Beverley 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 ...

, south-east of 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 ...

, between

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 ...

and Brookton on 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 ...

. It is on the Great Southern railway line.

History

The town is believed to be named after

Beverley Beverley is a market town, market and minster (church), minster town and a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, of which it is the county town. The town centre is located south-east of York's centre ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, from where some of the earliest explorers of the Avon valley originated, including Colonial Surgeon Charles Simmons, an early landowner in the district. Land at Beverley was set aside for a townsite in 1831, just two years after the

Swan River Colony The Swan River Colony, also known as the Swan River Settlement, or just Swan River, was a British colony established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. This initial settlement place on the Swan River was soon named Perth, and it ...

's foundation, after a glowing report to Governor James Stirling by Ensign (later Lieutenant)

Robert Dale Lieutenant Robert Dale (1810–20 July 1853) was the first European explorer to cross the Darling Range in Western Australia. Robert Dale was born in Winchester, England in November 1810, son of Major Thurston Dale and Helen Matthews. Through ...

, who made three trips to the

-Beverley area. The district was surveyed in 1843. While settlers arrived from the 1860s onwards, and a town was established in 1868, it wasn't until the arrival of the Great Southern Railway in 1886 that the town started to grow, and with the completion of the railway in 1889 to Albany, Beverley became an important centre. By early 1898 the population of the town was 190, 93 males and 97 females. In 1908, the

Goldfields Water Supply Scheme The Goldfields Water Supply Scheme is a pipeline and dam project that delivers potable water from Mundaring Weir in Perth to communities in Western Australia's Eastern Goldfields, particularly Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie. The project was commi ...

was extended to supply the town with water, and by

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the town had four hotels, four banks, two bakeries, two tailors, three tearooms, a jeweller and two hairdressers, amongst other businesses, and in 1938, a new town hall opened. However, since the 1950s, with improved transport, communications and farming methods, the population of the Shire of Beverley fell from 1,968 in 1954 to 1,433 in 1991, and several banks and other town services closed. The population has started to grow again due to the popularity of rural residential estates and the town's proximity to Perth.

Present day

Beverley is on

, southeast of Perth, and provides commercial and industrial support to the surrounding agricultural area. Each year in August the town hosts an agricultural show. A museum, formerly the Settlers Arms Hotel, offers local history exhibits. In addition, a town hall
district high school
bank, shopping facilities, accommodation (hotel, Beverley B&B, caravan park), council offices, district hospital and medical centre, a Community Resource Centre (who run the library and Visitor Centre), and various sporting facilities are located within the town. The shire also have one of the best kept ovals in the Avon. A wide range of building styles exist. to the northwest of the town is the

Avondale Agricultural Research Station Avondale Agricultural Research Station or Avondale Discovery Farm is one of thirteen research farms and stations operated by Western Australia's Department of Agriculture and Food. In addition to its research, Avondale has historical buildings ...

. Avondale gets its name from the Avon and Dale rivers which join near the farm. For over 80 years, Avondale has been a major centre for agricultural research, and since 1979 has been home to an extensive collection of historical farm machinery. The station hosts a number of events during the year, including the Ploughing Days in June. From a 2011 survey there was 1147 people living in Beverley. See statisti
here
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.

Link to aviation history

Beverley has a strong history of aviation. The

Silver Centenary The Silver Centenary is a biplane which was built in Beverley, Western Australia between 1929 and 1930 by a local named Selby Ford. Plans for the plane, which was named in honour of Western Australia's 1929 centenary, were drawn to scale on th ...

, Western Australia's oldest existing aircraft was built to commemorate the State's centenary in 1929, and was constructed from chalk drawings sketched on the floor of the town powerhouse. The town airfield has been home for the last forty years to the Beverley Soaring Society, one of the biggest gliding clubs in Australia (120 members). The club was founded in 1973. As at December 2013, the club has three 2-seat training aircraft, two single seat sailplanes and two Piper Pawnee Tugs. Additionally members own a further thirty five private gliders hangared at the airfield. Club members regularly compete at club, state and national levels and hold several State and National gliding distance, height and speed records.

Annual Rainfall & Temperatures

'
Beverley Long-term Averages
'' '
Beverley Daily Records
''

Sport & Recreation

Beverley hosts an annual Easter tennis tournament from the 25–28 March. Access to tournament informatio

Beverley is also home to the football team the Beverley Redbacks Football Club (BRFC). They compete in the Avon Football Association. For more information regarding the team click

here Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to: Software * Here Technologies, a mapping company * Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here Television * Here TV (formerly "here!"), a TV ...

Notable residents

References

External links

Shire of Beverley

Beverley Community Development Association
includes early history
Beverley Soaring Society
{{authority control Towns in Western Australia Wheatbelt (Western Australia)