Kukerin, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Kukerin is a small town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia
, 308 kilometres (191.4 mi) south-east of Perth
between Wagin
and Lake Grace
just off State Route 107
. The town itself is small but services a considerable agricultural region in the eastern Shire of Dumbleyung
. At the 2006 census
, Kukerin had a population of 190.
origin, was first recorded as the name of a local soak
and gully
in 1908 and has also been spelled "Cookerin", but the precise meaning is not known. There is no hard evidence for a theory that the area was named after sandalwood
cutters named "Cooke" and "Ring".
Until 1912, the area was known as Merilup (a name that now refers to an area to the south). In the 1870s, John Holland took up a pastoral lease of 9000 acres (36 km²) in the area and established a sandalwood
depot. Sandalwood cutters opened up much of the surrounding area, and in 1904 the Rabbit-Proof Fence
was built near the town.
In 1912, the town was gazetted when it became the terminus of an extension of the Wagin
to Dumbleyung
train line in 1912. The primary school and hall were built in 1914, and Kukerin Hotel began trading in 1928 — all are still open to this day.
can be viewed.
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...
, 308 kilometres (191.4 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...
just off 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...
. The town itself is small but services a considerable agricultural region in the eastern Shire of Dumbleyung
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...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Kukerin had a population of 190.
History
According to an official source, Kukerin'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, was first recorded as the name of a local soak
Soakage
A soakage, or soak, is a source of water in Australian deserts.It is called thus because the water generally seeps into the sand, and is stored below, sometimes as part of an ephemeral river or creek system.-Aboriginal water source:...
and gully
Gully
A gully is a landform created by running water, eroding sharply into soil, typically on a hillside. Gullies resemble large ditches or small valleys, but are metres to tens of metres in depth and width...
in 1908 and has also been spelled "Cookerin", but the precise meaning is not known. There is no hard evidence for a theory that the area was named after 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 named "Cooke" and "Ring".
Until 1912, the area was known as Merilup (a name that now refers to an area to the south). In the 1870s, John Holland took up a pastoral lease of 9000 acres (36 km²) in the area and established a 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...
depot. Sandalwood cutters opened up much of the surrounding area, and in 1904 the Rabbit-Proof Fence
Rabbit-proof fence
The State Barrier Fence of Western Australia, formerly known as the No. 1 Rabbit-proof Fence, the State Vermin Fence and the Emu Fence, is a pest-exclusion fence constructed between 1901 and 1907 to keep rabbits and other agricultural pests, from the east, out of Western Australian pastoral...
was built near the town.
In 1912, the town was gazetted when it became the terminus of an extension of the 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...
to Dumbleyung
Dumbleyung, Western Australia
Dumbleyung is a town and shire in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, south-east of Perth between Wagin and Lake Grace on State Route 107.-History:...
train line in 1912. The primary school and hall were built in 1914, and Kukerin Hotel began trading in 1928 — all are still open to this day.
Present day
Kukerin is largely an agricultural town, with wheat and sheep farming being the main occupations. It functions as a service town for the surrounding agricultural area, and contains a general store, primary school, hotel, newsagency/post office and sports fields amongst other facilities. Each year a TrachMach Fair is held in the last weekend in September, with various vintage and modern vehicles on display, not to mention a megascreen where the AFL Grand FinalAFL Grand Final
The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match, traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia to determine the Australian Football League premiership champions for that year...
can be viewed.