Merredin

 

Merredin is located 256 kilometres east of Perth in the Central Wheatbelt. Prior to European settlement the area was inhabited by the Nyaki-Nyaki Noongar Aboriginal language group. 

The many granite outcrops, waterways, land formations and flora and fauna within the region holds much cultural significance to the Traditional Owners through a continued relationship that spans over thousands of years. 
It is thought that Merredin’s name came from the Merritt trees the Njaki Njaki people used to make spears.

 

Bush camp near Merridin, 1914

Merredin’s European history began as a rest stop and water point on the way to the prosperous Goldfields of Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie in the late 1880's.
In 1906 land in the present townsite was offered for sale resulting in a hotel, some general stores, a tailor's shop and a boarding house. In 1910 another 120 lots of land were surveyed and sold.
Today Merredin is an important service town for the surrounding district with a population of 3,630 people.  Around 40% of Western Australia’s wheat production comes from the area. Sheep farming is also popular in the region.
 

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