Mangowine Inn, built in 1875

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I haven’t written much about our visit to Mangowine Homestead mainly because there is such a lot to say about it. When Jane Swain Adams and her husband, Charles, first established a farm at Mangowine near Nungarin in 1875, she was the first white woman in the area. In 1888, an inn was built on the property to cater for prospectors making their way east to Yilgarn. Jane would bake dozens of loaves of bread to cater for the travellers. Water was carted from ten miles away to provide for the house, stock and vegetable garden. The inn was closed in 1892 when the flood of prospectors dried up. In 1895, Charles suffered a fatal heart-attack while out on his extensive holdings and 46-year-old Jane was left to carry on alone. As more and more settlers took up land in the area and further to the east, Jane became a source of help and advice to all. She became known as Granny Adams. The photo shows the entrance to the bar of the inn and to the cellar below. Note the gimlet handrails.