Broomehill Western Australia | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 33°50′42″S117°38′02″E / 33.84500°S 117.63389°E |
Population | 211 (SAL 2021) [1] [2] |
Established | 1890 |
Postcode(s) | 6318 |
Elevation | 332 m (1,089 ft) |
Area | 8.3 km2 (3.2 sq mi) |
Location | |
LGA(s) | Shire of Broomehill-Tambellup |
State electorate(s) | Roe |
Federal division(s) | O'Connor |
Broomehill is a town on the Great Southern Highway between Katanning and Albany, in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. Its local government area is the Shire of Broomehill-Tambellup.
The town of Broomehill (originally Broome Hill) owes its creation to the Great Southern Railway, which was completed in 1889. The railway runs from Beverley to Albany. Broomehill is named after Sir Frederick Napier Broome (1842–1896) who was then the Governor of Western Australia.
Gold bearing quartz was discovered by the station master around Broomehill in 1889. [3]
In the same year Patrick Garrity purchased two lots facing Jasper Street and built a galvanised iron hotel. By 1905 the hotel had been rebuilt in brick with more extensions added in 1908. Known as the Broomehill Hotel and later as the Imperial Hotel, the two storey tuck pointed building is now heritage listed. [4]
The townsite was gazetted by the Western Australian Land Company in 1890, which was recognised by the state government in 1897. [5] A group of settlers from the now extinct town of Eticup moved to the present site of Broomehill to help establish a township after the construction of the railway was completed. These settlers included the Withams, the Walshes, and the Curnows. These three families worked hard to establish the early structures. A Victorian named Hamilton acquired 1,300 acres (526 ha) of land around the townsite in 1890; T. W. Powell also acquired 1,000 acres (405 ha) near the town from the Western Australian Land Company. [6]
A branch of the Commercial Bank of Australia was opened in the town-site in 1891. [7]
In 1892, a police station and post office were also established. [8] The Imperial Hotel was operating in the town by late 1892. [9]
The Broomehill Agricultural Hall was opened by T. Norris, a settler of the area, in 1898. [10] The population of the town was 72 (37 males and 35 females) in 1898. [11]
A local Progress association was formed in 1905 with C.J. Darcy taking the position of chairman. [12]
Broomehill Football Club had been established in or before 1907, playing games against surrounding towns such as Katanning. [13]
In the 1930's, Emile Genoni's farm named 'Etna' in Broome Hill was one of a group twelve farms around Australia experimenting with farming practices nowadays known as biodynamic agriculture. [14]
A cooperative was discussed in 1920 with insufficient capital being raised, [15] in 1921 the cooperative commenced operations after having taken over the premises of Messrs E. Garrity and Company. [16] The official spelling of Broomehill was changed from two words to one in 1959. [8]
The main industry in town is wheat farming with the town being a Cooperative Bulk Handling receival site. [17] There is also some sheep farming, while more recently farmers have diversified into viticulture and aquaculture (in the form of barramundi farming). [18] [19]
The Holland Track, a well known walking and 4WD track, begins in Broomehill and ends in Coolgardie. [20] The 700 kilometres (435 mi) track was established in 1893 by the pioneer John Holland through the bush via Newdegate to the goldfields at Coolgardie. [21]
Katanning is a town located 277 kilometres (172 mi) south-east of Perth, Western Australia on the Great Southern Highway. At the 2016 census, Katanning had a population of 3,687.
The Great Southern region is one of the nine regions of Western Australia, as defined by the Regional Development Commissions Act 1993, for the purposes of economic development. It is a section of the larger south coast of Western Australia and neighbouring agricultural regions.
Wagin is a town and shire in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, approximately 225 km (139.81 mi) 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.
Great Southern Highway is a highway in the southern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, starting from Great Eastern Highway at The Lakes, 50 km (31 mi) from Perth, and ending at Albany Highway near Cranbrook. It is the primary thoroughfare for this part of Western Australia and runs parallel with the Perth–Albany railway for its entire length. It is signed as State Route 120 from York to Cranbrook, and was first named in 1949, although it was built well before that time.
The Division of O'Connor is an Australian electoral division in the state of Western Australia. It is one of Western Australia's three rural seats, and one of the largest electoral constituencies in the world.
The townsite of Tambellup is located in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, 317 km south-east of Perth on the Great Southern Highway where it crosses the Gordon River. It is 23 km south of Broomehill.
The Great Southern Railway was a railway company that operated from Beverley to Albany in Western Australia between 1886 and 1896. In 1896 the Western Australian Government Railways took over the company, and kept the name for the route.
Ongerup is a town 410 kilometres (250 mi) south-east of Perth and 54 kilometres (34 mi) east of Gnowangerup in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. At the 2021 census Ongerup had a population of 114.
Gnowangerup is a town located 61 kilometres (38 mi) south-east of Katanning in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.
Woodanilling is a small town in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.
The Shire of Broome is one of the four local government areas in the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia, covering an area of 55,796 square kilometres (21,543 sq mi), most of which is sparsely populated. The Shire's estimated population as at the 2016 census was 16,222 most of whom reside in the town of Broome. Many Aboriginal communities are within the Shire, notably Beagle Bay and Bardi.
The Shire of Broomehill was a local government area in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Katanning and about 310 kilometres (193 mi) south-southeast of the state capital, Perth. The Shire covered an area of 1,173 square kilometres (453 sq mi), and its seat of government was the town of Broomehill.
The Shire of Tambellup was a local government area in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Katanning and about 330 kilometres (205 mi) south-southeast of the state capital, Perth. The Shire covered an area of 1,436 square kilometres (554 sq mi), and its seat of government was the town of Tambellup.
Borden is a small town in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. The town is located 325 kilometres (202 mi) south east of the state capital, Perth and 111 kilometres (69 mi) north of Albany on Chester Pass Road. At the 2006 census, Borden and the surrounding area had a population of 164.
The Shire of Broomehill-Tambellup is a local government area in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, 320 kilometres (200 mi) south-southeast of the state capital, Perth. The Shire covers an area of 2,609.1 square kilometres (1,007.4 sq mi), and its seat of government is the town of Tambellup. It came into existence in 2008 through the amalgamation of the former Shire of Broomehill and Shire of Tambellup.
The Ongerup Branch railway, also known as the Tambellup, Gnowangerup to Ongerup railway is a former railway line in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.
The Great Southern Herald is a weekly newspaper published in Katanning, Western Australia. It is distributed to communities in Katanning, Kojonup, Cranbrook, Gnowangerup and Lake Grace.
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