Coorow

Coorow
Located 262 km north of Perth on the Midlands Road, Coorow is a typical northern wheatbelt town with a tiny service centre which includes a hotel, a caravan park, a single main street and the inevitable bulk handling grain silos and railway line.
The Coorow area was first settled in 1852 when William and Sara Long arrived in the district. They raised sheep and horses. The horses were shipped to Singapore where they were used by the British forces and the wool was taken by dray to Dongara and Perth.
The name ‘Coorow’ was first used by Surveyor John Forrest who recorded a nearby feature as Coorow Spring in his field book. Predictably no one knows for certain what the word ‘coorow’ means but the popular versions are either a corruption of the Aboriginal word ‘curro’ used to describe a portulaca (a local plant with pink flowers) or a word meaning ‘place of many mists’.

Mingenew

Mingenew
Mingenew is located in the heart of wheat belt and wildflower country on Midlands Road, five hours’ drive north of Perth. Mingenew is a typical northern wheatbelt town with a railway line, a bulk handling wheat silo, a single pub which has motel-style accommodation, a couple of service stations and a caravan park. Mingenew has a wealth of assets not always obvious at first glance. The change of seasons brings on a whole new landscape including climatic changes. There are a number of drives well worth undertaking throughout the year to gain a real perspective of Mingenew.
Nobody knows exactly what Mingenew means, some popular beliefs are either the Aboriginal work ‘Mininoo’ meaning place of many waters or ‘minyanoo’ meaning place of many ants. (more…)

Mount Magnet

Mount Magnet
Mount Magnet, the oldest surviving gold settlement of the Murchison, is 567km north of Perth on the Great Northern Highway. It is a small township which now survives on a combination of gold mining and services for the surrounding pastoral area which boasts some of the largest sheep stations in Western Australia. There is much to see here, remains of the early Goldrush era, magnificent granite breakaway country and, in season, spectacular carpets of wildflowers.
Mount Magnet History
Gold was first discovered here in July 1891 and amazingly rich areas around the settlement were found, including Poverty Flats ‘where they dug it up like potatoes’. Mount Magnet was proclaimed a township soon after the gold discoveries. The remains of other settlements nearby, such as Lennonville, can still be seen. (more…)

Meekatharra

Meekatharra
Situated 650 kilometres north-east of Perth and 470 kilometres inland from Geraldton, Meekatharra is one of the most isolated regions in Western Australia. Located approximately 500 kilometres inland from Geraldton, Meekatharra is the centre of a mining, sheep and cattle district. The area has many old worked out gold mines and old machinery relics.
Main Attractions
One gold-era architectural remnant is the Court House (1912) on Darlot St. One of the Flying Doctor Service bases is open for inspection, as is the local School of the Air (only during school term). (more…)

Murchison

Murchison
Murchison is a small rural town of some 600 people situated on the Goulburn River in the Lower Goulburn Valley Plains. Murchison East is located 145 km north of Melbourne on the Goulburn Valley Highway, between Nagambie and Shepparton. Murchison itself is just to the west, off the highway.
The town benefitted greatly from the river trade which began with the arrival of the first paddlesteamer in 1875. At that time it had six hotels, a number of general stores, two flour mills, a post office, a sawmill, cordial factory, two blacksmiths and numerous other stores and services.