Kulin is a town in the eastern 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 ...

, approximately 280 km from Perth. It is the main town in the

Shire of Kulin The Shire of Kulin is a local government area in the eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, about ESE of the state capital, Perth. The Shire's land area of forms a narrow east-west band, located between the Shire of Kondinin to th ...

History

The first European known to have visited the Kulin area was Captain

John Septimus Roe John Septimus Roe (8 May 1797 – 28 May 1878) was the first Surveyor-General of Western Australia. He was a renowned explorer, a member of Western Australia's legislative and executive councils for nearly 40 years, but also a participant in ...

, Surveyor General of the

Swan River Colony The Swan River Colony, also known as the Swan River Settlement, or just ''Swan River'', was a British colony established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. This initial settlement place on the Swan River was soon named Perth, an ...

on his 1848-49 expedition to examine the south coast. He encountered a group of

Aboriginal people There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

34 miles east of Nalyaring (near Brookton) who guided the expedition party to several water sources, including the Kulin Rock soak, before leaving the party at

Yeerakine Rock Yeerakine Rock is a granite rock formation located approximately south of Kondinin, Western Australia, Kondinin and approximately north west of Kulin, Western Australia, Kulin in the central Wheatbelt (Western Australia), Wheatbelt region of ...

(just south and east of Kondinin) as this was the limit of their territory. These guides used the name "Coolin" to describe the area now known as Kulin Rock. In the early years, settlers occasionally encountered groups of Aborigines hunting

possums Possum may refer to: Animals * Didelphimorphia, or (o)possums, an order of marsupials native to the Americas ** Didelphis, a genus of marsupials within Didelphimorphia *** Common opossum, native to Central and South America *** Virginia opossum, ...

. Although artifacts such as grinding stones and stone choppers have been found in the district, no signs of permanent occupation were found by early settlers other than the

mia-mia A mia-mia is a temporary shelter made of bark, branches, leaves and grass used by some Indigenous Australians. The word is also used in Australian English Australian English (AusE, AusEng, AuE, AuEng, en-AU) is the set of variety (linguis ...

s built by "Europeanised" Aboriginal shepherds from

Narrogin Narrogin is a town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, southeast of Perth, Western Australia, Perth on the Great Southern Highway between Pingelly, Western Australia, Pingelly and Wagin, Western Australia, Wagin. In the age of st ...

in the employ of Michael Brown. Brown, a businessman from Narrogin, took up large pastoral leases in the Kulin/Kondinin area including Kulin Rock and Gnarming in 1905. These and other leases in the area were terminated in 1909/1910 to allow the government to distribute the land for agricultural purposes. The first land selected for farming in the Kulin area was at Wogolin and Dudinin in January 1909 – extending from the more established areas of Narrogin and Wickepin. Settlement did not proceed evenly from this direction however as early farmers selected areas with better soils or reliable water sources. This was the case at Kulin Rock with Edward John (Dick) Reardon and Michael Healy arriving there in February 1909 to take up farming land. Much of this activity took place before the official survey at the end of 1909 including James Fitt (previously an overseer for Brown) taking up land adjoining Jilakin Rock and at Jitarning. Jilakin had been the original name of the location in 1913; in 1915 it was changed to Kulin. In 1932 the Wheat Pool of Western Australia announced that the town would have two

grain elevators A grain elevator or grain terminal 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 lowe ...

, each fitted with an engine, installed at the

railway siding In rail terminology, a siding is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line, branch line, or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end. Sidings often have lighter r ...

Present day

Kulin has a population of about 350 and is an agricultural centre for a district whose main activities are wheat and sheep farming.

Wildflower A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, rather than being intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is any different from the native plant, eve ...

viewing is possible during September and October. The town contains a district high school, a

Bendigo Bank Bendigo and Adelaide Bank (trading as Bendigo Bank), is an Australian financial institution, operating primarily in retail banking. The company was formed by the merger of Bendigo Bank and Adelaide Bank in November 2007. Prior to the merger, ...

, shopping facilities, accommodation (hotel, motel, caravan park), council offices and a

telecentre A telecentre is a public place where people can access computers, the Internet, and other digital technologies that enable them to gather information, create, learn, and communicate with others while they develop essential digital skills. Telecent ...

. Every year in October, it hosts the Kulin Bush Races. Kulin has its own

police station A police station is a facility operated by police or a similar law enforcement agency that serves to accommodate police officers and other law enforcement personnel. The role served by a police station varies by agency, type, and jurisdiction, ...

, which covers the shire and surrounding areas. It has two permanent police officers who live in the township and conduct highway patrols and provide support to nearby stations. The town is a stop on the

Transwa Transwa is Western Australia's regional public transport provider, linking 240 destinations, from Kalbarri in the north to Augusta in the south west to Esperance in the south east. The Transwa system provides transport between Perth and the ...

bus service to Esperance. The surrounding areas produce

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

and other

cereal A cereal is a grass cultivated for its edible grain. Cereals are the world's largest crops, and are therefore staple foods. They include rice, wheat, rye, oats, barley, millet, and maize ( Corn). Edible grains from other plant families, ...

crops. The town is a receival site for

Cooperative Bulk Handling The CBH Group (commonly known as CBH, an acronym An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled ...

Tin horses

The roads leading into and through Kulin have a collection of over 100 tin horses. The largest is 10 m long and stands 5 m high. All the horses are made primarily from

lubricant A lubricant (sometimes shortened to lube) is a substance that helps to reduce friction between surfaces in mutual contact, which ultimately reduces the heat generated when the surfaces move. It may also have the function of transmitting forces, ...

tins and drums. They are from entries into the annual competition as part of the local race day.

Kulin Bush Races

The Kulin Bush Races is an annual event involving horse races, betting, alcohol and fireworks. It is held on one day, but campers can sleep the night the day before and after the event. All money made from the event is put back into the community.

Water slide

The water slide at the Kulin Aquatic Centre is the largest in regional Western Australia; it is high and long. It was opened in 2001. The slide was funded by a local farmer to improve local sport and recreation. It was bought from

Tanawha, Queensland Tanawha (pronounced /'tæn-uh-wuh/) is a rural Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It is a suburb of Buderim. The name ''Tanawha'' is believed to be a Māori language word referring ...

, disassembled and trucked to Kulin by local volunteers, then reassembled.

Blazing Swan

Blazing Swan Blazing Swan is an annual regional Burning Man event held adjacent to Jilakin Lake near the town of Kulin, Western Australia. It is promoted as an experiment in temporary community and artistic expression, guided by eleven main principles, inclu ...

is an annual regional

Burning Man Burning Man is a week-long large-scale desert event focused on "community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance" held annually in the Western United States. The event's name comes from its ceremony on the penultimate night of the event: the ...

event held in Kulin. It is a 7-day event which is an experiment in temporary community and artistic expression, and is guided by the ten principles of Burning Man, plus an eleventh - consent. The event occurs around Easter each year, with the 2017 event scheduled for 12–18 April. The event location is in dry bushland near

Jilakin Lake Jilakin Lake is an ephemeral salt water lake found about east of Kulin 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, th ...

, and is referred to as Jilakin Rock City. Each year a swan-shaped wooden effigy is built and burned at the culmination of the event.

References

External links

Shire of Kulin
{{authority control Towns in Western Australia Wheatbelt (Western Australia) Grain receival points of Western Australia