E. T. Hooley
Encyclopedia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, who in 1866 pioneered an overland stock route from Geraldton
Geraldton, Western Australia
Geraldton is a city and port in Western Australia located north of Perth in the Mid West region. Geraldton has an estimated population at June 2010 of 36,958...
to the Ashburton River
Ashburton River (Western Australia)
The Ashburton River is located within the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The river rises approximately 100 km south of Newman and flows in a west north westerly direction until discharging into the Indian Ocean approximately 20 km south west of Onslow. The river crosses the North...
. He entered politics in later life, serving nearly three years as a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council
Western Australian Legislative Council
The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the Legislative Assembly. It sits in Parliament House in the state...
, then nearly six years in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
.
Early life
E. T. Hooley was born at sea in 1842, on board the Bolivar, which was en route from London to LauncestonLaunceston, Tasmania
Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. According to his birth certificate he was born on 30 September, but this was not registered until 19 November, and most other historical records list his date of birth as 3 October. His birth certificate also lists his name as Timothy Bolivar Hooley, but if Hooley ever used the name he had dropped it in favour of Edward Timothy Hooley by 1866. His father, Daniel Hooley, was a farmer who had emigrated to Tasmania to take up an offer of work at a sheep and cattle station there. His mother was Ellen née Barry.
The Hooley family remained in Launceston until January 1846, when they moved to Portland
Portland, Victoria
The city of Portland is the oldest European settlement in what is now the state of Victoria, Australia. It is the main urban centre of the Shire of Glenelg. It is located on Portland Bay.-History:...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. Edward Hooley was educated there, becoming a farmer and sheep and cattle dealer, before marrying an Irish immigrant named Jane Maze on 23 November or 4 December 1861. They would have two sons and five daughters.
Exploring in Western Australia
In July 1864, Hooley joined with a number of other Victorian pastoralists in forming the Camden Harbour Pastoral Company, which aimed to form a settlement and claim extensive pastoral land at Camden SoundCamden Sound
Camden Sound is relatively wide body of water in the Indian Ocean located in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.Camden Sound is bounded by the Bonaparte Archipelago to the east, the Buccaneer Archipelgo to the west, and Montgomery Reef – at 292km2 Australia's largest inshore reef – to the...
Western Australia. Arriving on board the Stag in December, Hooley and the other pioneers found the land to be virtually useless for agricultural and pastoral purposes. Hooley and some other members of the company explored the area around the Prince Regent River
Prince Regent River
The Prince Regent River is a river in the Kimberley of Western Australia.The headwaters of the river rise in the Caroline Range near Mount Agnes then flow in a north westerly direction...
but found the land was no better.
By April the following year, the company had dissolved, and Hooley and others sailed south to the Tientsin Bay settlement (later known as Cossack
Cossack, Western Australia
Cossack is an historic ghost town located 1,480 km north of Perth and 15 km from Roebourne in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The nearest town to Cossack is Wickham. At the 2006 census, Cossack had a population of 236....
). From there the men made a number of exploring expeditions. First they explored the Harding
Harding River
The Harding River is a river in the Pilbara of Western Australia.The headwaters of the river rise in the Chichester Range in the Millstream-Chichester National Park near Merrinyaginya Spring and flow is a northerly direction...
and Sherlock
Sherlock River (Western Australia)
The Sherlock River is a river in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.The headwaters of the river rise from numerous springs on the Abydos Plain below the Mungaroona Range near the western edge of the Mungaroona Range Nature Reserve then flows in a northerly direction past the Chichester Range...
Rivers, but found no land worth claiming. They then made a second expedition, south through the Hamersley Range as far as the Ashburton River
Ashburton River (Western Australia)
The Ashburton River is located within the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The river rises approximately 100 km south of Newman and flows in a west north westerly direction until discharging into the Indian Ocean approximately 20 km south west of Onslow. The river crosses the North...
, where they found good pastoral land. Hooley travelled to Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
to apply for a pastoral lease over the land, and was eventually granted a lease over 100,000 acres (400 km²).
Unable to afford the cost of sea freight for his stock, Hooley then undertook to find an overland stock route to his lease. He first tried to find a route along the coast, but gave up the attempt after months of hardship. He then attempted an inland route. Leaving Geraldton with four teamsters, two native guides and nearly 2000 sheep on 26 May 1865, he travelled up the Murchison River
Murchison River (Western Australia)
The Murchison River is the second longest river in Western Australia. It flows for about from the southern edge of the Robinson Ranges to the Indian Ocean at Kalbarri. It has a mean annual flow of about 200 million cubic metres.-Course:...
, then north through the watersheds of the Murchison, Gascoyne
Gascoyne River
At 760 km, the Gascoyne River is the longest river in Western Australia.The river rises below Wilgoona Hill in the Robinson Ranges west of the Gibson Desert and it flows into Shark Bay and the Indian Ocean at Carnarvon....
, Ashburton
Ashburton River (Western Australia)
The Ashburton River is located within the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The river rises approximately 100 km south of Newman and flows in a west north westerly direction until discharging into the Indian Ocean approximately 20 km south west of Onslow. The river crosses the North...
and Fortescue River
Fortescue River
The Fortescue River is an ephemeral river in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It is the third longest river in the state.The river rises near Deadman Hill in the Ophthalmia Range about 30 km South of Newman. The river flows in a Northerly direction parallel with the Great Northern...
s, arriving at the Fortescue after a journey of around three months. He had found good stock feed throughout the journey, but felt that it would be a difficult route in drought. During this expedition Hooley named both the Henry River
Henry River (Western Australia)
The Henry River is a river in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.The headwaters of the river rise between High Range and Barlee Range and flow is a northerly direction close to the western edge of the Barlee Range Nature Reserve, through Minnie Springs and then discharging into the Ashburton...
and Frederick River
Frederick River
The Frederick River is a river in the Pilbara of Western Australia.The headwaters of the river rise in the Kenneth Range then flow in a south westerly direction until it merges with the Lyons River near Cobra Station homestead....
.
By opening up an overland stock route connecting Perth and Roebourne
Roebourne, Western Australia
Roebourne is an old gold rush town in Western Australia's Pilbara region. It is 202 km from Port Hedland and 1,563 km from Perth, the state's capital. It prospered during its gold boom of the late 19th century and was once the biggest settlement between Darwin and Perth...
, Hooley had found a cheap and safe way to transport stock to the northern stations, thus securing their future as a pastoral area. Within a year of his discovery of the route, 5.8 million acres (23,000 km²) of pastoral land had been leased in the north west. When Hooley returned to Perth to announce his discovery, he was widely acclaimed; some settlers even presented him with an engraved gold watch (which is now held by the Western Australian Museum
Western Australian Museum
The Western Australian Museum is the state museum for Western Australia.The Western Australian Museum has seven main sites: two in Perth within the Perth Cultural Centre, two in Fremantle , and one each in Albany, Geraldton, and Kalgoorlie-Boulder...
).
Pastoralist and merchant
In 1867, Hooley bought land in Roebourne and was awarded the first pastoral lease on the Ashburton RiverAshburton River (Western Australia)
The Ashburton River is located within the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The river rises approximately 100 km south of Newman and flows in a west north westerly direction until discharging into the Indian Ocean approximately 20 km south west of Onslow. The river crosses the North...
. The following year he briefly returned to Victoria, to accompany his wife and children to Western Australia. Hooley retained the lease for only two years, abandoning it in the face of great hostility from the indigenous
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
people of the area. They initially moved to Hooley's lease on the Fortescue River, but a year later Hooley was declared bankrupt
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
and the family moved to Perth.
The family settled at Guildford
Guildford, Western Australia
Guildford is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located 13 km northeast of the city. Its Local Government Area is the City of Swan.-History:Guildford was established in 1829 on the Swan River, being sited near a permanent fresh water supply...
, and Hooley accepted work as overseer for Thomas Gull at Boraning. He later joined his family at Guildford, managing the Barker and Gull store and being elected to the Guildford Municipal Council in 1878. On 13 February 1880 he was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Council
Western Australian Legislative Council
The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the Legislative Assembly. It sits in Parliament House in the state...
for the seat of Swan, but resigned after only two months.
In 1881, Hooley returned to the north west of Western Australia, taking up a lease at Mount Mortimer. In 1884 he took up a cattle station on the Henry River
Henry River (Western Australia)
The Henry River is a river in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.The headwaters of the river rise between High Range and Barlee Range and flow is a northerly direction close to the western edge of the Barlee Range Nature Reserve, through Minnie Springs and then discharging into the Ashburton...
. Within a few years he returned to Perth, becoming manager for John Henry Monger
John Monger
John Henry Monger was a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council from 1870 to 1875, and again from 1890 to 1992....
's store. This was sold to Dalgety
Dalgety plc
Dalgety plc was a major British conglomerate. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
in 1888, and Hooley continued as Dalgety and Co.'s first manager.
Hooley wrote extensively during his time in Perth. He wrote many newspaper articles under the name "Bucolic", and he also wrote a novel entitled Tarragal, or, Bushlife in Australia. He became involved in several business ventures, becoming a director of Equitable Life Insurance, the Swan Brewery
Swan Brewery
The Swan Brewery is a brewery located in Perth, Western Australia. It was founded in central Perth in 1837. From 1879, it occupied riverside premises below Mount Eliza, displacing an official "Aboriginal institution" which recognised traditional use of the land by indigenous people.The brewery...
, and the Lady Shenton Gold Mining Company. He was a member of the Menzies syndicate, and was for some time the President of the West Australian Turf Club.
In politics
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
in 1890, and the following year was appointed to the first Native Protection Board. He was a nominated Member of the Legislative Council from 12 December 1891 to June 1894, when it became elective. He then contested the Central Province seat in the election of 16 July 1894, but was unsuccessful. Three months later he won the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
seat of Murchison in a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
occasioned by the resignation of Everard Darlot. He held the seat until the election of 26 April 1897, in which he instead contested and won the seat of De Grey
Electoral district of De Grey
De Grey was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1897 to 1901.The district was located in the Western Australian outback, in the north of the state. It was one of the original 30 seats contested at the 1890 state election but was...
. He resigned on 28 May 1900 due to illness.
Later life
In 1900, Hooley travelled to England for medical advice on a condition then described as "creeping paralysis". With no help available, he spent the next three years travelling throughout Europe, dying in VeveyVevey
Vevey is a town in Switzerland in the canton Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, near Lausanne.It was the seat of the district of the same name until 2006, and is now part of the Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut District...
, Switzerland on 3 August 1903.