The Naaning Well is located near Dowerin along the Goomalling-Merredin Road, in Western Australia. It was used during the goldrush period as a much-needed water supply for prospectors and their horses. It’s a 300m walk from the car park to the well. Be warned, unlike the Trayning Well, the Naaning Well is more like a soak well and can be easily missed during the dry season.
The well was commissioned in 1869 by the Toodyay Road Board.
The wells along the Goldfields Track were marked on maps sold to prospectors heading to the Yilgarn Goldfields after gold was discovered by Mrs Glass at Mujakine Station in 1887.
One can only imagine what was going through the prospector’s minds as they rested for the night, having only ventured a quarter of the way to the goldfields.
Plaque:
Nanning Well is significant for the associations with early explorers, surveyors and gold seekers to the Yilgarn Goldfields.
On the 23rd of April in 1869, an expedition led by 22 year old explorer and government surveyor, John Forrest camped overnight at Nanning Well. The party included Mr George Monger as the second in command , Mr Malcolm Hammersley, a probation prisoner by the name of David morgan who was the expeditions shoe smith and two Aborigines Tommy Windich and Jemmy Mungaro. The purpose of the expedition was to search for remains of another explorer, Ludwig Leichardt, and his party, who had disappeared into the WA wilderness some twenty years earlier.
Unfortunately, there was little feed for the horses and there was considerable delay in collecting the horses the next day and the party did not get moving till 12 noon. That day they covered eight miles (13kilometres) and camped at another well called Pingeperring for the night.