Wooroloo, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Wooroloo is a town on the outer fringe of the Perth
metropolitan area
, located off Great Eastern Highway
in the eastern part of the Shire of Mundaring
. At the 2006 census
, Wooroloo had a population of 254.
Aboriginal
word that was first recorded in 1841, with other spellings also used. A timber mill operated by Byfield Brothers commenced operations in the 1880s, and Byfield's Mill was established as a railway stopping place for the Eastern Railway in 1893, being renamed to Wooroloo in 1897.
A school opened on 22 August 1903 with 22 children and one teacher, and a community hall was built with help from residents of nearby Chidlow
in 1904, and the townsite of Wooroloo was declared in 1913.
A sanatorium
for people with tuberculosis
and leprosy
was built in 1915, but by the 1960s the sanatorium was no longer required and the institution became a general hospital for the surrounding district. The facility was subsequently converted into a prison after Corrective Services took over the site in 1972.
In 1970, Ray Williams, a Perth businessman, travelled around the world looking for what he considered to be the perfect horse to breed and cross with Australian horses. He decided upon Andalusian horse
s after seeing them at an equestrian show in London, and subsequently travelled to Jerez de la Frontera
, Spain
and in September 1971 bought the stallion "Bodeguero" and five purebred mares. He then started the first Andalusian stud in Australia at Wooroloo, "Bodeguero Stud", which in 1974 was incorporated into El Caballo Blanco, now El Caballo Resort.
displays.
The town is the site of two major prisons in the Western Australian prison system, the minimum-security Wooroloo Prison
and the medium-security Acacia Prison
. The pool at Wooroloo Prison is open to local residents.
The population in 1991 was 761, and in 1996 was 853.
Wooroloo is currently served by the 328 Transperth
bus three times daily from Midland
, with a journey time of approximately 50 minutes. All services are operated by the Public Transport Authority.
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....
metropolitan area
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
, located off Great Eastern Highway
Great Eastern Highway
The Great Eastern Highway is a major road between the Western Australian cities of Perth and Kalgoorlie. It is a key route for vehicles accessing the eastern wheatbelt and the eastern goldfields...
in the eastern part of the Shire of Mundaring
Shire of Mundaring
The Shire of Mundaring is a Local Government Area on the eastern fringe of metropolitan Perth, the capital of Western Australia. The Shire covers an area of and has a population of 35,097 .-History:...
. 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,...
, Wooroloo had a population of 254.
History
The name comes from a NoongarNoongar
The Noongar are an indigenous Australian people who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the south coast...
Aboriginal
Indigenous 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....
word that was first recorded in 1841, with other spellings also used. A timber mill operated by Byfield Brothers commenced operations in the 1880s, and Byfield's Mill was established as a railway stopping place for the Eastern Railway in 1893, being renamed to Wooroloo in 1897.
A school opened on 22 August 1903 with 22 children and one teacher, and a community hall was built with help from residents of nearby Chidlow
Chidlow, Western Australia
Chidlow is a small community in the Shire of Mundaring approximately 45 kilometres east of Perth, Western Australia.-History:The Chidlow townsite was originally named Chidlow's Well after a small waterhole near the old Northam road. The watering place had been known to travellers for many years and...
in 1904, and the townsite of Wooroloo was declared in 1913.
A sanatorium
Sanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
for people with tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and leprosy
Leprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
was built in 1915, but by the 1960s the sanatorium was no longer required and the institution became a general hospital for the surrounding district. The facility was subsequently converted into a prison after Corrective Services took over the site in 1972.
In 1970, Ray Williams, a Perth businessman, travelled around the world looking for what he considered to be the perfect horse to breed and cross with Australian horses. He decided upon Andalusian horse
Andalusian horse
The Andalusian, also known as the Pure Spanish Horse or PRE , is a horse breed developed in the Iberian Peninsula. Its ancestors have been present on the Iberian Peninsula for thousands of years. The Andalusian has been recognized as an individual breed since the 15th century, and its conformation...
s after seeing them at an equestrian show in London, and subsequently travelled to Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera is a municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, situated midway between the sea and the mountains. , the city, the largest in the province, had 208,896 inhabitants; it is the fifth largest in Andalusia...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and in September 1971 bought the stallion "Bodeguero" and five purebred mares. He then started the first Andalusian stud in Australia at Wooroloo, "Bodeguero Stud", which in 1974 was incorporated into El Caballo Blanco, now El Caballo Resort.
Present day
Wooroloo contains a community hall, liquor and general store, post office and primary school (1903), and is also home to El Caballo Resort, with a convention centre and 18-hole golf course, as well as horse dressageDressage
Dressage is a competitive equestrian sport, defined by the International Equestrian Federation as "the highest expression of horse training." Competitions are held at all levels from amateur to the World Equestrian Games...
displays.
The town is the site of two major prisons in the Western Australian prison system, the minimum-security Wooroloo Prison
Wooroloo Prison
Wooroloo Prison Farm is an Australian minimum-security prison located in Wooroloo, Western Australia. It was established in 1972 under an arrangement that it would offer some of its amenities to the community of Wooroloo...
and the medium-security Acacia Prison
Acacia Prison
Acacia Prison is a medium security prison facility located in Wooroloo, Western Australia. The prison was opened in May 2001.Acacia was the first privately managed prison in Western Australia and was managed by Australian Integration Management Services Corporation for its first five years of...
. The pool at Wooroloo Prison is open to local residents.
The population in 1991 was 761, and in 1996 was 853.
Transport
Wooroloo, at 36 miles and 40 chains from Perth, was a booking railway station from 1897 to 1965 on the Eastern Railway (Western Australia).Wooroloo is currently served by the 328 Transperth
Transperth
Transperth is the brand name of the public transport system in Perth, Western Australia. It is operated by the Public Transport Authority.-History:...
bus three times daily from Midland
Midland railway station, Perth
Midland Train Station is a Transperth train station 16km from Perth Train Station, in Western Australia, and is the terminus of the current suburban rail service on the Midland Line.-History:...
, with a journey time of approximately 50 minutes. All services are operated by the Public Transport Authority.
Further reading
- Elliot, Ian (1983) Mundaring - A History of the Shire ISBN 0-9592776-0-9
- Spillman, Ken (2003) Life was meant to be here: community and local government in the Shire of Mundaring ISBN 0-9592776-3-3
External links
- Wooroloo on Geoscience AustraliaGeoscience AustraliaGeoscience Australia is an agency of the Australian federal government. It carries out geoscientific research.On a user pays basis it produces geospatial products such as topographic maps and satellite imagery.-History:...
- Mundaring and Hills Historical Society Website
- El Caballo Resort