Morffit's Cave

Values

The place has cultural value as a site of social and spiritual value to the Noongar community of Mandurah.

The place has scientific value as a very rare example of cave engravings in the southwest region of Western Australia.

The place has scientific value for containing a soil deposit with significant archaeological potential, which if excavated may provide valuable information on the culture and lifestyle of the Noongar inhabitants of the region.

Physical Description

Morfitt's Cave is so named because the cave was located on the site of Henry Morffit's property (a former convict and settler to Mandurah in the 1870s). The limestone cave is located on area of reserve surrounded by native woodland and grasses near the Peel-Harvey Estuary foreshore and a residential housing development. The location of the old Morfitt’s homestead is marked by a group of old fig trees, however no structures are present on the lot.

History

Morfitt’s Cave got its name because the cave was located on land owned by Henry Morfitt. In 1857 Henry Morfitt, a former convict, was convicted of larceny and sentenced to ten years imprisonment at Fremantle Prison. Morfitt had arrived in Western Australia in 1863 on the Merchantman and was eventually granted a ticket of leave and was a free man by 1870. He worked around Mandurah for a many years before settling on a property south of Mandurah near the estuary, farming and fishing with his family for the rest of his life. The Morfitt family’s homestead itself was once at the bottom of the hill below Morfitt’s Cave and is marked by old fig trees. One of Henry Morfitt’s daughters continued to live on the property after Henry Morfitt’s death. The Morfitt family became well-known local identities in Mandurah and many continue to live in Mandurah today.

Condition

Good.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.