Pilot Station History Brought to Life

ByDr Jon Drane

Apr 20, 2023

The Pilot Station, so well known to locals at Dunbogan and surrounds has always held a mystery.

*1887 Painting of Boat Headland Cottage by Alfred Sharp (Camden Haven Historical Society)*

The station is a remnant of the light house and pilot era of Australian maritime navigation and stands on a headland facing the Pacific Ocean. It holds a position on the coastline which has seen tragic death and accidental ship wrecks over the centuries. It also holds a mystery in the unexplained death of Frances Williams the wife of the first pilot-boatman who was buried in a shallow sand grave on the grounds of the Pilot Station at the age of 27 leaving three children behind to Isaac her husband.

*1907 Pilot Station; Federation Style House. (Camden Haven Historical Society)*

In the unfolding of her tragic story, the dramatic history of the valley and the remnants of the indigenous people’s place in the valley also becomes evident along with the footprint of their life and time which is imprinted in the land upon which the station sits.

*Middens on the Boat Headland. AHIMs Site Report 30-6-104, 1997*

By Dr Jon Drane

Dr Jonathan Drane is a recognised writer, researcher, advisor and teacher in urban and property development dynamics. He is an expert witness in complex construction and development issues. http://www.jondrane.net/

History