Ranford, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Ranford is a town located 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) north-east of Boddington
Boddington, Western Australia
Boddington is a town and shire in the Peel region of Western Australia, located south-east of Perth. The town sits on the road from Pinjarra to Williams on the Hotham River...

 along the road from Pinjarra
Pinjarra, Western Australia
Pinjarra is a town in the Peel region of Western Australia along the South Western Highway, from the state capital, Perth and south-east of the coastal city of Mandurah. Its local government area is the Shire of Murray. At the 2006 census, Pinjarra had a population of 3,279.Pinjarra is an area...

 to Williams
Williams, Western Australia
Williams is a town located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, south-southeast of the state capital, Perth along Albany Highway and 32 kilometres west of Narrogin. The Williams River passes through the town. At the 2006 census, Williams had a population of 338.-History:Williams is...

.

History

The town's name honours Henry Samuel Ranford, who had traversed the Hotham River and marked out the first holdings in the vicinity. In 1884, he became a government surveyor with the Lands Department and held various appointments in the Swan River Colony
Swan River Colony
The Swan River Colony was a British settlement established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. The name was a pars pro toto for Western Australia. In 1832, the colony was officially renamed Western Australia, when the colony's founding Lieutenant-Governor, Captain James Stirling,...

, including Acting Surveyor General. In 1897, he moved to Katanning
Katanning, Western Australia
Katanning is a town located 277 km south east of Perth, Western Australia on the Great Southern Highway. At the 2006 census, Katanning had a population of 3,808.-History:...

 to become the Government Land Agent.

In 1936, Industrial Extracts Ltd, which produced tanning
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...

 extracts from white gum timber, proposed a townsite based around their Tannin Extracts Factory. The townsite was gazetted and named Ranford in 1936. The Lieutenant Governor, Sir James Mitchell
James Mitchell (Australian politician)
Sir James Mitchell GCMG was the 13th Premier of Western Australia, serving on two occasions, the Lieutenant-Governor of Western Australia for 15 years and the 22nd Governor of Western Australia....

, opened the factory on 21 April 1937. For the next 20 years, the factory operated and brought many people to the district in the post-Depression era. However, by 1957, the plant had been closed down - twenty years at three shifts a day had worn out the factory and nearly exhausted the timber supply. Both mills were removed, and the offices, which are now a private dwelling, are the only original buildings remaining.

Although Ranford had a boarding house it relied on Boddington for its services, including shopping and education.

Present day

Ranford is largely a historic site, with a few remaining cottages and the factory area, now used as a grain storage silo. A large pool at the end of River Road offers canoeing and other water activities.
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