The Shearers Quarters

Located opposite the Woolshed, it was in the Shearers Quarters that the Shearers were accommodated during Shearing. Up until the 1940s, swagmen were a common sight along the roads, moving from place to place, cutting wood and sharpening knives in return for food and accommodation and the Swaggies Hut was built next to the Shearers Quarters for them.

However, with the demise of swagmen, the Swaggies Hut became deserted. Likewise today, with modern machinery and fewer sheep, shearing takes less than a week and most of the Shearers live locally and don't require accommodation. Hence the Swaggie's Hut has been converted into a bathroom and the Shearers Quarters into a conference centre venue and is often used by larger groups, such as school groups, who want to 'rough it' without the inconvenience of camping. Hence, the large kitchen and dining rooms, two large conference rooms and discussion room can be used by guests who wish to bring their own 'swag' or bedding and mattress. However, despite the changes in their use, the structure and the history of these buildings is conserved and today you can still see the old shingle ceiling in the Swaggies Hut and the names of past shearers carved into the exterior sandstone walls of the Shearers Quarters.

The floorplan of the Shearers Quarters complex is shown below:

Bungaree Station
Email: Bungaree Station
Telephone: 08 8842 2677
Outside Australia Telephone: 618 8842 2677
Fax 08 8842 3004
PO Box 231
Clare South Australia 5453
Australia