
the more private one was reserved for the Magistrate and the other was for
everyone else. Stand and look across the courtyard and imagine some of the
activities which would have taken place in this area.
The Well
This was originally the only water supply in the area. Ticket-of-Leave
men cut through limestone to a depth of 70 feet (approximately 22 1/2 metres).
The water was of a brackish nature and unpleasant to drink.
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Hackett Cottage
 Ned Hackett built this cottage after the 1888 flood. Ned was a versatile man
who provided a number of services to the community. He served as a
blacksmith, cobbler, carpenter and undertaker. He also had a general store
which had a gallon license, but this building was later destroyed by fire.
Interpretive Centre
 The
Central Greenough Interpretive Centre was opened on the 24 September 2003,
by the Hon. Wilson Tuckey, Federal Minister for Local Government opened
The Interpretive Centre was a joint project between the National Trust of
Australia and the Shire of Greenough. The project was in excess of $1m to
construct and fit out. Funding was sourced from the National Trust, Shire of
Greenough, State and Federal Governments and local organisations.
 The
Interpretive Centre will contain a interpretive component detailing the era
in which the Hamlet was built, the lives and stories of the people of the
time. The Centre also will house a tourist information bureau advising of
local tourist destinations as well a cafeteria that will cater for your
leisurely needs.
Nearby Historic Buildings
There are many historic sites and buildings within close proximity to
Central Greenough. If it's history, great scenery, rural life and adventure
you're after, then you are in for a treat at Greenough.
Clinch's Mill
Mills were in high demand. By 1860 there were three mills on the Flats
including one steam driven and two horse driven. Built in 1858, Thomas
Clinch's steam driven mill had initially been funded by Walter Padbury but
the arrival in 1860 of Stephen Maley resulted in a new rival steam mill
built on land owned by George Shenton. This traded as the Victoria Flour
Mill.
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Greenough Hotel
 The
Greenough Hotel was licensed in 1868 and was owned by Thomas Walsh. Walsh
had been granted freehold title to 25 acres of land. The building remained a
Hotel until 1888 when it was purchased by Thomas Clinch for his eldest son,
Arthur Charles. The hotel then became known as Mill Farm.
The Clinch family used part of the building as a ballroom when the place
was the centre of social activity during their period of ownership. In 1941
the Clinch family sold the building which is now owned by the National Trust
of WA.
Gray's Store
Henry Gray was an import-export merchant and land-owner. This building was
constructed in 1861 using ticket-of-leave convict labour. It consists of a
store, a two storey residence and walled garden. Most of the store's
provisions came from overseas in sailing boats which docked at Dongara. In
1890 Gray closed his Greenough operations and the following year the lease
for the building was taken over by a Mr Meadowcroft. It was a residence
until the 1950s, and it was badly damaged by fire in 1975.
Wesley Church
The foundation stone of this chapel was laid in 1867 by Joseph Hardey of
Tranby House, Maylands. The chapel is Gothic in style and was constructed
using ticket-of-leave convict labour. It has limestone walls, exposed timber
roof trusses, lapped board ceiling and originally had a shingle roof. The
first wedding to be celebrated, that of Joshua Waldeck and Catherine
Pearson, took place in the still incomplete building on 9 December 1869.
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Old Store and Tearooms
Built in the latter part of the nineteenth century, the building was
purchased by Wainwright and Co and run as a general store with a gallon
licence. After several owners, the store was closed in the 1920's, then used
as a residence and finally fell into disrepair. This building has been
restored and today is the entrance to the new Interpretive Centre.
Phone:(08) 9926 1084 Fax:(08) 9926 1660
Road Board Office
The Road Board was the predecessor of the local Shire. The Greenough Road
Board held its meetings in this building from 1906 until 1952. Most of the
time there was only a secretary servicing the Board. This makes an
interesting comparison with the administration of the Shire today.
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