Elleker, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Elleker is a small town in the Great Southern region of Western Australia
, situated about 16 kilometres (10 mi) west of the regional city of Albany
.
The town was planned by the Western Australian Land Company, who built the Great Southern Railway
in 1886-1889. It was originally known as Lakeside, due to its proximity to Lake Powell, but did not develop initially. The Government purchased the railway in 1896, redesigned the town and gazetted it as Lakeside in 1899. The town emerged as a railway junction
between the Torbay line, which served timber sawmills in the area, and the Great Southern railway, and it was renamed Torbay Junction in 1908. In 1921, it was renamed Elleker on the recommendation of a former member of the Albany Road Board
who lived in the area, after Ellerker
in the East Riding of Yorkshire
. The reasons for the omission of the first "r" are not known.
Elleker is the home of Severe Storms Research (SSR), a privately funded meteorological research facility specialising in the study of Deep, Moist, Convective events (Super Cell / Severe Thunderstorms) SSR operates a fully equipped mobile atmospheric observatory and a ground station. SSR also operates METREP (METeorological REPort), a significant weather event reporting system (similar to the BOM storm spotters program).
The townsite includes several houses, a general store, oval, town hall, railway siding as mentioned and a telephone booth.
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...
, situated about 16 kilometres (10 mi) west of the regional city of Albany
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
.
The town was planned by the Western Australian Land Company, who built the Great Southern Railway
Great Southern Railway (Western Australia)
The Great Southern Railway was the name of a railway company that operated from Beverley to Albany in Western Australia between 1886 and 1896. In 1896 the Western Australian Government Railways took over this company and the railway route also kept the name.- Construction :The first sods for the...
in 1886-1889. It was originally known as Lakeside, due to its proximity to Lake Powell, but did not develop initially. The Government purchased the railway in 1896, redesigned the town and gazetted it as Lakeside in 1899. The town emerged as a railway junction
Junction (rail)
A junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge.This implies a physical connection between the tracks of the two routes , 'points' and signalling.one or two tracks each meet at a junction, a fairly simple layout of tracks suffices to...
between the Torbay line, which served timber sawmills in the area, and the Great Southern railway, and it was renamed Torbay Junction in 1908. In 1921, it was renamed Elleker on the recommendation of a former member of the Albany Road Board
City of Albany
The City of Albany is a Local Government Area in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, about SSE of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It covers an area of , including the Greater Albany metropolitan area and the Port of Albany, as well as the surrounding agricultural district and...
who lived in the area, after Ellerker
Ellerker
Ellerker is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately west of Hull city centre and east of the market town of Howden...
in the East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
. The reasons for the omission of the first "r" are not known.
Elleker is the home of Severe Storms Research (SSR), a privately funded meteorological research facility specialising in the study of Deep, Moist, Convective events (Super Cell / Severe Thunderstorms) SSR operates a fully equipped mobile atmospheric observatory and a ground station. SSR also operates METREP (METeorological REPort), a significant weather event reporting system (similar to the BOM storm spotters program).
The townsite includes several houses, a general store, oval, town hall, railway siding as mentioned and a telephone booth.