Local Government
Kondinin
Region
Wheatbelt
Kondinin
Kondinin
Wheatbelt
Constructed from 1915
Type | Status | Date | Documents | More information |
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(no listings) |
Type | Status | Date | Documents |
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RHP - Does not warrant assessment | Current | 27 Mar 2020 |
Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | More information | |
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Category | Description | ||||
Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 18 Mar 1998 | Precincts |
Precincts |
|
Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 18 Mar 1998 | Category 3 |
Category 3 |
The precinct represents the railway line which was responsible for the
subsequent development of the Kondinin town and region.
Kondinin Ladies Rest Room
Goods Shed
Trembath Park
Railway Station
Water tank
Crane/ramp
Stock yards ref no. 2
Weighbridge ref no. 26
Fettlers Quarters ref no. 104
Turnaround SITE
Wheat bin CBH 1937 SITE
Cuseeden's Store SITE
In 1905 and 1906, 5.8 million acres of land
was classified for farming, 899,000 acres of which were first class land, but too far away from the then
existing railway infrastructure. Some pioneer settlers took up selections of some of that land in the
Kondinin area.
By 1909, a town was established in Kondinin. In c1911, the town had been planned for a different
location, but the railways put a bend in the proposed line, to what is now Kondinin which was further
east of the selected site. The town and railway were determined, in part, by the availability of a possible
water supply to service the trains and the settlers. The supply was subsequently obtained from
Woorkakanin Rock, a dam was constructed, and the water piped to the overhead water tank at the
railway. The overhead water tank provided water supplies for the steam trains. The goods shed and
wagon shed were also on site.
By 1913, a Kondinin Progress Association had formed, and wrote to the MP, NW Harper, to influence
the survey of the townsite. In 1914, with the railway line imminent, lands were resumed, and the
Surveyor General ordered that the district be surveyed. Surveyor Fox, in charge of the Narrogin lands
Office, surveyed 2 sections of 1/4 acre blocks adjacent to the railway station, thereby creating the
centre of Kondinin town. On 15 March 1915, the Yilliminning railway line from Narrogin, through
Dudinin and Kulin, opened through to Kondinin. The Public Works Department constructed the line
and handed it over to the Railways Department.
The railways practice was to locate towns 25 miles apart along the railway line, with sidings in-between
to facilitate the wheat cartage. However three strong groups emerged in the Kondinin area; Kulin,
Kondinin and Bendering, along the Yilliminning line. The Lands Department agreed to the retention
of the towns close together, although Bendering never progressed as a town, and Kondinin and Kulin
have experienced problems of two centres in close proximity.
With the construction of the line, the railway workers lived in barracks at the railway reserve. Cuseeden
established a store to serve the men on the railway construction. He established his store in about
1914, approximately 1/2 mile north of the existing townsite.
A triangle section of track constructed in 1915, and pointing due east, allowed for the trains to turnaround
as Kondinin was the railhead for a short while until the railway line connected through to
Narembeen in the north, on 22 December 1915. The weighbridge was located in close proximity to
the bagged wheat stacks, approximately opposite the Kondinin Hall.
By 1921, the Kondinin Railway Station had been constructed on the site. The station was located on
the opposite side of the railway line from the town, and proved to be inconvenient. The Ladies Waiting
room near the railway station was the original station at Kondinin prior to the construction of the brick
station in 1921 (demolished 1987). Narembeen subsequently remained the railhead until 16 March
1925, when the line finally connected to Merredin.
In 1937, bulk handling of the grain was introduced at the Kondinin Railway reserve with the advent of a
CBH bulk grain storage bin.
The goods shed and associated loading ramp and crane are still insitu. A workman was killed during
the erection of the crane at the railway station.
By 1974, the railway station was in an unsafe condition, and a public meeting in 1980 resulted in the
demolition of the station in 1987.
Precinct
Name | Type | Year From | Year To |
---|---|---|---|
WAGR | Architect | 1915 | - |
Ref ID No | Ref Name | Ref Source | Ref Date |
---|---|---|---|
A Webb; "Kondinin-Kalgarin-Hyden Community, Time and Place". | Shire of Kondinin | 1988 |
Precinct or Streetscape
Epoch | General | Specific |
---|---|---|
Original Use | Transport\Communications | Rail: Other |
Present Use | Transport\Communications | Rail: Other |
General | Specific |
---|---|
TRANSPORT & COMMUNICATIONS | Rail & light rail transport |
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