Walgoolan is a small town located in the Eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia

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...

. It is situated between Merredin

Merredin, Western Australia

-Economy:The agricultural land around Merredin produces 40% of Western Australia’s wheat quota. As a focal point for the region, Merredin’s local bulk handling co-operative receives and processes in excess of a million tonnes of grain every year...

 and Bodallin

Bodallin, Western Australia

Bodallin is a town located around half way between Merredin and Southern Cross in Western Australia.The town takes its name from the railway siding of this name, established between 1894 and 1897. When gazetted in 1918 the town was spelt Boddalin...

 along the Great Eastern Highway

Great Eastern Highway

The Great Eastern Highway is a major road between the Western Australian cities of Perth and Kalgoorlie. It is a key route for vehicles accessing the eastern wheatbelt and the eastern goldfields...

.

Originating as a railway siding on the main eastern railway Walgoolan was established in between 1895 and 1899. Land was set aside for a townsite in 1913 and lots were surveyed in 1922. The townsite was gazetted in 1923.

The name of the town is Aboriginal in origin and means place where the short bushes grow.

Nearly 100 settler

Settler

A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...

s took up land in the area following World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 which were cleared and planted with cereal

Cereal

Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...

 crops mostly 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...

. The town was a thriving community wit five schools, tennis courts, a cricket club, Country Women's Association

Country Women's Association

The Country Women’s Association of Australia is the largest women's organisation in Australia. It has 44,000 members across 1855 branches. Its aims are to improve the conditions for country women and children and to try to make life better for women and their families, especially those women...

 and Wheat Growers Union.

The Great Depression

Great Depression

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

 and a succession of drought

Drought

A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...

s took their toll on the area and by 1940 only one shop was left and the townsite was abandoned soon after. By 2010 only 10 families remain in the district.

A gazebo was erected in the town in 2010 to commemorate the early settlers and launch the book East of the Fence, the gazbo contains historic photographs and a list of the namesof the pioneers.