Pago Mission Buildings

This photo of the Mission buildings was taken in 1935.  The floor slab and the long posts from the two storey section (left), the stone chimney (right centre) from the baker's oven, and a number of other stone floor slabs were still visible in 2005.

    GETTING THERE  - We first visited the Pago Mission site in 1982 during our cruise from Perth to Darwin, and 23 years later, in 2005, we returned to the site to rephotograph the remaining relics.  From the anchorage in Honeymoon Bay, or from either side of Mission Cove, motor across to the mouth of a small creek where there is a wide sand flat that dries at low tide.  There is a gap in the mangroves where a large number of rusty drums can be seen above the high water mark (right).

Walk about 500 m south-east along the road past the "campground" buildings which were destroyed by cyclone "INGRID" (left) in March 2005, then continue on past the old carriage wheels on the side of the road (right) until you come to the mango tree grove at the road junction.  If you miss the mango tree grove, you'll come to the crossing on the freshwater creek that runs along the north-eastern side of the Pago Mission area.

      PAGO HISTORY  -   In 1906, the Benedictine monks from New Norcia set out on an expedition to find a suitable site for a mission in the eastern Kimberley.   This initial survey concentrated on the area around the mouth of the Drysdale River and further inland near the junction with the Barton River.  Two years later, the monks returned to the area and, due to several incidents with the local aborigines, established a temporary mission close to the sea at Pago.

The Benedictine monks constructed a monastery and wells then established gardens, orchards and a mangrove grove beside a small creek in the south eastern corner of Mission Cove.  Supplies were brought in from Wyndham to Mission Cove on the mission lugger "Valadora" and on W.A. state ships off-loading at Sir Graham Moore Island or in the outer part of Mission Bay.  It took many years before the missionaries gained the trust of the aborigines, and Pago did not become a significant part of aboriginal life until the early 1920's.

The poor soil, and limited water from the nearby creek and the wells, led the monks to explore the King Edward River area for a permanent mission site.  After 31 years of struggle, it was decided to abandon the Pago site in 1939, and establish a new mission near a large permanent waterhole at Kalumburu, about 30 km south of Pago.  During late February and early March 1942, the aborigines from Pago and Kalumburu played a significant role in the rescue and repatriation of the survivors of the bombing of the "KOOLAMA" which is described in some detail in the Kimberley History page.

      Relics at Pago in 2005

The track to Beauty Point crosses the creek just downstream of Pago.  The view upstream from the crossing (left) is spectacular and peaceful.  Although the water in the creek is quite shallow, there is usually sufficient water for a refreshing dip.  Just upstream of the crossing there is a large boab tree (right) surrounded by a dilapidated stone wall.  This was probably a safe pen or yard for small animals.

A little further upstream and on the western side of the creek, the first building slab can be sighted.  This one (left) is about 9 or 10 metres square, and another nearby slab about 25 m long by 6 m wide.  Both slabs are made from local sandstone with seafloor ripples commonly referred to as "ripplestone".  The baker's oven (right) is close by and prominent.  The chimney from this oven can be seen behind a building in the  black & white photograph beside the map at top of this page.

Also prominent in the black and white photograph is the two-storey living quarters building.  The floor of the building, made from local sintered shells (concrete) is still in good condition and it is surprising to see the wooden uprights (left) still standing after 100 years.  This stone pitched well (left) was beside the living quarters building.  Another similar well was located near the stone oven and chimney.  In August 2005, both wells held relatively clear water approximately 2 m below ground surface level.

      Acknowledgments

This story was pieced together from a number of sources.  The major sources were the books "We Won the Victory" written by Ian Crawford and "The Koolama Incident" written by Bill Loane.

Many hours of personal time were spent ashore trudging through the bush looking for the Pago site in 1982 and strolling along the graded track in 2005 to photograph the places and relics mentioned on this page.