Beatrice Hill Well and Stone Fences

The Beatrice Hill Well was sunk in the 1880s when Beatrice Hill was the site of an experimental coffee plantation. It is built of locally found banded ironstone and is of simple yet solid construction. The well shaft is in excellent condition. The sinking of wells took place as early agriculture ventures in the Northern Territory were progressed. Wells were essential to the successful development of land in northern Australia. Extant wells remain an indicator of development and in the NT, they are often the only physical reminders that the land was once occupied. The Beatrice Hill Well is associated with prominent 19th century pastoralists and entrepreneurs, Maurice Lyons and CB Fisher, who were the first to develop land in northern Australia on a grand scale. The stone wall fences at Beatrice Hill were also erected during the 1880s. They are associated with the agricultural ventures that gave rise to the Beatrice Hill property. Stone wall fences are an unusual feature and are a design of exceptional interest in the northern Australian landscape.