Wilga, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Wilga is a small town located between Donnybrook
and Boyup Brook
in the South West region of Western Australia
.
A railway between Donnybrook and Boyup Brook was opened in 1908 with Wilga originating as a railway siding. Built to serve the Adelaide Timber company
the forested area around the town was felled and sent to nearby mills. Land was set aside for a town in 1912 and later surveyed. The town was gazetted in 1915.
The name of the town is thought to have come from the nearby Wilgee Springs which first appeared on maps of the area in 1894. The name Wilgee is Aboriginal in origin and means ochre
or pigment
that is worn in ceremonies. The nearest saw mill was established in 1925 about 10km from town and was named Woop Woop.
The Wilga Mill and its surrounds were considered to be an astonishing treasure trove of relics of the mill, locomotives and logging were scattered around it. It was all claaned up, removed and sold for scrap in 1984
Donnybrook, Western Australia
-Tourism:Donnybrook has many town icons bearing the apple. On the main street, apple-shaped lights line the entrance of the Old Railway Station. These lights have recently been restored. Atop the east Donnybrook hill is a high tower with an apple at the top...
and Boyup Brook
Boyup Brook, Western Australia
Boyup Brook is a town located in the south-west of Western Australia, south-southeast of Perth and northeast of Bridgetown.The name Boyup is derived from the name of a nearby pool "Booyup", an Aboriginal term meaning "place of big stones" or "place of big smoke" .The town's economy is...
in the South West 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...
.
A railway between Donnybrook and Boyup Brook was opened in 1908 with Wilga originating as a railway siding. Built to serve the Adelaide Timber company
Adelaide Timber company
Adelaide Timber company was a family saw mill company that had timber mills, and timber railway lines across a number of locations in Australia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century Australia as part of the Shepherdson family business:...
the forested area around the town was felled and sent to nearby mills. Land was set aside for a town in 1912 and later surveyed. The town was gazetted in 1915.
The name of the town is thought to have come from the nearby Wilgee Springs which first appeared on maps of the area in 1894. The name Wilgee is Aboriginal in origin and means ochre
Ochre
Ochre is the term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as "red ochre". The more rarely used terms "purple ochre" and "brown ochre" also exist for variant hues...
or pigment
Pigment
A pigment is a material that changes the color of reflected or transmitted light as the result of wavelength-selective absorption. This physical process differs from fluorescence, phosphorescence, and other forms of luminescence, in which a material emits light.Many materials selectively absorb...
that is worn in ceremonies. The nearest saw mill was established in 1925 about 10km from town and was named Woop Woop.
The Wilga Mill and its surrounds were considered to be an astonishing treasure trove of relics of the mill, locomotives and logging were scattered around it. It was all claaned up, removed and sold for scrap in 1984