BUNGAREE STATION: Clare Valley Region of South Australia

When you look down on historic Bungaree Station you look down on a virtual time capsule that says so much about South Australia's early pastoral history.

The old woolshed built in 1842 was the hub of what would ultimately become a village set in what was then the outskirts of colonial civilisation.

"I suppose this is like the backbone or the cathedral to the property isn't it? This is where it all began. There's a certain essence of timelessness here and we feel sort of priviledged."

"Have there been many changes to it from what it was originally?"

"I often wish that Great Grandfather could come back because he would be stunned if he could see how the place has stood up to the test of time."

Sal Hawker's great grangfather-in-law, George Charles Hawker once oversaw a team of fifty shearers during Bungaree's heyday. Now a much smaller team of about ten tread the boards of this magnificent shed come shearing season.

For anyone who stays here the history of this legendary sheep run is ever present. It all began when George Hawker and his two brothers James and Charles overlanded two thousand sheep to this valley just north of Clare.

"On Christmas day in 1841 the brothers came to a place near the Hutt River. They sank a well and recorded that it had good drinkable water. This became their new home. They named the place by it's Aboriginal name Bungaree meaning my country place of deep water."

Over time, Bungaree established itself as one of the great South Australian sheep runs and soon the Hawkers moved from a tent… to a hut… to something a little more comfortable.

"Initially it was just sheep. We rode on the sheep's back traditionally but now we have diversified into crops and cattle and really anything that will keep the bank manager happy."

And as the sheep numbers grew so too did George Hawker's other flock.

"When was the church built?"

"Basically great grandfather used to have church services in the shearing shed and as his sheep increased in number so did his stock - I mean his staff. And so what he needed to do was read the Bible to them and then count the number of people. He found that he had a hundred people in the shearing shed and decided at that point to build a church so he called in an architect. this is the only building designed by an architect and it they finally finished it in 1864."

"You can see the appeal."

"We've got fifty percent of weddings that we cater for."

Despite it's obvious charm the Church of England chapel known as Saint Michael's was never as popular as the old woodshed which was seen by Bungaree's staff as truly non-denominational.

And that's in keeping with what's been a working station for more than one hundred and sixty years. Here everyone had a job to do including the local stallion who certainly lead a pampered life.

"That was built as the stallion's stable."

"Oh glamorous little house."

"Stallions are like all men never to be trusted. They put the stallion over there because if you have a stallion with the other horses, particularly with the mares or a gelding they tend to be trouble."

Over time the stallion box fell into disrepair and when Sal Hawker arrived from South Africa to marry George Hawker, the great grandson of the original owner, she always had visions of refurbishing this quaint piece of Bungaree's history.

Now it's the honeymoon suite and is available at fifty five dollars per person per night and includes breakfast. It's just one of the accommodation options at Bungaree Station. To book contact 8842 2677. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards.sa.som.au