Nungarin Townsite

Child Places

• 15274 Congregational Church - Site
• 01919 Nungarin Roads Board Office (fmr)
• 01921 Agricultural Hall, Nungarin
• 15309 Church of England Rectory (fmr)
• 01922 Nungarin Post Office
• 15305 WS Waterhouse & Sons Hardware Shop
• 15302 Shire Foreman's House
• 13175 Nungarin Catholic Church
• 01918 Nungarin Hotel

Statement of Significance

The townsite of Nungarin is the cultural and commercial centre of the Shire, and has special significance to the people of the district through their use and associations of the place.

Physical Description

Reserve number 13099 was set aside for the townsite of Nungarin on 28th October 1910 (Government Gazette p.3327). The townsite was declared under the Land Act on 1st March 1912 (Government Gazette p. 1083)
The town was named for the aboriginal name of nearby Nungarin (originally Noongarin) Rock.

History

The first known Europeans to have passed through the Nungarin district were Surveyor John Septimus Roe and his party in October 1836. The purpose of this exploration was to locate a body of fresh inland water which would allow good pasture for the expanding flocks in the southern districts.
Lefroy passed through the district in 1863, and Charles Hunt made 3 separate trips between 1864 and 1866. The main purpose of Hunt's trips was to open the country up for grazing by forming a chain of wells, tanks, drains and roads. Hunt stopped at Knungajin on 8th & 9th April 1864, and on a subsequent trip one year later, he made the first recorded reference to Noongarin (Nungarin) Rock when he camped overnight there on Sunday April 10th 1865.
With more reliable water, the way was open to take advantage of the wide tract of pastoral land to the east of Perth.
On 31st August 1867, Henry Twine took up 30 000 acres of grazing lease in the area. This lease was later transferred to Charles Adams and James Ward, and the Adams family subsequently moved to Mangowine Spring, becoming the first residents of the Nungarin district in 1874.
In the summer of 1887, a nugget of gold was found at Moujakine. This was the first gold to be discovered in the eastern districts, and led to the Eastern Goldfields rush, and the development of the Yilgarn fields in 1888. The goldfields route passed through Mangowine and the homestead became a stopping place for prospectors.
As the gold industry gradually declined in the early 1900s, there were concerns for the State's economy. The Government was convinced that the state had unlimited possibilities for agricultural development, and that the industry could also offer alternative employment for the men made redundant by the decline in gold mining.
The Civil Service was over-staffed, and applications were invited from officers and clerks in various Western Australian Government departments. In 1909 the Civil Servants' Land Settlement Scheme was initiated in the Burran Rock area south of Nungarin, and agricultural development of the region began.
A sense of community quickly developed, leading to the eventual declaration of the town of Nungarin.
The first store in Nungarin was built by T.Bolton adjacent to the railway goods shed. It was constructed of bush timber with hessian walls and corrugated iron roof, and would have been built around the time of the completion of the railway line in 1911.
During the next eighty years, various buildings and businesses were constructed in the town. The commercial buildings have been mainly sited in Railway Terrace, while dwellings have been erected on blocks facing First and Second Avenues, and Danberrin Road.

Condition

Site Only

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.