Kondinin, Western Australia
| Kondinin Western Australia | |
|---|---|
  Kondinin | |
| Coordinates | 32°29′S 118°16′E / 32.49°S 118.27°ECoordinates: 32°29′S 118°16′E / 32.49°S 118.27°E |
| Population | 311 (2006 Census)[1] |
| Established | 1900s |
| Postcode(s) | 6367 |
| Location |
|
| LGA(s) | Shire of Kondinin |
| State electorate(s) | Wagin |
| Federal Division(s) | O'Connor |
Kondinin is a town located in the Eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, 279 kilometres (173 mi) east of the state capital, Perth via the Brookton Highway and State Route 40 between Corrigin and Hyden. It is the main town in the Shire of Kondinin. At the 2006 census, Kondinin had a population of 311.[1]
History
The first European known to have visited the Kondinin area was Captain John Septimus Roe, Surveyor General of the Swan River Colony on his 1848–1849 expedition to examine the south coast. He encountered a group of Aborigines 55 kilometres (34 mi) east of Nalyaring (near Brookton) who guided the expedition party to several water sources before leaving the party at Yeerakine (just south-east of Kondinin) as this was the limit of their territory. The lake and well nearby came to be known as Kondinin, although the meaning is unknown.
In the early years, settlers occasionally encountered groups of Aborigines hunting possums. Although artifacts such as grinding stones and stone choppers have been found in the district, no signs of permanent occupation were found by early settlers other than the mia-mias built by "Europeanised" Aboriginal shepherds from Narrogin in the employ of Michael Brown.
Michael Brown, a businessman from Narrogin, took up large pastoral leases in the Kulin/Kondinin area in 1905. These and other leases in the area were terminated in 1909/1910 to allow the government to distribute the land for agricultural purposes.
The town of Kondinin began life as a railway station on the railway line from Yilliminning (near Narrogin) to Kondinin, built from 1911 to 1915. The district around Kondinin was already settled when the government chose to construct a railway line here in 1911. The townsite was gazetted in 1915.[2]
In 1949 the bulk wheat bin in town and another at Notting, located about 2 miles (3 km) from Kondinin, were both filled after a good season with excellent yields in the area despite the recorded rainfall of he previous year being only 10 inches (254 mm).[3]
Present day
Kondinin has a population of about 300 and is a key agricultural centre for a district whose main activities are wheat and sheep farming. It contains a TAFE centre, and in addition, a primary school (the nearest high school being 23 km away in Kulin), National Australia Bank,Bankwest, shopping facilities, accommodation (hotel, motel, caravan park), council offices and a telecentre are located within the town.
The town is a stop on the Transwa bus service to Esperance.[4]
The surrounding areas produce wheat and other cereal crops. The town is a receival site for Cooperative Bulk Handling.[5]
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Kondinin (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
- ↑ Western Australian Land Information Authority. "History of country town names". Retrieved 25 March 2007.
- ↑ "Heavy yields of grain". The West Australian (Perth, Western Australia: National Library of Australia). 20 December 1949. p. 11. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ↑ GE2 timetable (1 November 2006). Retrieved on 25 March 2007.
- ↑ "CBH receival sites". 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
References
- Greble, William E (1976). A Bold Yeomanry: Social Change in a Wheat Belt District. Perth: Creative Research.