Narrogin, Western Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Narrogin Western Australia |
|||||||
| Population: | 4,424 | ||||||
| Established: | 1890s | ||||||
| Postcode: | 6312 | ||||||
| Elevation: | 192 m | ||||||
| Location: | |||||||
| LGA: | Town of Narrogin | ||||||
| State District: | Wagin | ||||||
| Federal Division: | Pearce | ||||||
|
|||||||
Narrogin (; post code: 6312; population 4,424 (2001)) is a large town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, approximately 190km south-east of Perth on the Great Southern Highway between Pingelly and Wagin. In the age of steam engines, Narrogin was one of the largest railway operation hubs in the southern part of Western Australia.
| Pages associated with Narrogin, Western Australia |
|---|
|
Contents |
[edit] History
Narrogin is an Aboriginal name, having been first recorded as "Narroging" for a pool in this area in 1869. The meaning of the name is uncertain, various sources recording it as "bat camp", "plenty of everything" or derived from "gnargagin" which means "place of water".[1]
The first Europeans into the Narrogin area were Hillman and his survey party who surveyed the track between Perth and Albany in 1835. They passed only 10 km west of the present site of Narrogin. In time they were followed by the occasional shepherd who drove his sheep into the area seeking good pastures.
The area was first settled in the 1860s and 1870s when pastoralists moved and settled in isolated outposts. The population was so scattered that there was no incentive in establishing a town.
The arrival of the Great Southern Railway in July 1889 initiated the first hint of a town. The railway company was in search of good reliable watering points along the route from Perth to Albany. The company which had won the railway contract, the WA Land Company, duly purchased Narrogin pool and it was around this pool that the town developed.
Narrogin was officially declared a town in June 1897 and it was gazetted as a municipality on 13 April 1906. The early years of settlement were hard with farmers relying on sandalwood cutting and the bark from mallet trees (it was used as a tanning agent) to compensate for poor returns from wheat and sheep.
Narrogin remained a major rail centre until the late 1970s when competition from road transport saw a reduction in the railways workforce from some 280 people to less than a dozen in 1995.
[edit] Narrogin Today
Narrogin's previous role as a major railway junction has acted as an attractor for agricultural service industries as well as government departments and agencies. The town has accumulated significant public infrastructure - mainly in the health and education areas. This infrastructure serves as the base for the modern regional centre that Narrogin has become today. Unlike many other rural regional centres throughout Australia, Narrogin is enjoying a strong and constant growth of approximately 2% per year, though at the expense of surrounding areas.[2]
[edit] Notable residents
Barry Cable, the star Perth and North Melbourne AFL player came from Narrogin.
It is also the birthplace of field hockey player Bevan George, who won the gold medal with the Australian Men's Team at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Also born in Narrogin is Brian Glencross, a retired Australian field hockey player and coach of the Australian Women's Team.
Narrogin is home to Russel Gooley, the runner-up in the Australian reality music talent television show, The X Factor
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Department of Land Information. History of country town names - N. Retrieved on 2006-10-28.
- ^ Narrogin Shire Council
[edit] External links
-
- Street map from Street Directory, MSN Maps and Multimap.
- Satellite image from Google Maps, WikiMapia and Terraserver.
- Town of Narrogin
- Narrogin Observer newspaper
| Towns in the Wheatbelt of Western Australia | |
|---|---|
|
Southern Wheatbelt: Aldersyde | Arthur River | Brookton | Congelin | Cuballing | Darkan | Duranillin | Dwarda | Highbury | Kweda | Narrogin | North Bannister | Piesseville | Pingelly | Popanyinning | Quindanning | Wagin | Wandering | Williams | Yornaning |
|
|
South Eastern Wheatbelt: Bendering | Bullaring | Corrigin | Dudinin | Dumbleyung | Harrismith | Holt Rock | Hyden | Jitarning | Karlgarin | Kondinin | Kukerin | Kulin | Lake Grace | Lake King | Newdegate | Pingaring | Tincurrin | Wickepin | Varley | Yealering |
