Dumbleyung, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Dumbleyung is a town and shire
in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia
, 267 kilometres (166 mi) south-east of Perth
between Wagin
and Lake Grace
on State Route 107
.
origin, coming from "Dambeling" which possibly means "large lake or inland sea" (although another source suggests it came from "dumbung", a game played with bent sticks and a hard piece of fruit). The lake nearby was discovered and named Dambeling Lake by explorers Henry Landor and Henry Maxwell Lefroy in 1843, and the current spelling was used by surveyors in the 1860s and 1870s. Pastoralists and sandalwood
cutters moved into the area, initially settling at Nippering, north of Lake Dumbleyung and 10 kilometres (6 mi) west of the present town. However, in 1907, Dumbleyung was gazetted as a townsite and became the terminus of a railway from Wagin
. By 1915, Dumbleyung had grown to become the major rural service town in the region.
Dumbleyung itself is a service centre with a post office, school, tavern, public library, caravan park and other facilities. Both the tavern and roadhouse offer counter meals. Each year in November the town hosts the Bluebird Festival, attracting visitors to the town.
Shire of Dumbleyung
The Shire of Dumbleyung is a Local Government Area located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, about east of Wagin and about southeast of Perth, the state capital. The Shire covers an area of , and is involved in grain and livestock production and various biodiversity industries...
in the Wheatbelt region of 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...
, 267 kilometres (166 mi) south-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....
between Wagin
Wagin, Western Australia
Wagin is a town and shire in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, approximately 225 km south-east of Perth on the Great Southern Highway between Narrogin and Katanning. It is also on State Route 107. The main industries are wheat and sheep farming.-History:The name of the town is...
and Lake Grace
Lake Grace, Western Australia
-Natural disasters:In late 2005 and early 2006, Lake Grace experienced two natural disasters. The first was a hail storm on 16 October 2005, which destroyed 500 hectares of wheat and barley crop and damaged a further 5,500 hectares, with some farmers reporting fields covered by up to...
on State Route 107
Coalfields Road
Coalfields Highway, formerly known as Coalfields Road, is a Western Australian highway linking Roelands on the South Western Highway with Arthur River on the Albany Highway...
.
History
Dumbleyung's name is of AboriginalIndigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
origin, coming from "Dambeling" which possibly means "large lake or inland sea" (although another source suggests it came from "dumbung", a game played with bent sticks and a hard piece of fruit). The lake nearby was discovered and named Dambeling Lake by explorers Henry Landor and Henry Maxwell Lefroy in 1843, and the current spelling was used by surveyors in the 1860s and 1870s. Pastoralists and sandalwood
Santalum spicatum
Santalum spicatum, a species known as Australian sandalwood, is a tree native to semi-arid areas at the edge of Southwest Australia. It is traded as sandalwood and its valuable oil has been used as an aromatic, a medicine and a food source. S...
cutters moved into the area, initially settling at Nippering, north of Lake Dumbleyung and 10 kilometres (6 mi) west of the present town. However, in 1907, Dumbleyung was gazetted as a townsite and became the terminus of a railway from Wagin
Wagin, Western Australia
Wagin is a town and shire in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, approximately 225 km south-east of Perth on the Great Southern Highway between Narrogin and Katanning. It is also on State Route 107. The main industries are wheat and sheep farming.-History:The name of the town is...
. By 1915, Dumbleyung had grown to become the major rural service town in the region.
Present day
The nearby Dumbleyung Lake is a well-known attraction.Dumbleyung itself is a service centre with a post office, school, tavern, public library, caravan park and other facilities. Both the tavern and roadhouse offer counter meals. Each year in November the town hosts the Bluebird Festival, attracting visitors to the town.