Torres Strait and Cape York
used to be dangerous
places, with head hunters
and
cannibals.
About a decade after Kennedy spearing, lots of lives were still being
lost, and there
was a need for a
permanent military establishment to stop the violence.
So in the 1860s, the decision was made and the police
magistrate to be was John
Jardine from Rockhampton. He was amongst the
people who arrived on the ship, while his oldest son Frank Jardine
lead up the beef, in Australia's
most amazing cattle drive.
The new establishment was built on Somerset
Hill, which you can today
see in the western end of Somerset Beach.
The cattle was taken to Vallack
Point, today on the so-called Five
Beaches Track, or Nathau
Beach Drive, where they established a cattle
station. Frank was running the station for years, with father John returning
south and being replaced by other police officers.
The tribal attacks
and wars continued, and Frank
was finally offered the police inspector
position, and accepted it.
Some time later he met and married
the Samoan princess Sana, and moved briefly to Torres
Strait
to try pearling,
while Somerset had other different police magistrates.
But in 1877 when the adminstration of Cape York and Torres Strait was moved to Thursday Island, Frank bought Somerset off the Government, returned, and lived there for another 42 years until he passed away, 78 years of age, and Sana died four years later.
After their deaths the
homestead was maintained by their children,
until the Second World War.
The homestead
survived the war, but not
a fire in the 1960s, so today you can only
imagine they main house having stood right behind the rusted canons and
the old
mango tree.
Under the tree you can still
see some of Sana's rock gardens.
You can also see the old coconut plantation, and down the beach, on the eastern side you can still see the homestead's well.
In the middle of the beach you can see the remains of the old slipway,
... and on the other, western side, are the graves of Frank and Sana,
along
with a few others.
At the western end of the beach,
... at low tide you can climb the rocks of
the headland,
... and you come to a
cave,
... with some Aboriginal
rock paintings.
That's about what there is to see at Somerset and the beach, but it's also a beautiful place just to relax, and there is more in the area.
If you
are interested in Frank
Jardine's history, you can go
out to Vallack Point, where he had his
cattle station. It is along
the
so-called Five
Beaches
Track,
aka Nathau Beach Drive,
which is a nice four wheel drive anyway.
East of the homestead is a sandy track that takes you down to Five
Beaches.
It's a loop track that comes out further south on the way to
Somerset.
It goes past Fly Point, Vallack Point,
... Nanthau and Narau beaches,
... lakes and beautiful sunrises over the sea.
In the middle of
Lockerbie and Somerset, is the track into Muddy Bay.
It's much like the name says - lots of mangroves, but there is also
a small beach with oysters. In the area is also Paira, a historical
homestead site.
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