Nanson is a small town in the

Mid West The Mid West region is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is a sparsely populated region extending from the west coast of Western Australia, about north and south of its administrative centre of Geraldton and inland to east of W ...

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 ...

, between the city of

Geraldton Geraldton (Wajarri language, Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu language, Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West (Western Australia), Mid West region of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. As of the , Geraldt ...

and the town of

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

. The town is situated on the banks of the

Chapman River The Chapman River is a river in the Mid West region of Western Australia. Course The river arises on the Victoria Plateau east of Northampton. It flows in a southerly direction, passing through the town of Nabawa in the Shire of Chapman Vall ...

in the Chapman Valley. At the 2006 census, Nanson had a population of 386. The surrounding area was settled in the 1850s when the property of ''Mount Erin'' was established by Michael Morrissey. In 1909 the government began to plan the

Upper Chapman Valley railway line Upper may refer to: * Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot * Stimulant, drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both * ''Upper'', the original film title for the 2013 found fo ...

and local farmers petitioned to have a town established at the 12 mile siding. The railway was opened in 1910 and the siding was named Lauder Siding, the locals then petitioned to have the name changed to Nansonville, named for the local Member of Parliament

John Nanson John Leighton Nanson (22 September 1863 – 29 February 1916) was a journalist and politician in Western Australia. A former writer and sub-editor with ''The West Australian'', he served in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 190 ...

. The Minister for Lands agreed to change the name to Nanson and the town was gazetted in 1910. The railway siding was renamed as Mount Erin in 1912 by the Railways Department which was used locally as the town's name, as well as for an agricultural estate surrounding the town. In 1915 the railway siding was renamed "Nanson" to prevent any confusion.

References

{{authority control Towns in Western Australia Mid West (Western Australia)