Coorow, Western Australia
| Coorow Western Australia | |
|---|---|
 Main Street, Coorow, 2013. | |
  Coorow | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 29°53′S 116°01′E / 29.88°S 116.02°E |
| Population | 179 (SAL 2021)[1] |
| Established | 1893 |
| Postcode(s) | 6515 |
| Elevation | 272 m (892 ft) |
| Area | 258.7 km2 (99.9 sq mi) |
| Location | |
| LGA(s) | Shire of Coorow |
| State electorate(s) | Moore |
| Federal division(s) | Durack |
Coorow is a town in the Mid West region of Western Australia, 264 kilometres (164 mi) north of Perth.
History
[edit]The townsite of Coorow was gazetted in 1893. Its name is derived from the Aboriginal name of a nearby spring, first recorded in 1872. The meaning of the name may be from the word "Curro", which is the Aboriginal word for a variety of Portulaca; another source gives it as "many mists".[2]
The town experienced some flooding in 1918 following a deluge of 2.53 inches (64 mm) of rain overnight. The Moore River broke its banks and caused much more severe flooding downstream at Moora.[3]
After rapid growth through the early 1920s local settlers began to seek obtaining a hotel licence for the town in 1927.[4] The licence was granted in 1929 to Alexander Gloster who put forward a tender of £1,750, and submitted his plans for approval.[5]
The hotel was erected at a cost of £13,000 and constructed of cement blocks and brick. The two storey building held fifteen rooms for accommodation on the top floor and more accommodation along with a kitchen, bar, commercial room, saloon and laundry on the ground floor. The building was sewered, with hot and cold water to all rooms, and had an electrical plant installed.[6]
In 1932 the Wheat Pool of Western Australia announced that the town would have two grain elevators, each fitted with an engine, installed at the railway siding.[7]
The town was flooded in 1932 following torrential rains in the area. The town was left under water for at least a day but the water flowed rapidly away down the Moore River. It was feared at one point that the town dam would burst from the pressure.[8] Roads were cut from washaways and the streets and flooded buildings were left deep in mud with some stock losses, mostly sheep, being reported.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Coorow (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "History of country town names – C". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2007.
- ^ "Another Flood". The Daily News. Perthn. 16 September 1918. p. 4. Retrieved 30 March 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Coorow". Sunday Times. Perth. 20 March 1927. p. 19. Retrieved 30 March 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "New Coorow Hotel". The West Australian. Perth. 18 September 1929. p. 16. Retrieved 30 March 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Coorow Hotel". The West Australian. Perth. 6 September 1930. p. 6. Retrieved 30 March 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Country elevators". The West Australian. Perth. 6 July 1932. p. 10. Retrieved 6 April 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Moora receives the full force of flood". The Daily News. Perth. 9 August 1932. p. 1. Retrieved 30 March 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Floods in WA". The Mercury. Hobart, Tasmania. 10 August 1932. p. 9. Retrieved 30 March 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Coorow, Western Australia at Wikimedia Commons