Whitwarta. Werocata homestead. Built pastoralist by Edmund Bowman 1864 and extended by Edmund Bowman junior in 1883.
The Bowman brothers leased this land in 1845 and took out a pastoral lease in 1847. The property then became a stopping point for bullock teams travelling along the Wakefield River from the Burra copper mines in 1850 on their way to Port Wakefield. This traffic ceased in 1857. The Bowman brothers purchased sections of land here in the 1850s, when land was first surveyed, in order to build up a large freehold estate in addition to the leased pastoral lands. In 1860 the property was put up for sale and purchased by Samuel Sleep who purchased thousands of bricks to build a major residence on the property but after the droughts of 1863-64 he sold the bricks and he defaulted on his mortgage. This mortgage was held by Edmund Bowman and the property reverted to solely to Edmund Bowman and not his brothers in 1864 as their partnership dissolved at that time with the other brothers keeping the Crystal Brook run and Edmund keeping the Upper and Lower Wakefield runs. In 1864/65 Edmund built a substantial house on the property facing the Wakefield River but above the flood level and he named the property Werocata at that stage. Before then it had been known as Six Mile Station. Edmund used the short lived architectural firm of Grainger, Naish and Worlsey to design the unusual gable ended house. There were already a couple of cottages of sheds on the property. Edmund Bowman was also a director of the Union Bank and a member of the Central Road Boards. Edmund only enjoyed two years on the Werocata property which he visited from his Enfield house called Barton Vale because he drowned on nearby Pareora estate in August 1866 which he also owned. Edmund had married in 1854 which was when he had built Barton Vale. So when he died in 1866 he left a young family of three sons, Edmund Junior, Charles William and Hubert and three daughters, Clarissa, Alice and Jessie.( Another child had died shortly after birth). Edmund’s properties and shares were kept in trust until Edmund junior reached the age of 21 years in 1876.The properties were managed by Bowman relatives with Werocata being managed by one of Edmund senior brothers. The estate had grown into a 25,000-acre freehold property with a further 10,000 acres freehold on nearby Pareora estate.
Edmund junior was suddenly a very wealthy man in 1876 and began a major building spree with the erection of the extravagant Martindale Hall near Mintaro from 1879. It is probably at this time, around 1883/84 that Edmund had the two Italianate style classical rooms added to the front of Werocata and the garden extended and a large lake created in front of the house by a dam across the Wakefield River. He also had a overseers residence and new stone piggeries and the big woolshed erected on Werocata in 1881. Just a couple of years later Edmund junior was in massive debt after a series of droughts and high interests and he sold Werocata in 1886 with 15,000 acres to Stephen Ralli and the rest to other farmers. Ralli developed the property for thoroughbred horses and a Shropshire Sheep stud which was known throughout Australia. Coursing events and fox hunting were carried out on the property in Ralli’s time and beyond. Ralli had an early SA car from 1908 with the number plate “23”.Ralli in turn sold the property to a Balaklava publican named George Robinson who held the property for many years with his son, parliamentarian Albert Robinson. Robinson purchased Werocata in 1907 as a 4,000-acre property as the rest of the Werocata estate had been broken up for closer settlement at the time Stephen Ralli put it up for sale. The property has had various owners since the days of the Robinson family who solid it in 1936 to Alexander Wilson. The current owners have recently done a major restoration of the house and the garden. Apart from the house the crenulated water tank and some of the stables and store sheds have been heritage listed on a state level. The crenulated water tank near the overseer’s house was probably erected in 1881 when that house was built. There is no public access to Werocata and the owners like total privacy.
Whitwarta. Werocata homestead. Built pastoralist by Edmund Bowman 1864 and extended by Edmund Bowman junior in 1883.
The Bowman brothers leased this land in 1845 and took out a pastoral lease in 1847. The property then became a stopping point for bullock teams travelling along the Wakefield River from the Burra copper mines in 1850 on their way to Port Wakefield. This traffic ceased in 1857. The Bowman brothers purchased sections of land here in the 1850s, when land was first surveyed, in order to build up a large freehold estate in addition to the leased pastoral lands. In 1860 the property was put up for sale and purchased by Samuel Sleep who purchased thousands of bricks to build a major residence on the property but after the droughts of 1863-64 he sold the bricks and he defaulted on his mortgage. This mortgage was held by Edmund Bowman and the property reverted to solely to Edmund Bowman and not his brothers in 1864 as their partnership dissolved at that time with the other brothers keeping the Crystal Brook run and Edmund keeping the Upper and Lower Wakefield runs. In 1864/65 Edmund built a substantial house on the property facing the Wakefield River but above the flood level and he named the property Werocata at that stage. Before then it had been known as Six Mile Station. Edmund used the short lived architectural firm of Grainger, Naish and Worlsey to design the unusual gable ended house. There were already a couple of cottages of sheds on the property. Edmund Bowman was also a director of the Union Bank and a member of the Central Road Boards. Edmund only enjoyed two years on the Werocata property which he visited from his Enfield house called Barton Vale because he drowned on nearby Pareora estate in August 1866 which he also owned. Edmund had married in 1854 which was when he had built Barton Vale. So when he died in 1866 he left a young family of three sons, Edmund Junior, Charles William and Hubert and three daughters, Clarissa, Alice and Jessie.( Another child had died shortly after birth). Edmund’s properties and shares were kept in trust until Edmund junior reached the age of 21 years in 1876.The properties were managed by Bowman relatives with Werocata being managed by one of Edmund senior brothers. The estate had grown into a 25,000-acre freehold property with a further 10,000 acres freehold on nearby Pareora estate.
Edmund junior was suddenly a very wealthy man in 1876 and began a major building spree with the erection of the extravagant Martindale Hall near Mintaro from 1879. It is probably at this time, around 1883/84 that Edmund had the two Italianate style classical rooms added to the front of Werocata and the garden extended and a large lake created in front of the house by a dam across the Wakefield River. He also had a overseers residence and new stone piggeries and the big woolshed erected on Werocata in 1881. Just a couple of years later Edmund junior was in massive debt after a series of droughts and high interests and he sold Werocata in 1886 with 15,000 acres to Stephen Ralli and the rest to other farmers. Ralli developed the property for thoroughbred horses and a Shropshire Sheep stud which was known throughout Australia. Coursing events and fox hunting were carried out on the property in Ralli’s time and beyond. Ralli had an early SA car from 1908 with the number plate “23”.Ralli in turn sold the property to a Balaklava publican named George Robinson who held the property for many years with his son, parliamentarian Albert Robinson. Robinson purchased Werocata in 1907 as a 4,000-acre property as the rest of the Werocata estate had been broken up for closer settlement at the time Stephen Ralli put it up for sale. The property has had various owners since the days of the Robinson family who solid it in 1936 to Alexander Wilson. The current owners have recently done a major restoration of the house and the garden. Apart from the house the crenulated water tank and some of the stables and store sheds have been heritage listed on a state level. The crenulated water tank near the overseer’s house was probably erected in 1881 when that house was built. There is no public access to Werocata and the owners like total privacy.