Brookton is a town in the
Wheatbelt region of
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 ...
, from the state capital,
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 ...
via the
Brookton Highway
Brookton Highway is a long undivided single carriageway highway in Western Australia, running from the southern Perth suburb of Kelmscott, Western Australia, Kelmscott, through Westdale, to the southern Wheatbelt (Western Australia), Wheatbe ...
where it crosses the
Great Southern Highway
Great Southern Highway is a highway in the southern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, starting from Great Eastern Highway at The Lakes, from Perth, and ending at Albany Highway near Cranbrook. It is the primary thoroughfare for this pa ...
. The town is on the
Great Southern railway line. It is within, and is the seat of government for, the
Shire of Brookton
The Shire of Brookton is a local government area in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, about southeast of Perth, the state capital. The Shire covers an area of and its seat of government is the town of Brookton.
The local economy, ...
. At the 2016 census, Brookton had a population of 975.
History
The first settler and founder of the Brookton district, John Seabrook (1818–1891), moved to the area in 1846 soon after marrying, and named his property "Brookton House". He remained the only European in the area, aside from itinerant
sandalwood
Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus ''Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for us ...
cutters, until his stepson, Robinson, took up adjacent land in 1864. During the 1860s and 1870s, more settlers moved into the area, and took on
sandalwood
Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus ''Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for us ...
cuttingit sold for as well as wheat and sheep farming.
In June 1889, when the
Great Southern Railway opened, Brookton was one of the original stations. The station proved to be the catalyst that created a centre for the isolated farms, and the government gazetted a townsite here in 1895 and named it "Seabrook" but local acceptance of the station name and confusion with another Seabrook near
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
resulted in the townsite's name being changed to Brookton in 1899. The townsite attracted a few businesses and by 1903, the tiny settlement comprised a school, hotel, bank and a few shops. The Old Police Station Museum located in the town is the base of the local historical society and contains artifacts and memorabilia of the early settlement days.
A bulk wheat bin was opened in December 1940 and began receiving large amounts of grain immediately. In 1941 the
wheat
Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
harvest of the surrounding area was about all delivered to the local bulk wheat bin. This was about bushels down from the previous year.
Present day
Brookton is located on
Great Southern Highway
Great Southern Highway is a highway in the southern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, starting from Great Eastern Highway at The Lakes, from Perth, and ending at Albany Highway near Cranbrook. It is the primary thoroughfare for this pa ...
, east of Perth via
Brookton Highway
Brookton Highway is a long undivided single carriageway highway in Western Australia, running from the southern Perth suburb of Kelmscott, Western Australia, Kelmscott, through Westdale, to the southern Wheatbelt (Western Australia), Wheatbe ...
and is a key agricultural centre for a rich mixed farming district. In the 2016 census it reported a population of 975. It contains a
TAFE
Technical and further education or simply TAFE (), is the common name in English-speaking countries in Oceania for vocational education, as a subset of tertiary education. TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational cours ...
centre, and in addition, a district high school (opened 1960, replacing a primary school),
Bendigo Bank
Bendigo and Adelaide Bank is an Australian financial institution, operating primarily in retail banking. The company was formed by the merger of Bendigo Bank and Adelaide Bank in November 2007.
Before the merger, Bendigo Bank delivered its pr ...
, shopping facilities, accommodation (hotel, motel, caravan park), council offices and a
telecentre
A telecentre is a public place where people can access computers, the Internet, and other digital technologies that enable them to gather information, create, learn, and communicate with others while they develop essential digital skills. Telecent ...
are located within the town. Bi-annually, it hosts the Old Time Motor Show.
The town is a stop on the
Transwa
Transwa is Western Australia's regional public transport provider, linking 240 destinations, from Kalbarri in the north to Augusta in the south west to Esperance in the south east.
The Transwa system provides transport to the major regional ...
bus service to
Albany.
GS2 timetable
(1 August 2016). Retrieved on 14 June 2018.
Climate
References
External links
Shire of Brookton
{{Authority control
Towns in Western Australia
Wheatbelt (Western Australia)
Grain receival points of Western Australia