Brookton is a town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, 138 kilometres (86 mi) from the state capital, Perth via the Brookton Highway where it crosses the Great Southern Highway. The town is on the Great Southern railway line. It is within, and is the seat of government for, the Shire of Brookton. At the 2016 census, Brookton had a population of 975.[2]
| Brookton Western Australia | |||||||||
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 View of Robinson Road, Brookton, 2014 | |||||||||
  Brookton | |||||||||
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| Coordinates | 32°22′05″S 117°00′22″E / 32.368°S 117.006°E | ||||||||
| Population | 532 (UCL 2021)[1] | ||||||||
| Established | 1890s | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 6306 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 250 m (820 ft) | ||||||||
| Area | 580.9 km2 (224.3 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Location | 138 km (86 mi) ESE of Perth | ||||||||
| LGA(s) | Shire of Brookton | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Wagin | ||||||||
| Federal division(s) | O'Connor | ||||||||
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History
editThe first settler and founder of the Brookton district, John Seabrook (1818–1891), moved to the area in 1846 soon after marrying, and named his property "Brookton House". He remained the only European in the area, aside from itinerant sandalwood cutters, until his stepson, A. W. Robinson, took up adjacent land in 1864. During the 1860s and 1870s, more settlers moved into the area, and took on sandalwood cutting – it sold for £8.9 per tonne (£9 per long ton) – as well as wheat and sheep farming.
In June 1889, when the Great Southern Railway opened, Brookton was one of the original stations. The station proved to be the catalyst that created a centre for the isolated farms, and the government gazetted a townsite here in 1895 and named it "Seabrook" but local acceptance of the station name and confusion with another Seabrook near York resulted in the townsite's name being changed to Brookton in 1899. The townsite attracted a few businesses and by 1903, the tiny settlement comprised a school, hotel, bank and a few shops. The Old Police Station Museum located in the town is the base of the local historical society and contains artifacts and memorabilia of the early settlement days.[3][4][5]
A bulk wheat bin was opened in December 1940 and began receiving large amounts of grain immediately.[6] In 1941 the wheat harvest of the surrounding area was about 3,300 cubic metres (90,000 imperial bushels) all delivered to the local bulk wheat bin. This was about 180 cubic metres (5,000 imperial bushels) bushels down from the previous year.[7]
Present day
edit
Brookton is located on Great Southern Highway, 138 kilometres (86 mi) east of Perth via Brookton Highway and is a key agricultural centre for a rich mixed farming district. In the 2016 census it reported a population of 975.[8] It contains a TAFE centre, and in addition, a district high school (opened 1960, replacing a primary school), Bendigo Bank, shopping facilities, accommodation (hotel, motel, caravan park), council offices and a telecentre are located within the town. Bi-annually, it hosts the Old Time Motor Show.
Climate
edit| Climate data for Brookton | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 44.9 (112.8) |
46.2 (115.2) |
41.0 (105.8) |
37.8 (100.0) |
34.5 (94.1) |
25.0 (77.0) |
24.0 (75.2) |
26.7 (80.1) |
33.1 (91.6) |
37.1 (98.8) |
41.3 (106.3) |
43.5 (110.3) |
46.2 (115.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 32.9 (91.2) |
32.3 (90.1) |
29.5 (85.1) |
25.0 (77.0) |
20.5 (68.9) |
17.1 (62.8) |
16.1 (61.0) |
16.8 (62.2) |
19.1 (66.4) |
23.2 (73.8) |
27.4 (81.3) |
31.0 (87.8) |
24.2 (75.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 15.5 (59.9) |
16.0 (60.8) |
14.3 (57.7) |
11.2 (52.2) |
7.7 (45.9) |
5.6 (42.1) |
4.5 (40.1) |
4.6 (40.3) |
5.3 (41.5) |
7.4 (45.3) |
11.0 (51.8) |
13.5 (56.3) |
9.7 (49.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 7.0 (44.6) |
5.0 (41.0) |
3.0 (37.4) |
1.1 (34.0) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
3.0 (37.4) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 12.6 (0.50) |
14.2 (0.56) |
17.9 (0.70) |
25.6 (1.01) |
57.3 (2.26) |
85.5 (3.37) |
85.6 (3.37) |
61.9 (2.44) |
38.9 (1.53) |
25.5 (1.00) |
14.8 (0.58) |
10.3 (0.41) |
449.4 (17.69) |
| Average precipitation days | 2.2 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 5.7 | 10.2 | 14.2 | 15.6 | 13.6 | 10.4 | 7.2 | 4.0 | 2.6 | 91.2 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 29 | 34 | 37 | 45 | 53 | 62 | 66 | 61 | 55 | 41 | 32 | 28 | 45 |
| Source: [10] | |||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Brookton (urban centre and locality)". Australian Census 2021.
- ^ "2016 Brookton (S), Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics". www.abs.gov.au. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
- ^ "History of country town names – B". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2007.
- ^ Shire of Brookton. "Shire Profile". Retrieved 14 October 2006.
- ^ Sydney Morning Herald (28 February 2004). "Travel – Brookton". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 October 2006.
- ^ "Seasonal conditions". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 31 December 1940. p. 9. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ "Seasonal conditions". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 4 February 1941. p. 4. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ "2016 Census QuickStats: Brookton (S)".
- ^ GS2 timetable[permanent dead link] (1 August 2016). Retrieved on 14 June 2018.
- ^ "Climate statistics for". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
External links
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Media related to Brookton, Western Australia at Wikimedia Commons