Koolanooka is a small town in the
MidWest
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 of
Western Australia. It is situated between
Morawa and
Perenjori just off the Mullewa-Wubin road. At the
2006 census, Koolanooka had a population of 46.
In 1932 the
Wheat Pool of Western Australia announced that the town would have two
grain elevators, each fitted with an engine, installed at the railway siding.
Name
Originating as a station on the Mullewa to Wongan Hills railway line, it was initially known as Bowgada when it was planned in 1913. The name Bowgada was taken from the pastoral
station
Station may refer to:
Agriculture
* Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production
* Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle
** Cattle statio ...
located nearby. Shortly before the line was opened in 1914 the name changed to Koolanooka and the next station south on the railway line was named Bowgada instead. The townsite was gazetted in 1916.
The town takes its name from the nearby Koolanooka Spring. The word 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 means ''place of plenty wild turkeys''.
Iron ore mining
An
iron ore
Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...
mine was opened in the area in 1965 along with the associated railway
spur line, powerhouse, port facilities at
Geraldton and housing for workers in
Morawa.
The original 1966 Koolanooka iron mine was the first iron ore exporting mine in Western Australia.
In 2006 iron ore mining was re-commencing at the location.
Transport
It has a railway station on the
narrow gauge, originally
Western Australian Government Railways now
Arc Infrastructure
Arc Infrastructure (previously known as Brookfield Rail and WestNet Rail) is a transport infrastructure owner and access provider in Western Australia with a long-term lease on the network from the Government of Western Australia. It operates a ...
network, on what was known as the Mullewa line.
Adjacent railway stations
*
Morawa (north)
*
Perenjori (south)
References
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Towns in Western Australia
Shire of Morawa