Ajana is a townsite within the
Shire of Northampton
The Shire of Northampton is a Local government areas of Western Australia, local government area in the Mid West (Western Australia), Mid West region of Western Australia, about north of Geraldton and about north of the state capital, Perth. ...
in
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
. It is located at the junction of Ajana-Kalbarri Road and Ajana Back Road, by road north of
Northampton
Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...
, by road southwest of
Kalbarri, and west-northwest of
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
in the
Mid West
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...
region.
The name ''Ajana'' is
Aboriginal
Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to:
*Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology
* Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area
*One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...
in origin and is thought to be either the
Nanda
Nanda may refer to:
Indian history and religion
* Nanda Empire, ruled by the Nanda dynasty, an Indian royal dynasty ruling Magadha in the 4th century BCE
** Mahapadma Nanda, first Emperor of the Nanda Empire
** Dhana Nanda (died c. 321 BCE), last ...
name for the area or to be derived from a similar word meaning "mine".
History
Ajana was the terminus of an extension to the first
government railway line in Western Australia. The line originally ran from
Northampton
Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...
to
Geraldton
Geraldton (Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth.
At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...
; it was extended to Ajana to encourage the development of
lead
Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...
mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...
and agriculture in the area. The station opened on 6 January 1913, and the townsite was declared on 26 November 1915. The railway terminated at the
No 3 Rabbit Proof Fence, which ran through the townsite.
A
telegraph station
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...
, built in 1845 at nearby Mount View Station, provided early communications for the town.
A
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...
was established in 1922, and a school was built in the town in 1944.
The railway line and Ajana station closed on 29 April 1957.
Barrel Well Aboriginal Community
The Barrel Well Aboriginal Community is located west-southwest of the Ajana townsite, on Warribanno Chimney Road. It sits on Victoria Location 11991, within the registered
Nanda People
The Nhanda people, also spelt Nanda, Nhunda, Nhanta, and other variants, are an Aboriginal Australian people who live in the mid-west region of Western Australia around the mouth of the Murchison River.
Language
The traditional language of t ...
(WAD6136/98)
native title
Aboriginal title is a common law doctrine that the land rights of indigenous peoples to customary tenure persist after the assumption of sovereignty under settler colonialism. The requirements of proof for the recognition of aboriginal title, ...
claim area, and has a population of 26, including 10 children.
The community is managed by the Barrel Well Nanda Aboriginal Corporation, a body incorporated under the ''Aboriginal Councils and Associations Act 1976'' on 26 May 1992. The Management Order of ''Reserve 1457 Victoria Location 11991 Barrel Well'' was transferred from the
Aboriginal Land Trust
In Australia, an Aboriginal land trust (ALT) is a type of non-profit organisation that holds the freehold title to an area of land on behalf of a community of Aboriginal Australians. The land has been legally granted to a community by the governme ...
to the corporation on 28 June 2000.
[
]
References
External links
Native Title Claimant application summary
{{authority control
Shire of Northampton
Towns in Western Australia
Aboriginal communities in Mid West (Western Australia)