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 | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 32°45′00″S 117°09′00″E / 32.75000°S 117.15000°E |
| Population | 49 (SAL 2021)[1] |
| Established | 1907 |
| Postcode(s) | 6311 |
| Area | 114.6 km2 (44.2 sq mi) |
| 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.[2]
History
editThe 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,[3] 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[4] 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.[5] In 1923 a young man named William Johnstone drowned in the dam.[6]
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.[7]
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
edit- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Yornaning (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "CBH receival sites" (PDF). 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
- ^ "History of country town names – Y". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2007.
- ^ "Cuballing Notes". Sunday Times. Perth, Western Australia: National Library of Australia. 7 July 1912. p. 27. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
- ^ "Cuballing notes". Sunday Times. Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 21 July 1912. p. 27. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
- ^ "Family Notices". Western Mail. Perth, Western Australia: National Library of Australia. 22 March 1923. p. 27. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
- ^ Shire of Cuballing. "History – Yornaning". Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2007.
