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Holiday Destinations Outback Western Australia WA

Pingelly

The name is actually a corruption of "Pingeculling", which is the Aboriginal word for the area. Today the area offers rare insight into Western Australia's rich colonial heritage.

Narrogin

The township of Narrogin, in the heart of Western Australia's richest farming land, is known for its unique townscape design and gardens.

Wagin

The town is the centre of a thriving Merino Stud industry and proud home to the "Wagin Woolorama", the states largest rural show.

Dumbleyung

Lake Dumbleyung is one of the largest semi-permanent stretches of inland water in Western Australia. Approximately 13km long, 6.5km wide, it is famous as the site of the late Donald Campbell's historic World Water speed record set on 31st December 1964, in "The Bluebird".

Lake Grace

The first explorer through the area was J. S. Roe in 1848 when he named Mt. Madden, a huge granite outcrop. Lake Grace was named in 1909 after the shallow salt lake 9km west of the town. As settlers cleared land, they established the towns of Newdegate in 1924, and Varley and Lake King in 1928.

Hyden

The rich fertile land in the region led to the commencement of wheat production in 1927.

Cunderdin

Cunderdin was first settled with the arrival of the railway in 1894. In 1901, the Goldfields Water Scheme reached the town bringing with it an increase in population.

Tammin

Tammin derives its name from a small marsupial, the Tamma and was the first wheatbelt town to have a concrete grain silo installed.

Kellerberrin

The area was first explored by Ensign Dale in 1830. The Kellerberrin townsite was settled in the early 1890's, the railway was laid in 1893/94 followed by the Goldfields Water Scheme in 1901.

Merredin

In 1892, when goldfields were discovered in Coolgardie, a stream of diggers and prospectors took the track from Perth to the fields. The procession of laden men and animal-drawn wagons moved on from one waterhole to the next. One such waterhole was Merredin Peak. In 1893 the railway to the Goldfields reached Merredin and it passed through the valley in which the present town now lies, about 3km south of Merredin Peak.

Westonia

Westonia district owes its origin to gold mining. By 1915 two mines were in operation and in 1917, Westonia had a population in excess of 2,000. This number quickly diminished when mining operations ceased in 1919. The mine was reopened in 1935 and continued operation until 1948 when it was once again closed.

Southern Cross

The 1887 discovery of gold in the Yilgarn District is attributed to a man named Glass, who found gold while cleaning out a granite bottomed soak in the area.

Wongan Hills

Until the turn of the century, the only white men to visit the area were the Sandalwood cutters and monks shepherding sheep from New Norcia. The first settlers arrived in 1905. Wongan comes from the Aboriginal word for 'whispering'.

Goomalling

The district was first explored in 1854 by Assistant Surveyor Austin. The name was derived from the Koomal Possum which widely inhabited the area when the district was first established in 1902.

Dowerin

Dowerin is taken from the Aboriginal word "Daren", given to a series of lakes approximately 8km from the town, that were once freshwater.

Wyalkatchem

In 1904 J.H. Riches and J. Lindsay were the first settlers to take up land in the Wyalkatchem area. Wheat was under crop as early as 1907 and the townsite of Wyalkatchem was declared in 1908.

Tranying

The name originated from the Trayning Well, derived from the Aboriginal word "During" meaning "snake in the grass by the campfire"

Nungarin

J.S. Roe led an expedition through the area in 1836. The town was a depot for Australian army personnel from 1944 to 1960.

Koorda

In 1836 the Surveyor General, J. S. Roe, led an expedition to the east of the Avon Valley in search of pastoral land. One of his camps was located a few kilometres north of the present town of Koorda.

Bencubbin

The town of Bencubbin began to develop in the early 1900's and its name comes from the Aboriginal word 'Gnylbencubbing'.

Mukinbudin

The first pastoral settlers arrived in the area in the 1870's and took up their leases to run sheep. Wheat fanning began by 1910 and stock was added after 1928, when reliable water supplies became available.

The district has many interesting historical and natural features including the gnamma hole at the site of the Wattoning Homestead, where there are also three historical graves. Among the noteworthy rock outcrops are Barbalin Rock, Bebringbooding Rock and Be-eranning Hill.

All Photos courtesy of Tourism Western Australia

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