Wyalkatchem

 

 

WYALKATCHEM

 

GPS 31 10 54 S 117 22 48 E

 

 

 

 

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Koorda

Dowerin

Nearby Towns

Trayning

Cunderdin

Tammin

 

 

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STATISTICS

Distance from Perth

191 Km

Population

522

Average Rainfall

331.3mm

Mean Max Temp

24.7C

Mean Min Temp

11.7C

 

SERVICES

Police

08 9692 1800

Fire and Rescue

08 9681 1311

Medical

08 9681 1140

Visitor Centre

08 9681 1500

 

CARAVAN PARKS

Wyalkatchem

0475 263 099

 

HOTEL / MOTEL

Wyalkatchem Hotel

08 9681 1210

Railway Barracks

08 9681 1166

Wylie Stays

0413 004 414

Wylie Weekender

0439 036 551

 

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

 

 

link to Mingor.net website

 

DESCRIPTION

 

Wyalkatchem can only be described as a 'typical wheat belt town'. Known to locals as 'Wylie', the area around the town produces approximately 56,000 tones of wheat and 896,000 kilos of wool annually.

As with most towns in the wheat belt, the local industry is centered around wheat and sheep farming.

What, you may ask, would attract visitors to a town like Wylie? Well there is more to see and do than you might imagine.

First there is the Visitor Centre And CBH Museum on Railway Tce. Here there is a collection of farming and transportation equipment from the early 1900s to present day. The 'Waterloo Boy' was one of the first John Deere tractors and was made in 1920. There are very few examples of this type left and this one is still in working order.

Next comes the Old School House Museum on Flint St. Viewing is by appointment phone 08 9681 1036 or 08 9681 1397.

Other attractions include walk track and wildflowers, Water Wise Garden, Murals and even the Wyalkatchem Cemetery where the graves date from 1915.

Out of town you can find natural attractions such as Korrelocking Reserve and Yorkrakine Rock.

 

HISTORY

 

The area seems to have been popular with early explorers as it was traversed by the Gregory Brothers, Robert Austin, C.C. Hunt and John Forrest.

Land was leased for farming in 1904 by J. Lindsay and J.H. Riches. James Sinclair took up the first freehold land.

The townsite was gazetted in 1908 (one source says 1911) and the railway finally came to the area in 1910. Note: Latest research suggests that the correct dates are: Gazettal, November 1910 and railway arrival, 1911.

The earliest known form of the name was Walkatching and was used first in 1874. By 1884 the name had been changed to Wyalcatching and ended up as its current form (Wyalkatchem) when the town was gazetted.

Despite the gazettal using the 'k' spelling, many people continued to use the 'c' spelling including the Road Board in 1920.

Folk lore has it that the name is derived from a trooper with exceptional tracking skills who was called 'Wylie catchem' by the local Aborigines. Although a rather romantic story, it isn't likely to be true as the name was originally associated with a waterhole.

There were no medical services in the town until 1913 with the nearest help some 70 kilometres away at Goomalling. By 1917 a hospital had finally opened.

In 1919 a railway locomotive on its way to Northam for repairs was struck by lightning and the cab and floor were severely damaged. Luckily for the crew they were away from the train at the time and no one was injured.

Passengers were not so lucky after a rail derailment in 1928. 7 people were injured with one (Nelson Jacobs) dying the following day from his injuries.

Jacobs and a companion had purchased a ticket to Nukarni but had stayed on the train past their destination (concealing themselves in a car carrying a boiler.) Bolts holding the boiler down had worked loose and this was found to be one of the major contributing factors in the accident.

Just 4 years later there was another derailment with 17 wagons jumping off the rails and piling up. Luckily the passenger car was one of the few to remain upright and no one was injured.

There was a small scale mining operation in the area starting in 1908. Gypsum was extracted from Lake Cowcowing and it went on for many years without any major expansion.

Salt mining also took place but was quickly abandoned.

The town was the first to convert from wheat bagging to the more modern and efficient process of bulk handling. The first load of bulk wheat was railed from the town in 1931.

 

TALL TALES AND TRUE

 

Blown Up

In May 1911, Coe and Hatton were camping about a mile from town when a large explosion was heard. Coe claimed to be away from the camp when the explosion took place and Hatton was found dead, blown up by gunpowder. The matter was investigated but no finding was ever made as to the reason for Hatton's death.

 

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OTHER INFORMATION

 

ATTRACTIONS

 

Old bulk handling stores museum, Yorkakine Rock, School house museum, Walk-A-Wyal Walk Track, Water Wise Garden, Murals, Steel Magnolias, Endangered Species Garden, Korrelocking Reserve.

 

BUILDINGS OF NOTE

 

Hotel, Railway station, Railway barracks, CBH museum, National Australia bank, Post office, Bank of New South Wales, Freemanson's hall, Town hall, Catholic church, Uniting church.

 

FAMOUS SONS AND DAUGHTERS

 

 

ELECTORAL ZONES

 

State : Central Wheatbelt

Federal : Durack

 

OTHER INFO.

 

Postcode : 6485

Local Government : Shire of Wyalkatchem

 

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