Site 15 – Ruby and Bill Arnold’s House
“Please Respect Private Property”
Please remember this is a private residence. We ask visitors to respect the occupants’ privacy and enjoy the site from the street without approaching or looking into windows.
The home standing on this site once belonged to Ruby and Bill Arnold, a family well known throughout the Burren Junction district. While the house remains today and is being carefully restored, it also represents an important chapter in the history of the district’s water supply and the hardworking teamsters who helped sustain life on the black soil plains.
For much of the twentieth century, the open bore drains that crossed the district were the lifeblood of surrounding properties. Water from the Great Artesian Basin flowed through hundreds of kilometres of shallow earth channels, supplying stock water across the region. To keep this precious water flowing, the drains had to be cleaned regularly—a demanding job known as delving.
During the early decades of the twentieth century, teams of bullocks carried out much of this work. Men such as Frenchy Humble and Jack McCann became well known throughout the district as they travelled from property to property, using their powerful bullock teams to clean bore drains, construct dams and undertake earthmoving work. Their efforts helped shape both the landscape and the farming communities of the Burren district.
In later years, the work passed to Bill Arnold, whose magnificent horse team became a familiar sight across the plains. Working with remarkable skill and patience, Bill and his horses travelled many kilometres cleaning bore drains and ensuring the precious artesian water continued to reach surrounding properties.
The horse teams became part of everyday life in Burren Junction. They represented a time when heavy work depended not on machinery, but on experienced teamsters and well-trained horses working together. It was slow, physically demanding work, yet it was essential to the survival of farming families throughout the district.
By the early 2000s, a new era had begun. To conserve valuable artesian water and improve environmental outcomes, the open bore drains were progressively replaced with underground pipelines delivering water directly to storage tanks and watering points. While this marked the end of an important chapter in rural life, water remains central to life in Burren Junction.
Even today, the village has no reticulated town water or sewerage system. Most homes rely on their own shallow bores, generally around 14 metres deep, together with rainwater tanks and septic systems. This continuing self-sufficiency reflects the resourcefulness that has always been part of life in Burren Junction.
Today, the Arnold family home remains a reminder of those earlier days. Together with the photographs and painting of Bill Arnold’s horse team, it tells the story of the hardworking men, horses and bullocks whose efforts kept the bore drains flowing and sustained farming families across the district. Their work helped make life possible on these plains, and the importance of water continues to shape Burren Junction today.
Historical information sourced primarily from Visions of the Plains – A History of Burren Junction and District (2nd Edition) by Judy Field, together with local community recollections.
Photos
Photo Ruby and Bill Arnold’s House Today
The former home of Ruby and Bill Arnold. The house still stands today and is currently being restored, preserving another important piece of Burren Junction’s history.
Photo Delving the Bore Drains
Horse teams cleaning one of the district’s open bore drains. Regular delving was essential to keep artesian water flowing across the surrounding grazing properties.
Photo Bill Arnold’s Horse Team
Bill Arnold’s horse team at work maintaining the district’s bore drains. Skilled teamsters and well-trained horses played a vital role in sustaining rural life across the plains.
Photo Working the Bore Drains
Horse teams were a familiar sight throughout the Burren Junction district, carrying out the demanding work of cleaning bore drains and maintaining the flow of water before modern machinery took over.
Photo Bill Arnold’s Horse Team (Painting)
This painting depicts Bill Arnold’s horse team delving a bore drain on the property “Maxwelton”, Burren Junction. It commemorates a way of life that has now disappeared but remains an important part of the district’s history.
Photo A Way of Life Remembered
The work of the horse teams required patience, strength and remarkable teamwork. Their contribution helped sustain farming families and shaped the history of Burren Junction and the surrounding district.