Mullewa is a town 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 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 ...
, north 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 ...
and east-northeast of
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. ...
. Mullewa is well known for an abundance of wildflowers in spring and it is one of the few places in Western Australia that the
wreath flower grows. The surrounding areas produce
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 ...
and other
cereal
A cereal is any Poaceae, grass cultivated for the edible components of its grain (botanically, a type of fruit called a caryopsis), composed of the endosperm, Cereal germ, germ, and bran. Cereal Grain, grain crops are grown in greater quantit ...
crops. The town is a
receival site for
Cooperative Bulk Handling
The CBH Group (commonly known as CBH, an acronym for Co-operative Bulk Handling), is a grain growers' cooperative that handles, markets and processes grain from the wheatbelt of Western Australia.
History
CBH was formed on 5 April 1933, at a ...
.
History
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an settlers moved to the area in 1869 to take up pastoral leases for
farming
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
.
In 1894, the government built a
narrow gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
from Geraldton to Mullewa and the town was gazetted in the same year.
[ The town is named for Mullewa Spring, based on an Aboriginal name recorded by surveyor John Forrest in 1873.][ The meaning of the name is not certain, but the most accepted meaning is "place of ]fog
Fog is a visible aerosol consisting of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Reprint from Fog can be considered a type of low-lying cloud usually resembling stratus, and is heavily influ ...
".[
]
Church of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and the Holy Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul and Priesthouse
The architect priest Mgr John Hawes
John Cyril Hawes (7 September 1876 – 26 June 1956) was an architect and priest. Hawes was known for designing and constructing church buildings in England, Western Australia and The Bahamas. He served as a priest in the Church of England befo ...
built the Church mainly with his own hands and the help of parishioners. Work started in 1921 and the stone and tile church was completed, after some interruptions, in 1927. The eclectic design of the Church shows some influence of Spanish Mission style. Hawes built a presbytery for himself next to the church and this, known as the Priesthouse, was finished in 1929: it's been used as a museum since 1980.
File:The Church, front.jpg, The Church, front
File:Church gargoyle (Mullewa, Western Australia).jpg, Gargoyle on the Church
File:Church, side view.jpg, Church, side view
File:Priesthouse and Church.jpg, Priesthouse and Church
File:Priesthouse, street view.jpg, Priesthouse, street view
Rail service
One of the Western Australian Government Railways
Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) was the operator of railway services in the state of Western Australia between October 1890 and June 2003. Owned by the state government, it was renamed a number of times to reflect extra responsi ...
named overnight passenger services from Perth was known as The Mullewa
''The Mullewa'' was an overnight passenger train operated by the Western Australian Government Railways between Perth and Mullewa in the Mid West Region via the Eastern and Northern lines.
History
''The Mullewa'' commenced operating on 30 ...
, which ceased operation in 1974. Mullewa was the junction of the railway line northeast to Meekatharra, and south to Northam. The southward line is no longer operationally connected.[Perenjori South to Dalwallinu being not open for service https://www.arcinfra.com/ARCInfrastructure/media/documents/Network%20Specifications/Arc-Infrastructure-Network-Control-Boundaries.pdf]
Iron ore from the Tallering Peak mine was hauled by road 65 km to Mullewa, and loaded onto railway wagons for haulage 107 km 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. ...
where ships of up to 60,000 DWT were loaded.
Media
Radio
Radio services available in Mullewa:
*ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt
ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt is an ABC Local Radio station based in Geraldton. The station broadcasts to the Mid West and Wheatbelt regions of Western Australia. This includes the towns of Meekatharra Northam and Dalwallinu.
The station broa ...
(6GN 828 AM) – Part of the ABC Local Radio
ABC Local Radio is a network of publicly owned radio stations in Australia, operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
ABC Local Radio stations broadcast across the continent using terrestrial transmitters and satellites. Its programm ...
Network.
*ABC Radio National
Radio National, known on-air as RN, is an Australia-wide public service broadcasting radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2.
History
1937: Predecessors an ...
– (6ABCRN 99.7 FM) – Speciality talk and music.
*Triple J
Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...
– (6JJJ 98.9 FM) – Alternative music
*ABC News Radio
ABC News Radio is the news radio service of ABC Audio, a division of ABC News in the United States. Formerly known as ABC Radio News, ABC News Radio feeds, through Skyview Networks, five minute newscasts on the hour and news briefs at half-pas ...
– (6PNN 101.3 FM) – Rolling News bulletins, news magazine programs and LIVE coverage from Federal Parliament House of Representatives.
* WAFM (96.5FM) – Top 40 Music
* The Spirit Network (Radio 6BAY FM 98.1/1512 AM) – Classic Hits / Adult Contemporary Music format aimed at 35 years + audience.
*Radio Mama- 100.5FM- Indigenous Community station
Television
Free-to-air broadcast television services available in Mullewa:
*Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...
(ABC) – ABC1, ABC2, ABC3, ABC News 24 (digital channels)
*Special Broadcasting Service
The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from the Australian Government. SBS operates six TV channels ( SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS World ...
(SBS) – SBS One, SBS Two, SBS HD (digital channels)
*WIN Television
WIN Television is an Australian television network owned by WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single television station covering the Wollongong region. The WIN Netwo ...
, a dual affiliate of both the Nine Network
The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...
and Network Ten
Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...
.
*GWN7
GWN7 was an Australian television network serving all of Western Australia outside metropolitan Perth. It launched on 10 March 1967 as ''BTW-3'' in Bunbury. It was an affiliate of the Seven Network and served one of the largest geographic tel ...
(Golden West Network), an affiliate of the Seven Network
The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...
.
The programming schedule is mainly the same as the Seven, Nine and Ten stations in Perth, with variations for news bulletins, sport telecasts such as the Australian Football League
The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...
and National Rugby League
The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
, children's and lifestyle programs and advertorial
An advertorial is an advertisement in the form of editorial content. The term "advertorial" is a blend (see portmanteau) of the words "advertisement" and "editorial." Merriam-Webster dates the origin of the word to 1946.
In printed publications, t ...
s. GWN7
GWN7 was an Australian television network serving all of Western Australia outside metropolitan Perth. It launched on 10 March 1967 as ''BTW-3'' in Bunbury. It was an affiliate of the Seven Network and served one of the largest geographic tel ...
produces a 30-minute regional news program each weeknight (originating from Bunbury) with a newsroom based in Geraldton, covering the local area.
Climate
Mullewa has a semi-arid climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...
with hot summers and mild to cool winters. The town features a dry summer/wetter winter routine, thus giving its climate some characteristics of the Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
one.
References
External links
Map
{{authority control
Towns in Western Australia
Mid West (Western Australia)
Grain receival points of Western Australia