Neergabby is a locality and farming area within the

Shire of Gingin The Shire of Gingin is a local government area in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, just beyond the northern fringe of the Perth metropolitan area. The Shire covers an area of and its seat of government is the town of Gingin. Hist ...

, located around 20 km 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 i ...

metropolitan area's northern limit. Neergabby is situated at the confluence of the

Moore River Moore River is a river in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. Geography The headwaters of the Moore River lie in the Perenjori, Carnamah and Dalwallinu Shires. The river then drains southwards through Moora, flows westerly before j ...

and Gingin Brook, giving it a strategic importance in the development of the North West

Stock Route A stock route, also known as travelling stock route (TSR), is an authorised thoroughfare for the walking of domestic livestock such as sheep or cattle from one location to another in Australia. The stock routes across the country are colloquially ...

between Perth and

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. ...

during the 1850s where it was often known as the Junction. Prior to European settlement the area was used by the

Noongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the so ...

people as an area for women to gather food and medicinal plants. A government road connecting Gingin to Neergabby and the Moore River was built in the early 1860s. This included the Old Junction Bridge, which dates back to 1863 and was restored by the Neergabby Community Association in 2005 after its western span collapsed three years earlier. Neergabby and the wider stock route was heavily trafficked until the Midland railway line was constructed in the 1890s several kilometres further east. This caused the route to decline in importance in the early 20th century (save for a revival during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

) until the only people using it were summer holiday makers trying to access the coastal bays for camping. Despite its location in the Wheatbelt region, Neergabby's proximity to both the coast and to fresh water allows for more intensive agriculture with numerous citrus orchards and farming retreats located along Gingin Brook.

References

{{Towns Wheatbelt South WA Towns in Western Australia Shire of Gingin