Watheroo, Western Australia
| Watheroo Western Australia | |
|---|---|
 Watheroo Hall, 2013. | |
  Watheroo | |
| Coordinates | 30°18′00″S 116°04′00″E / 30.30000°S 116.06667°ECoordinates: 30°18′00″S 116°04′00″E / 30.30000°S 116.06667°E |
| Population | 275 (2006 Census)[1] |
| Established | 1907 |
| Postcode(s) | 6513 |
| Elevation | 263 m (863 ft) |
| Location |
|
| LGA(s) | Shire of Moora |
| State electorate(s) | Moore |
| Federal Division(s) | Durack |
Watheroo is a small town in the Mid West region of Western Australia.
Land in the area was settled by James Oliver in 1851, the area was surveyed in 1871 and the name Watheroo was charted for the first time. Watheroo is a thriving farming Wheatbelt town, farming livestock and grain.
The name is Indigenous Australian in origin and was the name of a nearby spring. The word Watheroo is derived from the word Wardo which means little bird or more specifically the Willy Wagtail or from the word Wardoro which means water.[2]
The town was an original station on the Midland Railway Company railway line to Walkaway. The townsite was gazetted in 1907.[3]
Following flooding along the Moore River in 1907, the railway lines between Watheroo and Moora were closed for some time when parts of the track were washed away.[4] Rail services were again affected in 1917 when 1.7 inches (43 mm) of rain fell in three hours causing more flooding, washways and the railyard in town to be submerged.[5]
References
- ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Watheroo (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 17 October 2008.
- ↑ "Shire of Moora - Watheroo". 2006. Archived from the original on 2008-07-19. Retrieved 17 October 2008.
- ↑ Western Australian Land Information Authority. "History of country town names". Retrieved 17 October 2008.
- ↑ "A town under water". The Advertiser (Adelaide, South Australia: National Library of Australia). 3 August 1907. p. 10. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
- ↑ "The Midland Line". The West Australian (Perth, Western Australia: National Library of Australia). 6 August 1917. p. 6. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
External links
Media related to Watheroo, Western Australia at Wikimedia Commons