Davidson Whaling Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Davidson Whaling Station |
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Heritage boundaries
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| Location | Edrom, Bega Valley Shire, New South Wales, Australia |
| Built | 1896–1896 |
| Owner | Office of Environment and Heritage |
| Official name: Davidson Whaling Station | |
| Type | state heritage (complex / group) |
| Designated | 2 April 1999 |
| Reference no. | 984 |
| Type | Whaling Station |
| Category | Maritime Industry |
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The Davidson Whaling Station is a very old place in New South Wales, Australia, where people used to hunt whales from the shore. It's located in a beautiful spot called Edrom, near Twofold Bay. This station was built in 1896 and is now protected as a heritage site. It tells an important story about Australia's past. The New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage owns this special property.
A Look Back: Whaling History
Early Whaling in Twofold Bay
Whaling, which is hunting whales, started at Twofold Bay way back in 1828. Many different groups hunted whales here. The main ones were the Imlay brothers, Benjamin Boyd, and later, the Davidson family. They used old-fashioned open boats for whaling for over 100 years.
The Davidson Family's Whaling Story
The Davidson family began whaling around 1860. They built a "tryworks" inside Kiah Inlet. A tryworks was a place where they would boil down whale blubber (fat) to make oil. They could pull the whales onto a sandy beach there.
In 1896, George Davidson built a cottage called "Loch Garra" near the tryworks. This cottage and the land around it are now part of the historic site. Over time, more buildings were added to the property.
Whaling Changes Over Time
For many years, Alexander Davidson, his son John, and grandson George worked almost full-time at the station. They would catch about 10 to 15 whales each season.
After the early 1900s, whaling became less regular. George Davidson started farming and raising animals on the land. This helped the family when whale catches were low or the market for whale oil changed. By 1925, they only caught two whales for the whole season.
In 1927, a scientist named Professor Dakin described the Davidson Whaling Station as being like something from the 1840s. It still used the old ways of hunting whales from the bay. The very last whale was caught at Twofold Bay in 1929. The Davidson family left the station in the 1940s.
What You Can See Today
Buildings and Structures
The Davidson Whaling Station is on the southern side of Twofold Bay. It's about 35 kilometers south of Eden. The buildings still standing include the "Loch Garra" cottage and a separate kitchen/dining room. There's also a garden shed and a shower shed.
These buildings are made of timber. They have traditional weatherboard or timber slab walls and corrugated iron roofs.
Gardens and Natural Areas
You can still see parts of the Davidson family's old gardens. There are collapsed fences from the orchard and a lawn area. An old dam is also on the site. The current garden was created later by the Boyd family, who owned the property for a while.
Only small pieces remain of the old tryworks. You can see fragments of brick foundations and a fireplace. There are also three large ship's tanks that were used to store whale blubber.
The rest of the area is an open woodland with different types of trees. There are also moist forests in the gullies.
Hidden History: Artifacts and Middens
Many old items from the past are scattered across the site. These are called historic artifacts.
Several Aboriginal middens have also been found. Middens are ancient piles of shells and other remains from Aboriginal campsites. One midden is located under the tryworks. Another one, above the cottages, was a women's camp during the whaling period. These middens show that Aboriginal people lived and worked here for a very long time.
There's also a "shield tree" on the site. This tree, which is now dead, was used by Aboriginal people to make shields.
Experts believe there's still a lot more to discover about the site's history through archaeology. The site is mostly untouched, even though some buildings are gone.
Why This Place is Special
A Unique Part of History
The Davidson Whaling Station is very important to the history of New South Wales. It was the longest-running whaling station in Australia and the last of its kind to close down. It shows us how shore-based whaling worked in the 1800s in southeast Australia.
The station is connected to the Davidson family, and also to important figures like the Imlay brothers, Benjamin Boyd, and Oswald Brierly. It also has strong links to the Aboriginal whalers and their families who worked there.
Learning from the Past
This site is one of the few shore-based whaling stations in Australia where you can still see parts of the original buildings. These include the tryworks remains, the cottage, and many artifacts from the whaling days.
The cottage and kitchen show how people lived on the site for a long time. This includes the Davidson family (from the 1860s to the 1940s) and the Boyd family (from 1952 to 1984).
The site is also important because it shows how Aboriginal people and Europeans worked together during the whaling period. Aboriginal people were a big part of the whaling efforts at Twofold Bay for over 100 years.
A Beautiful and Peaceful Place
The Davidson Whaling Station is in a stunning natural setting. It feels very peaceful and far away from busy modern life. The way the buildings, gardens, and natural surroundings fit together is very appealing. The station's location by Kiah Inlet, with native forest behind it, is especially beautiful.
The old, worn look of the buildings helps visitors feel connected to the past. The gardens and the many birds you can see and hear also add to the station's special feeling.
A Place for Community
The old buildings and records at the station clearly show what life was like for people working and living at a whaling station. This site is a special gathering place for many descendants of the Davidson family and the Aboriginal whalers. It's important to the community in the Eden District.
High Potential for Discovery
As the longest-operating shore-based whaling station on Australia's east coast, the Davidson Whaling Station is a very important place for archaeology. It has undisturbed layers of history from before Europeans arrived and from the whaling period. This means it could teach us a lot about Aboriginal lifestyles, the time when Aboriginal people and Europeans first met, and how people lived in isolated areas in the 1900s.
The tryworks site is physical proof of how they boiled down whale blubber. It's the only site like it remaining in Australia. It includes parts of the brick foundations, a hearth, timber artifacts, and the three ship's tanks. An archaeological dig at the tryworks even found the remains of a dingo under an Aboriginal midden.
A Rare and Special Site
The Davidson Whaling Station is unique because it was the longest-running whaling station in Australia. It was also the last of its kind to close down. It's one of the few shore-based whaling stations that still has parts of its original structures.
