Kondinin Town Centre Precinct

Statement of Significance

The precinct represents the phases of development of the Kondinin town and region.

Physical Description

Wests Shops Ref. No. 3 Kondinin Kash & Karry Ref. No. 13 Bankwest Ref. No. 27 Shire Offices Ref. No. 28 National Bank Ref. No. 29 fmr Kondinin Kourier print shop SITE Ref. No. 105 fmr National Bank & resid Ref. No. 4 Mahons Store Ref. No. 5 Graham's store SITE Ref. No. 106 fmr Stationmaster's house Ref. No. 15 Roads Board office SITE Ref. No. 107 fmr Post Office residence Ref. No. 16 Kondinin Post Office cnr Gordon Ref. No. 17 Blue Bird Tearooms Connell's corner SITE Ref. No. 108 Connell's Buildings SITE Ref. No. 109 Garden of Memory SITE Ref. No. 110 Kondinin Hall Ref. No. 18 Holloway's Ref. No. 6 Paddy Rowe's Boarding house SITE Ref. No. 111 Lynch's Boarding House SITE Ref. No. 112 fmr Bakery Ref. No. 7 Kondinin Hotel SITE Ref. No. 113 Kondinin Roads Board Hall SITE Ref. No. 114 Mon Repose Boarding house Ref. No. 1 former CWA Ref. No. 20 Smeed's Hardware shop Ref. No. 21 Garage & adj hse Ref. No. 22

History

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. 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 railways practice was to locate towns 25 miles apart along the railway line, however, 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. 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. One interpretation of the meaning of Kondinin is; Kon, an aboriginal swearword; in, dry; inin, very dry.

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