Wellstead is a small rural town and locality of the City of Albany in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. Located between Albany and Esperance, the locality stretches along the Southern Ocean coast, while the townsite is located inland, on the South Coast Highway.[2][3]
| Wellstead Western Australia | |
|---|---|
 Wellstead general store | |
  Wellstead | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 34°30′00″S 118°36′00″E / 34.50000°S 118.60000°E |
| Population | 78 (SAL 2021)[1] |
| Established | 1965 |
| Postcode(s) | 6328 |
| Elevation | 126 m (413 ft) |
| Area | 432.4 km2 (167.0 sq mi) |
| Location |
|
| LGA(s) | City of Albany |
| State electorate(s) | Albany |
| Federal division(s) | O'Connor |
The name commemorates the Wellstead family who settled in the area in 1860 and had held grazing land between Cape Riche (which is part of the locality) and Bremer Bay. Farmland was opened up in the area in the 1960s for cereal cropping and land was set aside for a town site. The town site was gazetted in 1965 shortly after establishing a telephone exchange.[4][5]
John Wellstead still lived in the area in 1881 and sold 700 head of cattle via the market in Albany early the same year.[6] He died in Albany in 1896[7] but his sons, including John Jr., continued the family pastoral interests in the area.
The surrounding areas produce wheat and other cereal crops. The town is a receival site for Cooperative Bulk Handling.[8]
References
edit- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Wellstead (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "SLIP Map". maps.slip.wa.gov.au. Landgate. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ "NationalMap". nationalmap.gov.au. Geoscience Australia. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ "History of country town names – W". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
- ^ "Cape Riche". State Heritage Office. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- ^ "Classified Advertising". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 15 February 1881. p. 2. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
- ^ "Mrs. J. Wellstead Sen". Western Mail. Perth: National Library of Australia. 10 August 1907. p. 15. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
- ^ "CBH receival sites" (PDF). 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
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