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Warrens Accommodation House, Ten Mile ca.1880.
..."the travellers came to the Nine Mile Creek a mountain torrent in rainy weather, but now a trickling stream ; and crossing it, cantered on a nice hard beach forming a small bay, till they reached the accommodation house known as Warren's. The house was perched on a rocky elevation above high water mark, and as the tide regularly ebbed and flowed twice in the twenty-four hours, it made things noisy and very lively all round.
To reach the accommodation house, the horsemen had to ascend by a roadway from the beach to join the principal pack track, and made, for the house, where refreshments was to be had for man and beast, and dismounting they handed their nags to the care of Warren and his satellites, and entered the hotel and made themselves at home, intending to spend a day or so in the neighbouring country to inspect the outcrops of coal. The accommodation house was partly an ancient and partly a modern structure combined, like so many of the habitations and farmhouses of the early days of the colony. The kitchen, "with its wide fire-place, fed with large logs, and pot and kettles hanging from iron bars above the the fire, kept the pots boiling at all times, for the convenience of packers and swagnmen. seeking refreshment by the way .
The kitchen was large and acted as the general feeding room, and fronted the ]sea with its ever changing moods, to be seen from the open door and windows looking west. The sitting room and sleeping apartments wore modem attachments to the ancient kitchen and its several outhouses. The surroundings on the hill outside evidenced some farming proclivities; there were fenced paddocks clothed with verdure green, satisfying to the horses browsing thereon ; there were the usual patches of gardens with cabbages and potatoes and other vegetables showing much proficiency and some ready for the pot.
There were a good few cows and calves to match roaming about, and numerous members of the poultry persuasion, picking up a generous living, all evidently supplying the Warrens and their callers with milk and butter and plenty of fresh eggs. The feeding arrangements in the hotel were rough and ready, but the host and hostess, together with the youngsters at all stages of ages, made things comfortable for their guests and the mid-day meal provided for the hon. member and the secretary and was a repast fit for a lord (word had been previously passed along to Warren of their coming); and Mrs Warren, as cook in charge, excelled herself, and the hungry travellers dined off boiled fowl and bacon, and trimmings to their hearts' content, washed down with liquor refreshments to the amusement of some of the younger members of the Warrens who looked on.
The afternoon was devoted to an inspection of an outcrop of coal up the Ten Mile Creek* and Warren, who knew every inch of the country, acted as guide, philosopher, and friend armed for the occasion with a slasher . Leaving the Hotel three men and a dog, in Indian file, started up the track, from the top of which extensive seaviews were obtained and suddenly decending by the pack track reached the bed of the Ten Mile Creek running very leisurely to join the waters of the ocean a little further on. A provincial bridge crosses the creek and serves to connect the zig zag track, leading to the top of the hills on the north bank. Looking up the crook from the bridge, perpendicular cliffs rise to the sky line on each side, forming an avenue some two or three hundred feet wide, and extending, as a wild mountain gorge, for some two or three miles inland, and looking as if a hill had been split asunder by some earthquake though which the clear waters of the creek find their way seaward.
Starting from the bridge, the party plunged into the recesses of the south hill "beyant," Warren taking a bee line upwards, slashing right and left to clear a way till he struck a disused water race and creeping along it, closely followed by the others the dog bringing up the rear for a distance of many miles makes (it seemed so to the hon member), but in reality under half a mile, when the guide took a rest for smoke, oh! waiting till the others came up in line, and facing them north from this coygn of advantage pointed to the cliff of rocks on the other side of the creek, standing sheer up for many chains -the strata of the country. Running along this strata with much regularity between parallel lines, was a formation of over ten feet in thickness of some hard black-looking substance or stone, like black marble. Warren said it was coal, and his statement was aceptcd as gospel truth by his hearers, for it was difficult wiihout a 100 foot ladder to get up to it io prove to the contrary .
The wayfarers (not forgetting the dog-, descended from the old race to thu bed of the creek, 'A shallow streamlet rippling oe'r its bed. and decided to return by it, the guide being satisfied. After renewing their strength by means of a pocket flask, combined with the waters of the "shallow streamlet," they commenced their downward flight, jumping from rock to boulder from boulder to rock plunging through this pool and leaping over that pool, till the party reached the bridge, and rested, the hon member, as well as could be expected under the circumstances, nourished by a sip bore and a sip there to counteract the efforts of new boots and stockings and other things, while Warren and his dog looked on and smiled..Date of Photoca.1880Map[1] External LinkA Ride to Point Elizabeth.ContributorHistory House Museum Greymouth
Maye Dunn
Geez, Bob that's a beauty!
Lynette Chisholm
My great grandparents
Lynette Chisholm
Any information on this Accommodation House at all?
Bob Naisbitt
If you go into Paperspast and click on Grey River Argus you will find a lot about them
Debz Turner Tommi Mills you mentioned going to the old hotel site and there were just foundations left. Can you please tell me where abouts this was. Was it middle of the beach or was it down at the ten Mile end. Can you Please give me a reasonably precise location as I've been searching for this for many years and there are no signs of it left anywhere. Thanks.
Tommi Mills Debz Turner I would have to show you very over grown now was a paddock was past there last week but roughly heading north it's just up the small rise past the beach turn off on left was concrete steps there next time I am over be glad to show you its between the main road and old coach rd if any help
Debz Turner Nine mile beach has had an interesting history. It has had two hotels/ accommodation houses.. One near the middle and one near the 10 mile end which was called Warrens accommodation house. Does any reader know the exact location of Warrens Accommodation house at the 10 mile end as we have been searching for approx 30 years to no avail. Unfortunately there are no remains or signs of where they were now. At the southern end known as Mussel point there was a coal mine half way down the cliff face this was known as the Cutis and Party mine. It is still visible and the men had to descend the cliff line to gain access. At the northern end of the beach there was a black sand gold claim which was in operation in the 1950's there is still a large concrete tank marking where they had a water holding tank. Prior to 1920 the original pack track followed the beach and then after this a road was put in just above the beach. Erosion in 1935 means a deviation was put in roughly where the main road is now. Parts of the pack track and road survive but can only be found if a person is prepared to go bush. In recent years white water canoeists have descended the waterfall when it's in flood.
Pam Englefield-Absolum
Interesting housing construction. One roof with shingles, the other with iron.
Maria Martin-Smith
from the women's clothing style (shirtwaist and skirt) I'd guess between 1890 - 1910. Shingle roof- could be an earlier building with the others added later.Glenn Johnston when did iron arrive on the coast?
Edited
Glenn Johnston
Corrugated iron has been around on the Coast since the 1860's and was part of shipping cargoes once shipping became established. In remoter areas where transport was difficult shingles, thatch canvas etc, continued to be used much longer than in the towns where corrugated iron was more easily transported. Corrugated iron did make it to places where there was only foot or packhorse access but generally only in short lengths. It was usually rolled up when transported this way. So corrugated iron would have been available in 1880. Your dating by clothing styles pointing to this being later than 1880 is your field but some of the outfits to me do look to be 1890's or even later.
Dylan Duff
Glenn Johnston I learn so much off you mate
Glenn Johnston
Dylan Duff Hope I'm not putting you crook on occasions. Trying to learn off people and your own experiences is what it is all about.
Kevin Mead
Thanks for posting. I hadn't ever seen any details of the accommodation house. I do know there was only two young Warrens, my uncle Con and Mary (my mum)
Trish Rennie
I can’t place anywhere that paddocks could be seen from this building??? The only site I could place it on is the North side of the 10 mile???
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