Darkan, Western Australia

Last updated

Darkan
Western Australia
Darkan Railway Station, April 2021 01.jpg
The heritage listed former railway station in Darkan in 2021
Australia Western Australia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Darkan
Darkan, Western Australia
Coordinates 33°20′S116°44′E / 33.34°S 116.74°E / -33.34; 116.74
Population194 (UCL 2021) [1]
Established1906
Postcode(s) 6392
Elevation279 m (915 ft) [2]
Area668.2 km2 (258.0 sq mi)
Location
  • 202 km (126 mi) from Perth
  • 60 km (37 mi) from Wagin
  • 60 km (37 mi) from Collie
LGA(s) Shire of West Arthur
State electorate(s) Roe
Federal division(s) O'Connor

Darkan is a town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, between Collie and the Albany Highway on the Coalfields Highway. It is also the seat of the Shire of West Arthur. At the 2016 census, Darkan had a population of 403. [3]

Contents

History

The area was originally settled by William John Gibbs and his family in the 1860s. Gibbs established a property called "Darkan", using a local Aboriginal name which means Black Rock. The townsite developed when the Collie to Narrogin railway line was built, and in 1906, the townsite was gazetted. [4] The town grew quickly thereafter, with a Road Board being established and numerous shops and services being established in the following years. The railway closed in the early 1990s, but the surrounding productive wool growing and mixed farming area along with tourism have ensured the town's survival. [5]

In 1928 a 12-year-old girl Ivy Lewis was murdered by John Milner, who was later hanged for his crime. [6]

Present day

Darkan is the social and political centre in the Shire of West Arthur. The town has a roadhouse, supermarket, telecentre, golf course, shire hall, hotel, synthetic tennis courts, basketball courts, primary school and a skatepark. A more recent[ when? ] addition is "The Shed", a workshop mainly for the town's retirees that consists of a woodworking and a metal working area for the construction of numerous personal projects. A heritage trail (the Road Board Office, Shire Office and Pioneer Hall (1911)) has been established in the town.

The town is surrounded by a fertile (lateritic/alluvial soils), high rainfall (approx 650mm per year) wheat/sheep area that makes use of a small range of services in the town and the Co-operative Bulk Handling grain storage bin about 3 km to the east. 10 km to the west is Six Mile Cottage, a very small two-room slab house built by a sleeper cutter for the railway in the early 1900s, and jarrah, flood gum and wandoo bushland reserves, filled with wildflowers in spring, are a short drive away.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collie, Western Australia</span> Town in Western Australia

Collie is a town in the South West region of Western Australia, 213 kilometres (132 mi) south of the state capital, Perth, and 59 kilometres (37 mi) inland from the regional city and port of Bunbury. It is near the junction of the Collie and Harris Rivers, in the middle of dense jarrah forest and the only coalfields in Western Australia. At the 2021 census, Collie had a population of 7,599.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridgetown, Western Australia</span> Town in South West region of Western Australia

Bridgetown is a town in the South West region of Western Australia, approximately 270 kilometres (168 mi) south of Perth on the Blackwood River at the intersection of South Western Highway with Brockman Highway to Nannup and Augusta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dongara, Western Australia</span> Town in Western Australia

Dongara is a town 351 kilometres (218 mi) north-northwest of Perth, Western Australia on the Brand Highway. The town is located at the mouth of the Irwin River. The area is marketed as the 'Rock lobster capital of Australia'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brunswick Junction, Western Australia</span> Town in Western Australia

Brunswick Junction is a town in the South West of Western Australia, situated along the South Western Highway between Harvey and Bunbury. It had a population of 772 people at the 2016 census, down from 797 at the 2006 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvey, Western Australia</span> Town in Western Australia

Harvey is a town located in the South West of Western Australia along the South Western Highway, 140 kilometres (87 mi) south of Perth, between Pinjarra and Bunbury. It has a population of 2,797. Harvey Town is known for its dairy industry and oranges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three Springs, Western Australia</span> Town in Western Australia

Three Springs is a town located 313 kilometres (194 mi) north of Perth, Western Australia on the Midlands Road, which until the opening of the Brand Highway in 1975 was the main road route from Perth to the state's north. The town is the seat of the Shire of Three Springs. Its economy is based on agriculture and mining.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boddington, Western Australia</span> Town in Western Australia

Boddington is a town and shire in the Peel region of Western Australia, located 120 kilometres (75 mi) south-east of Perth. The town sits on the road from Pinjarra to Williams on the Hotham River. The population of the town was 1,844 at the 2016 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brookton, Western Australia</span> Town in Western Australia

Brookton is a town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, 138 kilometres (86 mi) from the state capital, Perth via the Brookton Highway where it crosses the Great Southern Highway. The town is on the Great Southern railway line. It is within, and is the seat of government for, the Shire of Brookton. At the 2016 census, Brookton had a population of 975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ongerup, Western Australia</span> Town in Australia

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shire of West Arthur</span> Local government area in Western Australia

The Shire of West Arthur is a local government area in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, generally to the west of Albany Highway about 200 kilometres (124 mi) south-east of Perth, the state capital. The Shire covers an area of 2,834 square kilometres (1,094 sq mi) and its seat of government is the town of Darkan. Industries within the Shire, worth approximately $45 million per year to the State's economy, are dominated by wool and sheep, and also include timber, grain, forestry, beef, pigs, cattle hide tanning, engineering and earthmoving.

Roelands is a town in the South West region of Western Australia on the South Western Highway, between Brunswick Junction and Bunbury. At the 2011 census, Roelands had a population of 620.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wokalup, Western Australia</span> Town in Western Australia

Wokalup is a town located in the South West region of Western Australia along the South Western Highway, between Harvey and Brunswick Junction. At the 2006 census, Wokalup had a population of 449.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duranillin, Western Australia</span> Town in Western Australia

Duranillin is a small town located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, 24 kilometres (15 mi) south of Darkan near the junction of the Arthur and Beaufort rivers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shire of Collie</span> Local government area in Western Australia

The Shire of Collie is a local government area in the South West region of Western Australia, about 60 kilometres (37 mi) east of Bunbury and about 200 kilometres (124 mi) south of the state capital, Perth. The Shire covers an area of 1,711 square kilometres (661 sq mi), and its seat of government is the town of Collie.

Boolading is a location along the Coalfields Highway between Darkan and Collie in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia.

Shotts is a rural locality of the Shire of Collie in the South West region of Western Australia, just off the Coalfields Highway between Collie and Darkan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardiff, Western Australia</span> Locality in the Shire of Collie, Western Australia

Cardiff is a rural town in the Shire of Collie in the South West region of Western Australia.

Collie Burn is a rural town in the Shire of Collie in the South West region of Western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muja, Western Australia</span> Locality in the Shire of Collie, Western Australia

Muja is a rural town and locality of the Shire of Collie in the South West region of Western Australia. The western part of the locality is dominated by coal mining and the coal-fired Muja Power Station while the eastern part is rural and forested.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brunswick Junction to Narrogin railway line</span> Railway line in Western Australia

The Brunswick Junction to Narrogin railway line is a partially operational railway line in the South West and Wheatbelt regions of Western Australia, connecting Brunswick Junction via Collie and Bowelling to Narrogin.

References

  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Darkan (urban centre and locality)". Australian Census 2021.  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  2. "Frequently asked questions about Darkan, WA". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  3. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "2016 Census Quickstats: Darkan". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 26 March 2021. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  4. "History of country town names – D". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2007.
  5. West Arthur Telecentre. "Darkan". Archived from the original on 25 August 2006. Retrieved 16 October 2006.
  6. "Darkan Murder – John Milner Hanged". Daily News. Perth, WA. 21 May 1928. p. 1. Retrieved 5 February 2017.