Yornaning, Western Australia

Yornaning is a small town located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, on Great Southern Highway, between Pingelly and Narrogin.

Yornaning
Western Australia
Yornaning Dam
Yornaning
Coordinates32°45′00″S 117°09′00″E
Established1907
Postcode(s)6311
Location
LGA(s)Shire of Cuballing
State electorate(s)Central Wheatbelt
Federal Division(s)O'Connor

The surrounding areas produce wheat and other cereal crops. The town is a receival site for Cooperative Bulk Handling.[1]

History

The name is believed to mean "land of many waters" in the local Noongar language and was first recorded as a place name in a survey of the area in 1869; it was previously spelt "Yornanmunging" or "Yernanunging". In the late 1890s, a siding on the Great Southern Railway called simply "Water Tank" was established here, and the name Yornaning was finally arrived at in 1905 after several renamings. A townsite was gazetted adjacent to the siding in 1907,[2] and maintenance workers for the railway were encouraged to move there. The siding was important as a major water-taking stop for the steam engines passing through - an average of 30 passenger and freight trains passed through per week.

The Yornaning Hall, a wooden building, was opened in 1912[3] by the Minister of Agriculture. A dam had been constructed sometime prior to 1912 and had filled with a reasonable amount of water, so much so that the Fish Acclimatisation Society were considering stocking it with fish.[4] In 1923 a young man named William Johnstone drowned in the dam.[5]

The railway's decline brought an end to the town's progress and all that remains today is the wheat silo, community hall and one or two buildings.[6]

In 1993, the Shire of Cuballing obtained the area on which the Yornaning Dam sits, and upgraded it for recreational use. There is a 1.5 kilometre (almost 1 mi) walk trail around the water area, as well as picnic and barbecue facilities.

References
  1. "CBH receival sites" (PDF). 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  2. Western Australian Land Information Authority. "History of country town names – Y". Retrieved 25 March 2007.
  3. "Cuballing Notes". Sunday Times. Perth, Western Australia: National Library of Australia. 7 July 1912. p. 27. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  4. "Cuballing notes". Sunday Times. Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 21 July 1912. p. 27. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  5. "Family Notices". Western Mail. Perth, Western Australia: National Library of Australia. 22 March 1923. p. 27. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  6. Shire of Cuballing. "History - Yornaning". Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2007.
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