Bencubbin is a town in Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

, located in the North Eastern Wheatbelt, 275 km north-east of Perth

Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....

. The town lies within the Shire of Mount Marshall and is home to approximately 200 people. Surveyor General

Surveyor General

The Surveyor General is an official responsible for government surveying in a specific country or territory. Originally this would often have been a military appointment, but is now more likely to be a civilian post....

 John Septimus Roe

John Septimus Roe

John Septimus Roe was the first Surveyor-General of Western Australia. He was a renowned explorer, and a Member of Western Australia's Legislative and Executive Councils for nearly 40 years.-Early life:...

 first surveyed the region in 1836 and he was followed by sandalwood

Sandalwood

Sandalwood is the name of a class of fragrant woods from trees in the genus Santalum. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and unlike many other aromatic woods they retain their fragrance for decades. As well as using the harvested and cut wood in-situ, essential oils are also extracted...

 cutters and stockmen, but it was not until 1908 that the first permanent settlers arrived.

The name ‘Bencubbin’ comes from the Aboriginal word for 'place of the snakes' and is now applied to the rock to the north of the town. The aboriginal word is generally spelt 'Gnylbencubbing' and is not the rock known as Mount Marshall. Mount Marshall is south-east of Bencubbin, whereas the rock known as Gnylbencubbing is at the northern edge of the township. Mount Marshall is named after Captain Marshall McDermott, who was the first manager of the Western Australian branch of the Bank of Australasia. These two rocks and Wiacubbing Hill are three of the largest outcrops around Bencubbin.

The name was suggested for the railway station at terminus of the Wyalkatchem

Wyalkatchem, Western Australia

Wyalkatchem townsite is located in the central agricultural region, east north east of Perth and east of Dowerin. At the 2006 census, Wyalkatchem had a population of 344....

 to Mount Marshall railway line, by J Hope, the Chief Draftsman, in 1913.
The townsite was gazetted later in 1917.
The first Bencubbin police station

Police station

A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...

 was founded in 1923.

The surrounding areas produce wheat

Wheat

Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...

 and other cereal

Cereal

Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...

 crops. The town is a receival site for Cooperative Bulk Handling.