Last week I did one of my trips into the WA mallee to a large remote granite outcrop called Dingo Rock. I thought that it was probably good habitat for wild dogs and where they had often been seen, however I did not realise the extent of it.

The rock is around 1 km each way with two peaks separated by a deep gully. On the far side that can only be reached on foot (although very few people ever visit this area), there are three large rocks (car size) with smooth holes tunnelled out by the wind. These holes are just the right size for a Dingo to enter and camp there; both have a soft sandy base. The one above had another similar chamber branching off to the left and both had obviously been used recently.

The second rock down had a low entrance between two vertical rocks forming flat shelves either side and both had openings (one shown), giving good views for prey or danger, plus ways for escape. It was the perfect dog camp, with excellent accommodation, plus prey and water. If I were a dog I would move in myself.

On the same rock, but on the outer lower apron I happened upon the two pieces of iron, which I presume were brought to the area by aborigines, possibly to make axes. There is absolutely no sign of any settlement in the area, so they had been carried some distance, probably from the goldfields. Any ideas what machinery they are off and their age?

Cosy den. Any sign of actual dogs?

Those iron tools look like shareware.

Bubblecar said:

Cosy den. Any sign of actual dogs?

Those iron tools look like shareware.

Yes, they had recently dug out comfy sleeping pits, plus there where a number of paw prints.

Lovely spot!

(No idea what the cast iron stuff is from, sorry. Guess – pre-1920s, probably pre-1900, although heavy cast iron was used for some machinery until the late 1950s.)

Michael V said:

Lovely spot!

(No idea what the cast iron stuff is from, sorry. Guess – pre-1920s, probably pre-1900, although heavy cast iron was used for some machinery until the late 1950s.)

Thanks Mike, much of this region has seen few Europeans even to this date. I often encounter past aboriginal activity, much that obviously predate settlement, but at times these in between events are encountered that indicate they were there living off the land within the past hundred years. I would imagine much of this lifestyle would have been buggered when the fox reached this part of WA around this time too.

They are pieces of a ship’s tank lid like this

Bubblecar said:

Cosy den. Any sign of actual dogs?

Those iron tools look like shareware.

correct.

Speedy said:

They are pieces of a ship’s tank lid like this

Can’t see anything, could you direct me to an image?

PermeateFree said:

Speedy said:

They are pieces of a ship’s tank lid like this

Can’t see anything, could you direct me to an image?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/imagegallery/3997410644/

roughbarked said:

Bubblecar said:

Cosy den. Any sign of actual dogs?

Those iron tools look like shareware.

correct.

All sharewear on the net seems to be about children’s clothing.

PermeateFree said:

roughbarked said:

Bubblecar said:

Cosy den. Any sign of actual dogs?

Those iron tools look like shareware.

correct.

All sharewear on the net seems to be about children’s clothing.

Those tanks made by George Share.

Speedy said:

PermeateFree said:

Speedy said:

They are pieces of a ship’s tank lid like this

Can’t see anything, could you direct me to an image?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/imagegallery/3997410644/

Could be, but being a boiler, how would it be held in place?

they aren’t boilers. they are water storage i would think.

PermeateFree said:

Speedy said:

PermeateFree said:

Can’t see anything, could you direct me to an image?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/imagegallery/3997410644/

Could be, but being a boiler, how would it be held in place?

Read the info. at the link.

roughbarked said:

PermeateFree said:

roughbarked said:

correct.

All sharewear on the net seems to be about children’s clothing.

Those tanks made by George Share.

Any refs.?

From the link:

George W. Share & Co. ship tank with lid at Silverton lying next to an old mine truck. The tank was manufactured in London in the 1890s. Unfortunately the light was wrong so it’s a very contrasty photo with the part of interest in the shade. I’ll have to go back…

These tanks were used to transport goods or drinking water on ships to Australia (probably in this case Adelaide). They were then sold for reuse and mainly used for transporting water by rail and dray to remote areas and towns, stations, goldfields, etc. before the days of pipelines. They found further use for example for lining wells, as forges, header tanks, underground tanks, fire brigade water tanks. Reuse of ship tanks has also been recorded on the Australian sub-Antarctic base of Macquarie Island and Direction Island in Cocos-Keeling.

Speedy said:

From the link:

George W. Share & Co. ship tank with lid at Silverton lying next to an old mine truck. The tank was manufactured in London in the 1890s. Unfortunately the light was wrong so it’s a very contrasty photo with the part of interest in the shade. I’ll have to go back…

These tanks were used to transport goods or drinking water on ships to Australia (probably in this case Adelaide). They were then sold for reuse and mainly used for transporting water by rail and dray to remote areas and towns, stations, goldfields, etc. before the days of pipelines. They found further use for example for lining wells, as forges, header tanks, underground tanks, fire brigade water tanks. Reuse of ship tanks has also been recorded on the Australian sub-Antarctic base of Macquarie Island and Direction Island in Cocos-Keeling.

Seems a convincing fit.

Here

I take it that’s the hatch for refilling the tank. So could be removed and carried by aborigines a long way from where it was found.

Speedy said:

PermeateFree said:

Speedy said:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/imagegallery/3997410644/

Could be, but being a boiler, how would it be held in place?

Read the info. at the link.

Good’O, just found it. Am not a flichr user so not used to that format.

Anyway, it looks to be right as I have seen many rusted tanks in the Goldfields, but without the lids. The turn of the century would fit very well too. So thanks for that.

JudgeMental said:

Here

Terrific! Can’t do much better than that. Thanks muchly.

Recently traveled to Lake Pinaroo, near Cameron Corner (where the borders of NSW/SA/QLD meet) and saw one of these tank lids, intact.

After this thread, it was good to know what it was, but it was at an old well. Wondering how this would have been used at the site.

http://www.aicomos.com/2010-outback-and-beyond/program/breakout-abstracts/watering-the-outback-the-heritage-of-wells-bores-tanks-dams-and-pipelines-in-western-nsw/

seems ships tanks were common. maybe filled by a windmill. dunno.

:-)

the ground may not have been suitable for an earthen tank.

JudgeMental said:

the ground may not have been suitable for an earthen tank.

Probably not. Are you suggesting that they simply used these metal tanks to store water onsite? I had assumed that the tanks would have been filled at the well for transport to other places.

either used elsewhere like you say or onsite to store a few hundred gallons ready and waiting. maybe feeding a tough at some point.

JudgeMental said:

either used elsewhere like you say or onsite to store a few hundred gallons ready and waiting. maybe feeding a tough at some point.

Yes. It was all grazing land up until quite recently (1972-ish).

Speedy said:

JudgeMental said:

the ground may not have been suitable for an earthen tank.

Probably not. Are you suggesting that they simply used these metal tanks to store water onsite? I had assumed that the tanks would have been filled at the well for transport to other places.

Yes. Water had to be brought in to many outback sites.