| Kukerin Western Australia |
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Kukerin
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| Population: | 190 (2006 Census)[1] |
| Established: | 1907 |
| Postcode: | 6352 |
| Location: | |
| LGA: | Shire of Dumbleyung |
| State District: | Wagin |
| Federal Division: | O'Connor |
Kukerin is a small town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, 308 kilometres (191 mi) south-east of Perth between Wagin and Lake Grace just off State Route 107. The town itself is small but services a considerable agricultural region in the eastern Shire of Dumbleyung. At the 2006 census, Kukerin had a population of 190.[1]
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According to an official source, Kukerin's name is of Aboriginal origin, was first recorded as the name of a local soak and gully in 1908 and has also been spelled "Cookerin", but the precise meaning is not known.[2] There is no hard evidence for a theory that the area was named after sandalwood cutters named "Cooke" and "Ring".
Until 1912, the area was known as Merilup (a name that now refers to an area to the south). In the 1870s, John Holland took up a pastoral lease of 9,000 acres (36 km2) in the area and established a sandalwood depot. Sandalwood cutters opened up much of the surrounding area, and in 1904 the Rabbit-Proof Fence was built near the town.
In 1912, the town was gazetted when it became the terminus of an extension of the Wagin to Dumbleyung train line in 1912.[3] The primary school and hall were built in 1914, and Kukerin Hotel began trading in 1928 — all are still open to this day.
Kukerin is largely an agricultural town, with wheat and sheep farming being the main occupations. It functions as a service town for the surrounding agricultural area, and contains a general store, primary school, hotel, newsagency/post office and sports fields amongst other facilities. Each year a TrachMach Fair is held in the last weekend in September, with various vintage and modern vehicles on display, not to mention a megascreen where the AFL Grand Final can be viewed.[4]