Blackstone Range - WA

Continuing westwards, we soon passed Wingellina and headed for the Blackstone Range, a long jagged range that runs east-west. At the foot of the range sits the community of Papulankutja (Blackstone) roughly half way between Mantamaru (Jamieson) and Irrunytju (Wingellina). Its residents are both Ngaanyatjarra and Pitjantjatjara and the area around Blackstone contains some of the most significant sacred sites in the region.

Most of the Pitjantjatjara residents grew up at Ernabella Mission, and the Ngaanyatjarra residents at Warburton Mission. As late as the 1960's Native Patrol Officers were bringing in people from this region to the Warburton Mission. They were also reporting large numbers of people travelling from Ernabella Mission in SA through to the mining camp at Irrunytju and along the range country through Blackstone, Jameson and Warburton. The patrol officers were particularly concerned about these travellers during the dry season when the waterholes were becoming depleted. They reported their concerns to the Native Welfare Department who provided funding to establish bores and windmills along this travelling route. One of these bores was established in the vicinity of the Blackstone community. Later in the day we passed another bore which was established back then along the migratory path from Ernabella to Warburton.

In the 1950's South-Western Mining had their main headquarters and camp at Tollu, just south of the Blackstone Range, where they mined nickel. When SWM abandoned the mining camp, much of the remaining camp material was transported to the bore at Blackstone, and a new community began there.