Williams, Western Australia

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Williams Western Australia
Population:	329
Established:	1860s
Postcode:	6391
Location:	161 km SSE of Perth 32 km W of Narrogin
LGA:	Shire of Williams
State District:	Wagin
Federal Division:	Pearce

Williams ( 33°01′S, 116°52′E; post code: 6391) is a town located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, 161 kilometres (100 mi) south-southeast of the state capital, Perth along Albany Highway and 32 kilometres (20 mi) west of Narrogin.

1 History
2 Present day
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History

Williams is named after the Williams River which flows nearby. The river was discovered by Captain Thomas Bannister in 1831 while leading the first overland expedition from Perth to King George Sound (now Albany), and was first shown on an 1833 map. More than likely, the name honours King William IV, who reigned in the United Kingdom from June 1830 until June 1837.^[1]

The first claims on land in the area occurred in 1832, but no settlement occurred until after Lieutenant Henry Bunbury explored the region in 1836, despite his assessment that "on the Williams the land is generally very bad and the water brackish."

After the building of Albany Highway by convicts in the 1850s, Williams became an important stopover point for passengers and changing of horses and became the main centre in the district. The Williams Hotel was erected in 1871, and a Road Board (predecessor to the current Shire Council) first convened in 1877.

The original town had been built on the Albany side of the river, but was subject to increasing floods due to the clearing of the land for intensive farming, therefore the town was relocated to the Perth side of the bridge. The town site was surveyed in 1905 and most of the buildings in the present town site were constructed after that time.^[2]^[3]

[edit] Present day

Today the town is a centre for the wool, cattle and coarse grains industry, and serves as a stopping point on the Albany Highway. A heritage trail takes visitors past some of Williams's historic buildings and nearby wildflower stands and dryandra forests are also attractions. One unusual feature is the Jesse Martin museum, a historic village and memorabilia collection constructed by a local farmer on his own property from old shops and post offices on the verge of being demolished in country towns, as well as barns full of old cars and farm machinery.

The roadhouse is a stop on the Transwa bus services to Albany (GS1) and Esperance (GE1).^[4] Williams has three service stations, one of which is open 24hrs.