Wagin, Western Australia
| Wagin Western Australia |
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 Giant Ram at Wagin (see Australia's Big Things) |
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 Wagin
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| Population: | 1,427 [1] | ||||||
| Established: | 1890s | ||||||
| Postcode: | 6315 | ||||||
| Elevation: | 303 m (994 ft) | ||||||
| Location: | |||||||
| LGA: | Shire of Wagin | ||||||
| State electorate: | Wagin | ||||||
| Federal Division: | O'Connor | ||||||
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Coordinates: 33°18′50″S 117°20′38″E / 33.314°S 117.344°E
Wagin is a town and shire in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, approximately 225 km south-east of Perth on the Great Southern Highway between Narrogin and Katanning. It is also on State Route 107. The main industries are wheat and sheep farming.
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[edit] History
The name of the town is derived from Wagin Lake, a usually dry salt lake south of the town. The name is Aboriginal, having been first recorded for the lake by a surveyor in 1869-72. There is uncertainty about the actual meaning of 'Wagin' but it is likely that it either means 'the place where emus watered' or is a variation of 'wedge-an' an Aboriginal word for 'emu'.
The first European explorer through the area was John Septimus Roe, the Surveyor General of Western Australia in 1835 en route to Albany from Perth. Between 1835 and 1889 a few settlers eked a simple living by cutting sandalwood and shepherding small flocks of sheep. Land was granted to pastoralists in the Wagin area from the late 1870s onwards.
The town itself came into existence after the construction of the Great Southern Railway which was completed in 1889 with the town originally called Wagin Lake.[2] In 1898 Wagin was proclaimed a town with the word Lake dropped.[3] A further railway connection with the Collie to Narrogin line at Bowelling was made on 10 December 1918.[4]
[edit] Present day
Wagin is one of the largest towns in the Southern Wheatbelt region, and annually hosts the Woolorama, one of Western Australia's largest Agricultural Shows. The event held in March regularly attracts over 30,000 visitors.
[edit] Notable residents
Two sets of three well-known brothers played league football after leaving Wagin: Murray, Harry and Phil Riseborough;[5] and Peter, Phil and Wally Matera. And in 2009 Little-Know Critic Dale Rehanek joined the community
[edit] References
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Wagin (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/LocationSearch?collection=Census&period=2006&areacode=UCL527400&producttype=QuickStats&breadcrumb=PL&action=401. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
- ^ "Wagin - Railway Crossroads in the Wheat Belt", Milne, Rod Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, October, 1991 pp 231-237
- ^ Western Australian Land Information Authority. "History of country town names". http://www.landgate.wa.gov.au/corporate.nsf/web/History+of+country+town+names. Retrieved 2007-01-17.
- ^ "Cross Country to Wagin", Milne, Rod Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, September, 1991 pp 207-214
- ^ "SOUTH FREMANTLE LEAGUE PLAYERS 1900 - 2009". South Fremanlte Football Club. http://www.southfremantlefc.com.au/newsletters/doc_download/86-players-records-1900-2009. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
