Old Onslow, Peedamulla Homestead among Pilbara heritage sites to receive grants boost

Three historic sites in the Pilbara, including the Old Onslow Townsite and Cossack, have received heritage grants for maintenance and upgrades.

The State Government’s annual Heritage Grants program recipients were announced this month, with the Shire of Ashburton receiving $20,000 for works at the Old Onslow Townsite and the City of Karratha $20,000 to help develop an interpretation plan for Cossack.

The Gumala Aboriginal Corporation, representing the Banjima people, received a $100,000 State Heritage grant to complete re-roofing works on the Peedamulla Homestead.

This will help it be used as an interpretation centre as part of the Peedamulla Campground ‘Camping with Custodians’ offering.

Shire of Ashburton president Kerry White said the grant would enable the shire to continue ongoing works to protect and preserve the history of the Old Onslow Townsite.

“Council believes that Old Onslow is an incredible piece of WA history and is dedicated to making it an accessible tourism destination for tourists both near and far,” she said.

“The Shire of Ashburton is working to develop a number of upgrades to the site, which includes clearer navigation, interpretive signage and the development of an augmented reality app where users can travel back in time and explore the Old Onslow.

“Old Onslow provides another tourist drawcard to the Shire of Ashburton, which most notably includes a full reef to range experience from Mackerel Islands and coastal town of Onslow through to Karijini National Park and the ancient country surrounding Tom Price, as well as featuring many astrotourism hotspots and geological wonders along the way.”