Witchcliffe is a small town in the

South West Southwest is a compass point. Southwest, south-west, south west, southwestern or south-western or south western may also refer to: * Southwest (direction), an intercardinal direction Geography *South West Queensland, Australia *South West (Weste ...

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 ...

, located a few kilometres south of

Margaret River The Margaret River is a river in southwest Australia, southwest Western Australia. In a small catchment, it is the eponym of the town and tourist region of Margaret River, Western Australia, Margaret River. The river arises from a catchment ...

on the

Bussell Highway Bussell Highway is a generally north–south highway in the South West (Western Australia), South West region of Western Australia. The highway links the city of Bunbury, Western Australia, Bunbury with the town of Augusta, Western Australia, A ...

. The name originates from a

cave Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's Planetary surface, surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance undergrou ...

in the area, Witchcliffe cave, that was recorded by a

surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. These points are usually on the ...

in 1900. It is believed the name was given by the

Bussell family The Bussell family were a family of early settlers in colonial Western Australia. The four brothers John, Joseph Vernon, Alfred and Charles emigrated from England on ''Warrior'', arriving at Fremantle on 12 March 1830. Lenox, Frances and Eliz ...

whose property, Wallcliffe, was established in the area in the 1850s.

History

In 1924 the government extended the Flinders Bay railway line to Witchcliffe. The siding was to be named Narawary but a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

already existed at the site with the name Witchcliffe, having opened in 1923, so the siding was named Witchcliffe in 1925. Lots were surveyed and sold along the siding in 1924 and the

townsite A townsite is a legal subdivision of land for the development of a town or community. In the historical development of the United States, Canada, and other former British colonial nations, the filing of a townsite plat (United States) or plan ( ...

was gazetted in 1926. The town was built around the timber industry, with the Witchcliffe

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

being built in 1922 just east of town for the WA Jarrah Forests, which was taken over by the Adelaide Timber Company in 1929.

Climate

References

{{authority control Shire of Augusta–Margaret River Timber towns in Western Australia Towns in Western Australia