Clackline, Western Australia
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Clackline is a locality in the Wheatbelt region of
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
, about east-north-east of
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
.


History

John Forrest Sir John Forrest (22 August 1847 – 2 SeptemberSome sources give the date as 3 September 1918 1918) was an Australian explorer and politician. He was the first premier of Western Australia (1890–1901) and a long-serving cabinet minister in ...
, later
Premier of Western Australia The premier of Western Australia is the head of government of the state of Western Australia. The role of premier at a state level is similar to the role of the prime minister of Australia at a federal level. The premier leads the executive br ...
, recorded the name Clackline in 1879 but the origin of the word is unknown. A settlement was established in the 1880s, being at the junction of the Perth-Newcastle Road and the township was gazetted in 1896. It has also been known as Clackline Junction for the road and the rail junction. It was an important junction for the Eastern Railway lines to Northam, and Toodyay on the Clackline–Miling railway branch. The railway service through Clackline was closed in 1966 at the time the Avon Valley route of the Eastern Railway was opened.


Geography

Clackline is in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, about east-north-east of Perth, and south-west of Northam. Clackline Brook is an waterway that runs from near Clackline towards Mokine before turning north and ending near Mokine Hill. Clackline Nature Reserve is on Refractory Road.


Demographics

In the , Clackline had an estimated population of 330 people.


Economy

The Clackline area produces some of the highest grade export hay (oaten) in Australia, and is home to wine growing ventures and an olive grove producing extra virgin olive oils.


Attractions

There are several historic sites, including heritage listed sites, located in and around the Clackline townsite.


Avro Anson Memorial

The Avro Anson Memorial commemorates four
Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...
(RAAF) airmen killed when their
Avro Anson The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), R ...
aircraft crashed near Clackline on 9 October 1942. The memorial site is located on the low side of Avro Anson Road, in a small park approximately south-east of Clackline. The memorial, assembled by members of the local community in the months following the crash, features a
cairn A cairn is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, t ...
of granite and boulders supporting a
jarrah ''Eucalyptus marginata'', commonly known as jarrah, in Noongar language and historically as Swan River mahogany, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tree with rough, fibro ...
cross. The names and details of the deceased airmen − Flying Officer Lynton Birt, Sergeant Geoffrey Debenham, Sergeant Noel Nixon, and Sergeant Kenneth Hugo − are carved into the cross. Over the years, the memorial was forgotten and lost, overgrown by shrubs and trees. Upon its rediscovery in the early 1980s, the memorial's history and significance were researched, and it was restored in 1984 by volunteers from the Perth branch of the Royal Australian Air Force Association. Since then, the association has held annual memorial services at the site.


Clackline Bridge

Clackline Bridge is a historic road bridge in Clackline that carried the
Great Eastern Highway Great Eastern Highway is a road that links the Western Australian capital of Perth with the city of Kalgoorlie. A key route for road vehicles accessing the eastern Wheatbelt (Western Australia), Wheatbelt and the Goldfields-Esperance, Goldfie ...
until 2008. It is the only bridge in Western Australia to have spanned both a waterway and railway, the Clackline Brook and the former Eastern Railway alignment. The mainly timber bridge has a unique curved and sloped design, due to the difficult topography and the route of the former railway. The bridge was designed in 1934 to replace two dangerous rail crossings and a rudimentary water crossing. Construction began in January 1935, and was completed relatively quickly, with the opening ceremony held in August 1935. The bridge has undergone various improvement and maintenance works since then, including widening by in 1959–60, but remained a safety hazard, with increasing severity and numbers of accidents through the 1970s and 1980s. Planning for a highway bypass of Clackline and the Clackline Bridge began in the 1990s, and it was constructed between January 2007 and February 2008. The local community had been concerned that the historic bridge would be lost, but it remains in use as part of the local road network, and has been listed on both the Northam Municipal Heritage Inventory and the
Heritage Council of Western Australia The Heritage Council of Western Australia is the Government of Western Australia agency created to identify, conserve and promote places of cultural heritage significance in the state. Prior to its creation, considerable variance in policy and p ...
's Register of Heritage Places.


Clackline Refractory

The Clackline Refractory is a heritage listed brickworks site in Clackline, located on Refractory Road in a valley near
Great Eastern Highway Great Eastern Highway is a road that links the Western Australian capital of Perth with the city of Kalgoorlie. A key route for road vehicles accessing the eastern Wheatbelt (Western Australia), Wheatbelt and the Goldfields-Esperance, Goldfie ...
. An abundant supply of fine quality clay was discovered in Clackline in 1898, which led to the establishment of a quarry and refractory. By 1901, the industry was important to Western Australia, with the brick products from Clackline used by multiple government departments, the Fremantle Gas and Coke Company, and many goldmines. Other users of the bricks included the Railway Department, the Perth Gas Company, the Fremantle smelter, and the Great Boulder Perseverance Company. The Clackline Refractory also supplied bricks for the nearby pumping stations for the
Goldfields Water Supply Scheme The Goldfields Water Supply Scheme is a pipeline and dam project that delivers drinking water, potable water from Mundaring Weir in Perth to communities in Western Australia's Eastern Goldfields, particularly Coolgardie, Western Australia, Coo ...
. , the site is in poor condition and mostly deserted, apart from stacks of various ceramic products. As well as kilns suitable for modern-day production, the site has older kilns constructed from bricks, with corrugated iron roofs supported by metal poles. Alongside these structures is a large brick chimney.


Lion monument

In 1929,
Clackline School Clackline School, later known as Clackline Primary School, was a school in the Wheatbelt (Western Australia), Wheatbelt town of Clackline, Western Australia. It opened in 1896, and was extended and renovated several times before relocating in 195 ...
's students and headteacher, E.W.Membery commemorated the 100th anniversary of British colonisation by building a monument. The monument features a sculpture of a lion, with a plaque reading: The sculptor of the lion was Archie H Paton, who has since been recognised with a nearby plaque. It is a stopping point on the Kep Track, adjacent to a picnic area and toilets.


Rail heritage sites

A restored rail carriage, serving as a museum, was installed by the now-defunct Clackline Railway Committee. The railway carriage has been used as a venue for community events, such as farmers markets and weddings, and now serves as the community post office. It is located south of Great Eastern Highway, opposite the old general store site, but a walking trail passing under the highway connects to the remains of the Clackline railway station. After the general store and local post office closed, the Clackline Progress Association decided the community needed a local post office. In 2018 they canvassed community support, which was strong, so volunteers cleaned up and opened a community post office.


Government

Clackline is located within the
Shire of Northam The Shire of Northam is a Local government areas of Western Australia, local government area in the Wheatbelt (Western Australia), Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, beyond the northeastern fringe of the Perth metropolitan area centred on t ...
. It is within the state electorate of Central Wheatbelt, and federal
Division of Bullwinkel The Division of Bullwinkel is an Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives, Australian electoral division in the States and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia contested for the first time at the 2025 Australian fede ...
.


Infrastructure

Clackline is reliant on the road network as the only available means of transportation. It is situated alongside
Great Eastern Highway Great Eastern Highway is a road that links the Western Australian capital of Perth with the city of Kalgoorlie. A key route for road vehicles accessing the eastern Wheatbelt (Western Australia), Wheatbelt and the Goldfields-Esperance, Goldfie ...
, which has bypassed the townsite since February 2008. The highway connects traffic south-west to Perth, and north-east to Northam and beyond. Other important roads in the area are Clackline–Toodyay Road, leading north to Toodyay, and Spencers Brook Road, heading south-east to Spencers Brook and then on to
York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
.


Education

Clackline historically had its own primary school, until the late 1970s.
Clackline School Clackline School, later known as Clackline Primary School, was a school in the Wheatbelt (Western Australia), Wheatbelt town of Clackline, Western Australia. It opened in 1896, and was extended and renovated several times before relocating in 195 ...
, later known as Clackline Primary School, opened in 1896, and was extended and renovated several times before relocating in 1954 to a new site on the same road. The school was closed down in 1976, but in 1980 became the temporary location of the Avon Valley Church's school. Since then, the closest primary schools to Clackline are in Northam, Bakers Hill and Wundowie. The nearest high schools as well as further education campuses are located in Northam: Northam Senior High School, St Joseph's High School, C. Y. O'Connor College of TAFE, and the Muresk Institute.


Media

In addition to the statewide newspapers ''
The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuousl ...
'' and ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'', Clackline is served by the Northam-based '' Avon Valley Advocate''.


See also

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References

{{authority control Rail junctions in Western Australia Shire of Northam