Wonnangatta Homestead

Wonnangatta Station

Only the ruins of a homestead and a carefully restored and maintained cemetery can be seen as a reminder of the hardship and mystery surrounding habitation of the Wonnangatta Valley. Alfred Howitt arrived in the valley around 1860 and a cattle station was established. In 1866 the homestead and station was taken over by William Bryce and his family. The homestead was nestled in between the Wonnangatta River and Conglomerate Creek with views overlooking much of the valley. It was surrounded with forbidding mountains, much of the access being cut off during the winter months by heavy snow falls along the top of the ranges. The only supplies that could be brought into the homestead came on horseback from Dargo.

The harshness of the area can be imagined with two of the Bryce's ten children being buried in the small family cemetery. Annie, William's wife is also buried in the cemetery. She died in 1914. The homestead again changed hands at this time.

It was during this next period of the history of the "Station" that mystery engulfed the Wonnangatta Valley.
James Barclay was given the role of station manager by the new owners, and he lived alone in the valley. John Bamford was employed in December, 1917, as an odd job man and station cook.
A state referendum was held in Victoria during that same month and the two me left the valley together, riding their horses, to register their vote in the town of Talbotville, near Dargo.

The two men were never seen alive again.
Later that month the local postman visited the homestead but found it empty. He did not think any more about the homestead until his return in January, 1918. The homestead was still deserted and looked as though it had not been inhabited for months.
The postman reported the mystery to the authorities in Dargo. A party of searchers, including the new owner searched for the men, and after a considerable time found the decapitated body or the manager. He had been shot and partly buried in the nearby creek.
Bamford immediately became the prime suspect for the murder.
The search for Bamford was stopped over winter as much of the surrounding area was totally snowed over. The search resumed in the spring. The body of Bamford, also shot, was discovered by a local policeman as he stumbled onto the body as he dismounted his horse for a rest break. The body had laid hidden under a pile of logs and rocks on the side of Mt Howitt, about 20km from the station.

The mystery of who murdered the two men has never been solved!

Did Bamford murder Barclay and then commit suicide later?
Were both men murdered by unknown cattle duffers?
Did Bamford kill Barclay and then he himself become a murder victim, killed by one of Barclays friends?

The station changed hands again in 1934, purchased by Alexander Guy (Guys hut is still used by bush walkers in the area).
The station was distroyed by fire in 1957.
The last owner of the station purchased the property in 1970. His name was Bob Gilder. The final stage of the history of the Wonnangatta Station lies in the hands of the Victorian Government as the Valley has become a part of the National Park system. Cattle can no longer graze in the peaceful valley, but the "Friends of the Wonnangatta" group are actively engaged in preserving the area for all to see well into the future.

The "Widow Maker", now under revegitation by the "Friends of Wonnangatta"

The Wonnangatta homepage

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ŠPSnare, IT Consultancy, 1997. Last updated 13th November, 1997

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