Text Box: # Great Southern Family History Society covers the Great Southern area of Western Australia with Katanning as the central town. Some of the other towns included in our membership area are Broomehill, Cranbrook, Dumbleyung, Gnowangerup, Kojonup, Tambellup, Nyabing, Wagin, and Woodanilling. We are an independent Society, formed in March 2000, but our members are not new to Genealogy. We actually began as Katanning Family History Group, way back in 1985. We didn't even have a home then, and the books, fiche and micro-fiche readers lived in a member’s lounge room, and were carted along to wherever the meeting happened to be that month. We were then given a corner of the Old Mill, a historical building in Katanning, but it was a very dark, dusty and damp building, and turned out not to be the ideal place for our library. We then approached the Katanning Shire, which was most accommodating, giving us a room upstairs in the Katanning Town Hall. By this time, we had become Great Southern Branch of the Western Australian Genealogical Society Inc, a title we held until March 2000. In the meantime, the Katanning Shire began plans for a new Library/Art Gallery Complex, and we successfully applied to have our Genealogical Library included in the new building. So finally, late in 1999, we moved into our new, permanent home in Austral Terrace. Due to the impending changes to Australia's taxation laws, namely the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax, the Western Australian Genealogical Society Inc decided that a restructure of the organisation was in order, and as a result, the Branches ceased to exist. Former members of Great Southern Branch held a meeting to discuss the future of Genealogy in the area, and set up our new organisation, Great Southern Family History Society to service the genealogical needs of residents of the Great Southern District of Western Australia. Broomehill Broomehill, like Katanning 20 kilometres to the north, was planned as a township along the route of the Great Southern Railway, which was constructed between Beverley and Albany in the late 1880's. The town was founded under the Land Grant System, and named Broome Hill after the Governor, Sir Frederick Napier Broome. The opening of the line in 1889 was soon followed by the purchase of town lots, and the first buildings (two hotels and two stores) were erected by November of the same year. Long before the introduction of the regular time table in June 1889, settlers made good use of the railway. From August 1888, they had been travelling to and from Albany at a cost of 3d (pence) per mile and, in November/December 1888, farmers sent all of their clip to Albany by train at 6 shillings per bale freight. However, first settlement in the district was much earlier. By 1852, pastoral leases had been taken out near a pool on the Gordon River about 5 kilometres south-west of the Broome Hill site. The aboriginal name for the pool was Yeeticup meaning Singing Place or Song Camping Place, but the settlement that gradually grew nearby was always called Eticup, and it was Patrick Garrity, owner of the Eticup Inn, John Garrity and R&D Krakouer, owners of the two Eticup Stores, and another Eticup settler, Patrick Carmody, who built in Broome Hill in 1899. In 1892, the Broome Hill district, which included the areas that are now the Shires of Gnowangerup and Tambellup, was excised from the Kojonup Road Board, and a Broome Hill Road Board elected. The Post Office and the Police Station were built in 1892 and both still stand today, although the latter is now the Anglican Church of St Elizabeth of Hungary and is heritage listed. Formal schooling for children was also started in 1892. In 1893, Carmody's son John, and brothers Rudolph and David Krakouer accompanied John Holland in the blazing of Holland Track, creating a direct route from Broome Hill to the new goldfields at Coolgardie, through more than 500 kilometres of virgin country. This cut weeks off the usual journey. The Shire of Broomehill (the spelling was changed to one word in 1959) is a farming area with cropping in cereals, canola and pulses, and sheep production for both meat and wool. It is also well known for the quality rams produced from the many stud farms within the district. Although it is a small community (present population 600), the residents successfully organised and hosted an Aquafest and Boat Show in 1999. Despite the absence of any large expanse of water, the event attracted a large number of participants and spectators, and was so successful that the event was repeated the following year. Dumbleyung Dumbleyung, which became a townsite in 1906, is surrounded by a rural district dominated by wheat farming. It lies 53 kilometres North-East of Katanning, and is 38 kilometres West of Kukerin, a busy grain receival and delivery centre. The name Dumbleyung is thought to be taken from the Aboriginal word Dambeling, meaning large lake or sea. Lake Dumbleyung is a wildlife sanctuary fed by the Coblinine River, and is one of the largest inland salt lakes in Western Australia. Dumbleyung and its Lake made world headlines in 1964 when the late Sir Donald Campbell broke the world water speed record at 273.3 miles per hour, or 442.08 kilometres per hour, in his boat Bluebird. The Dumbleyung area was first travelled by explorers Landor and Lefroy in 1834, some thirty years before pastoralists, sandalwood cutters and overlanders settled the district. In the 1870's one of the first homesteads to be built in the Dumbleyung area was on the property known as Wheatfields, constructed from native timber and materials. It was owned by George Kersley, who brought the first flock of sheep to the district in 1875. Like Katanning and other towns in the region, the railway was very important to their prosperity, and as Dumbleyung was the terminus, it became a natural meeting place for settlers meeting or farewelling their families, relatives and friends on the weekly train. Although the importance of the railway has been overtaken by road freight, and the population of the township has declined, the area remains as one of Western Australia's important agricultural and grain handling centres. Gnowangerup - Gateway to the Stirlings The name Gnowangerup is derived from Gnow the Noongar, or south west aboriginal, word for Malleefowl. For thousands of years the plains were hunting grounds for the Goreng Noongars - evidenced by stone implements still found along the creeks. Gnowangerup, situated 342 kms from Perth, provides access to the Stirling Range National Park approximately 56 kms to the south, and is the centre of a major sheep producing and grain growing area. Gnowangerup forms the eastern point of a triangle connecting with Tambellup and Broomehill. The first European to report on this area was the Surveyor General, John Septimus Roe, who passed through the area in 1835. In the nineteenth century Sandalwood cutting played an important role in the area, as it did in other areas in the Great Southern, and a sandalwood cutters' camp was established to the east in the 1840's. While some settlement took place in the second half of the nineteenth century, it wasn't until 1905 that Gnowangerup was surveyed for town lots. A number of attractive buildings constructed during the pioneering days still remain, including the Memorial Hall, present Shire Office, Banks, early Hospital, St Margaret's Anglican Church and the Hotel. Gnowangerup's population is now approximately 900 and supports a number of light industries including Silo Manufacturing, Fencing Wire Fabrication, and Transport. It also boasts a District High School, Agricultural Farm School, Hospital, Pharmacy, Post Office, Banks and Sporting Facilities. A local tourist attraction is the large steam tractor, imported in 1889, which is now situated adjacent to the Shire Office. As it was used to clear much of the local countryside, it stands as a monument to the settlers of the district. Katanning - Heart of the Great Southern Katanning (known originally as Ke'-tungain or Ke'tungup) was the junction point of three aboriginal tribal grounds whose people lived in the area long before it was occupied by its first white settlers. Katanning's name originated from the languages of these tribes, and the most popular version of its meaning is meeting place. The aboriginal use of words ending with up or ing, both suffixes meaning place of, is evident in many Western Australian town names. Agricultural farmers and sandalwood cutters settled the area from the 1840's, and Katanning became a meeting place for traders and landowners alike. In 1889 the Great Southern Railway was opened, and although Katanning didn't officially become a town until 1898, its founding father, F.H. Piesse, had already established his farm and orchard, a hotel, and other buildings including shops and a bank. A dam on his property, which he allowed the townsfolk to use free of charge, supplied water to his brickworks, aerated water factory and roller flourmill. The entire Piesse complex was supplied with electric power generated by the flour mill machinery, and in 1902 Katanning became the first country town in Western Australia to have street lighting. Later, the establishment of the stock-selling yards, the largest in Western Australia outside the metropolitan area, strengthened Katanning's role as an important commercial centre for industries associated with stock production. The export abbattoir was opened in 1974, and with the arrival of a large number of Christmas Islander workers and their families, Katanning became a town with an ethnic influence. Today, more than a hundred years after its foundation, Katanning remains an important centre for the trading and transportation of stock and agricultural based activities in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, and a meeting place for shopping, sport, entertainment and commerce. Kojonup Nestling in the rural heartland of the Great Southern region, historic Kojonup is more than just a gateway to the beautiful South. Settled over 150 years ago, this bustling rural town still bears all the trademarks of a traditional country settlement, with its historic buildings and friendly, safe atmosphere. At the heart of Kojonup is the fresh water spring which first attracted European settlers to the town in 1837. Overlooking the Spring is the old Military Barracks, constructed in 1845 and one of the oldest surviving military buildings in Western Australia. Today Kojonup is a thriving country town, proud of its heritage but looking to the future. Located on Highway 95, running directly from Perth to the historic port of Albany, Kojonup is just a two hour drive from the state capital, and a short 160km from Albany. It is the administrative and commercial centre of a prosperous pastoral district, offering a wealth of business and lifestyle opportunities to those who set store by traditional Australian values. Tambellup - Town of Friendship The name Tambellup is derived from a native word meaning Place of the Tamars, which are small marsupials that once flourished in the area, although some also believe it means Place of Thunder. Tambellup is situated 328 kilometres south of Perth on the Great Southern Highway. The region centre is Katanning, 44 kilometres to the north. In 1873 Josiah Norrish and his wife Ellen (nee Cull) took up property east of the present townsite, but like many other towns in the region, it wasn't until the opening of the railway line in 1889, that permanent settlers began to arrive in the district. They concentrated initially on sandalwood cutting and later, on sheep breeding. The townsite, built around both sides of the railway line, was gazetted in 1899. The Shire of Tambellup comprises an area of 1,437 square kilometres, with an approximate population of 735. The district is mainly agricultural, farming mainly coarse grains and clover, as well as sheep for wool and fat lambs, and some cattle and pigs. Although the population is small, members of the Tambellup community enjoy a variety of recreational and sporting facilities, and the town is well known for its avenue of friendship trees at the northern entrance. In addition, at each entrance is a Lions Club big willy sign which depicts the local fauna (Willy Wagtail). Wagin Like Katanning, Wagin owes its establishment as a town to the Great Southern Railway, which was officially opened in 1889, linking Perth and Albany, and several settlements en route. However, it wasn't until 1898 t hat Wagin was gazetted, and it became the most important town outside Perth and Albany (from the railway's point of view). The growth of the township and district of Wagin can also partly be attributed to Charles Piesse, brother to Frederick, who was instrumental in the success of Katanning as an agricultural and commercial trade centre. Apart from their farming pursuits, the brothers formed a partnership to open stores initially in Williams and Arthur River, then later in Narrogin, Wagin and Katanning. Charles was particularly interested in grape growing, and produced a burgundy that gained him first prize in a Paris wine exhibition. The 1890's also saw an influx of farmers from South Australia, who brought with them new ideas and methods of clearing and developing the land. Up to this period, there were few settlers in the district, consisting mostly of kangaroo hunters, sandalwooders or shepherds based at York or Beverley. As these wanderers moved through they occasionally discovered an area with good soil and water which was fresh and permanent, and decided to stay. With a suitable climate, sufficient rainfall, and the improvement in farming methods, farmers established fruit, grain and fodder crops, and pasture for sheep. Although in 1906, Wagin, Katanning and Kojonup produced the third largest amount of grain in the state, the emphasis on crops took second place in passing years, and the district gradually became more important as a sheep breeding area. Complementing the sheep growing industry of the Great Southern, Wagin has become a focal town nationwide through Woolerama, establishing this annual event as the premier sheep and wool showpiece in Western Australia. Woolerama attracts sheep breeders Australia wide, and has from 1972 grown to compare favourably with other major sheep shows in Australia. Situated in one of the most prosperous agricultural and farming areas of the Great Southern, the district has arguably the best sheep, wool and mixed farming areas in Western Australia.

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