Yuna is a small 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 ...

, in the

Shire of Chapman Valley The Shire of Chapman Valley is a local government area located in the Mid West region of Western Australia, immediately northeast of the City of Geraldton and about north of Perth, the state capital. The Shire covers an area of and its seat o ...

, northeast of the city 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. ...

. The state government was petitioned in 1910 by the Yuna Farmer's Association to survey lots in 1910. The government delayed acting on the request until the Upper Chapman railway line extension route was decided on. This was completed in 1912 and then some wrangling over the best townsite ensued. One site to the west near a

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season) Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...

and close to the railway line was dubbed ''West Yuna'' and a siding was built; it was gazetted as West Yuna in 1913, then changed to Whelarra in 1918 and finally cancelled in 1968. The Yuna Agricultural Hall was built in 1919 then gutted by fire and then completely collapsing in 1922. Because of the site at West Yuna, development of the current site was initially opposed by the government and mined for pottery

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

. A school was erected in 1927 and then the government decided to assist with development with lots being surveyed in 1929. The name is Aboriginal in origin and was first recorded in 1863 as ''Younah Springs''; it is thought to mean bad or rotten meat. The main industry in town is

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 ...

farming, with the town being a

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 ...

receival site.

Transport

It was the terminus of the railway line from Wokarina. The line opened on 3 May 1912 and closed on 29 April 1957. In 1932 the

Wheat Pool of Western Australia Cooperative Wheat Pool of Western Australia, commonly known as the Wheat Pool of Western Australia, is a cooperative of wheat growers in Western Australia. The cooperative was formed in 1922 and one of the inaugural trustees was Charles Walter Harp ...

announced that the town would have two

grain elevators A grain elevator is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lower level and deposits ...

, each fitted with an engine, installed at the railway siding.

Notes

References

* Vlahon, Jyne compiler (2002) ''In search of land : stories of Yuna'' Geraldton, W.A. : J. Vlahov, Mid West (Western Australia) Grain receival points of Western Australia {{WesternAustralia-geo-stub