Narembeen, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Narembeen is a town in the Western Australia
wheat
belt. It is 286 km, almost due east, from Perth
, the capital of WA. It is the major settlement in the Shire of Narembeen
, in which the major industries are growing cereal crops and raising cattle and sheep.
Narembeen means place of female emus in the local Aboriginal language.
The area was initially surveyed in 1836 by the Surveyor General John Septimus Roe
.
After camping on a rocky outcrop and seeing a group of Emu
s he named the area Emu Hill.
By the 1850s European settlers arrived in the area looking for pastoral land for wheat
and grazing. Sandlewood cutters also frequented the area during this time.
In 1901 the rabbit proof fence was constructed just to the East of Narembeen and can still be seen today.
A settler named Charles Smith bought a property he called Narimbeen. By the 1900s more farmers moved to the area as land was opened upand by 1918 the town-site of Emu Hill was gazetted.
In 1920, the town-site of Narembeen only existed as a minor railway siding to the railway line that had only just been built to Emu Hill.
By the 1920s Emu Hill was the largest community in the region but the local populace opposed the building of a hotel in the town.
As a result of this a Perth lawyer, Henry Dale and a Publican, Paddy Conlon
, purchased 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) of land at the railway siding of Narembeen to build a hotel.
The town ofNarembeen was established in 1922 about 5 km from the Emu hill town-site. The location of Narembeen was not the best choice as it is prone to flooding.
In 1924, there were rumours that gold
had been discovered close to the Rabbit Proof fence and the town of Holleton was established about 50 km from Narembeen , but Narembeen prospered as it was the closest train station to Holleton and offered a motor transport service to the miners.
Narembeen had a population of 2,100 by 1925 and Emu Hill was no more.
In 1968 the town of Narembeen was officially declared.
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
belt. It is 286 km, almost due east, from Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, the capital of WA. It is the major settlement in the Shire of Narembeen
Shire of Narembeen
The Shire of Narembeen is a Local Government Area in the Eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, about east of the state capital, Perth, and between the shires of Merredin to the north, and Kondinin to the south...
, in which the major industries are growing cereal crops and raising cattle and sheep.
Narembeen means place of female emus in the local Aboriginal language.
The area was initially surveyed in 1836 by the Surveyor General John Septimus Roe
John Septimus Roe
John Septimus Roe was the first Surveyor-General of Western Australia. He was a renowned explorer, and a Member of Western Australia's Legislative and Executive Councils for nearly 40 years.-Early life:...
.
After camping on a rocky outcrop and seeing a group of Emu
Emu
The Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emus in Australia...
s he named the area Emu Hill.
By the 1850s European settlers arrived in the area looking for pastoral land for wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
and grazing. Sandlewood cutters also frequented the area during this time.
In 1901 the rabbit proof fence was constructed just to the East of Narembeen and can still be seen today.
A settler named Charles Smith bought a property he called Narimbeen. By the 1900s more farmers moved to the area as land was opened upand by 1918 the town-site of Emu Hill was gazetted.
In 1920, the town-site of Narembeen only existed as a minor railway siding to the railway line that had only just been built to Emu Hill.
By the 1920s Emu Hill was the largest community in the region but the local populace opposed the building of a hotel in the town.
As a result of this a Perth lawyer, Henry Dale and a Publican, Paddy Conlon
Paddy Conlon (publican)
Paddy Conlon was an Australian publican who founded the town of Narembeen, Western Australia.While a publican in Perth, Conlon and a lawyer friend recognised a commercial opportunity to sell alcohol at the railway siding of Narembeen near the teetotal town of Emu Hill...
, purchased 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) of land at the railway siding of Narembeen to build a hotel.
The town ofNarembeen was established in 1922 about 5 km from the Emu hill town-site. The location of Narembeen was not the best choice as it is prone to flooding.
In 1924, there were rumours that gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
had been discovered close to the Rabbit Proof fence and the town of Holleton was established about 50 km from Narembeen , but Narembeen prospered as it was the closest train station to Holleton and offered a motor transport service to the miners.
Narembeen had a population of 2,100 by 1925 and Emu Hill was no more.
In 1968 the town of Narembeen was officially declared.