Wheatbelt (Western Australia)

Ecosystems

The area, once a diverse ecosystem, reduced when clearing began in the 1890s with the removal of plant species such as eucalypt woodlands and mallee, is now home to around 11% of Australia's critically endangered plants.

A number of nationally threatened birds reside in the Wheatbelt, including the endangered Carnaby's black cockatoo and the vulnerable malleefowl.

The Wheatbelt encompasses a range of ecosystems and, as a result, there are a range of industries operating in the region.

In the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia there are a number of subdivisions such as the Avon Wheatbelt (AVW), and a further breakdown of Avon Wheatbelt P1 (AW1) and Avon Wheatbelt P2 (AW2), Jarrah Forest, Geraldton Sandplains and Mallee regions.

Industry and economy

Near the coast, the region receives relatively high rainfall and mild temperatures, and its 150 km of coastline is a significant tourist area. In contrast, the eastern fringe is very arid, and is mainly used for pastoral farming of sheep. Mining of gold, nickel and iron ore also occurs. The remainder of the region is highly suited to agriculture, and is the source of nearly two thirds of the state's wheat production, half of its wool production, and the majority of its lamb and mutton, oranges, honey, cut flowers and a range of other agricultural and pastoral products.

Change

With a range of climate and economic changes in the region, considerable effort is made by government at all levels to cope with the decline of some communities, and create opportunities for ventures that keep population in the region. Cultural change with population changes in many localities has been identified by local museums and historical societies, including online documentation.

• Bruce Rock
• Corrigin
• Cunderdin
• Dowerin
• Goomalling
• Hyden
• Kellerberrin
• Koorda
• Kulin
• Lake Grace
• Meckering
• Merredin
• Narrembeen
• Newdegate
• Nungarin
• Southern Cross
• Westonia
• Wyalkatchem
• Yelbeni

Also the literary tradition of writers including the wheatbelt in their writing included:

• Albert Facey
• Peter Cowan
• Dorothy Hewett
• Jack Davis
• Elizabeth Jolley
• John Kinsella

Lesser known writers also have the wheatbelt environment in their writing such as Lilian Wooster Greaves. Arthur Upfield set one of his Napoleon Bonaparte bush mysteries, Mr. Jelly's Business (also titled "Murder Down Under"), in the town of Burracoppin in the Wheat Belt.

Transport

The Wheatbelt once had an extensive railway system, which transported bulk wheat grain. It has been reduced in part, while the main lines are being supported. Grain is transported on those lines to ports for export from the CBH grain receival points (grain silos), which are primarily located in the Wheatbelt region.

Six main highways radiating out from Perth serve the Wheatbelt: Brand Highway (north-west to ), Great Northern Highway (north-east to ), Great Eastern Highway (east to ), Great Southern Highway (east to , then south to ), Brookton Highway (east-south-east to ), and Albany Highway (south-east to ). A network of main roads connects towns within the Wheatbelt to each other, the highways, and neighbouring regions, with local roads providing additional links and access to smaller townsites. Roads are often named after the towns they connect.

Local government areas

The following list is the shires listed in the Wheatbelt as designated by the Wheatbelt Development Commission. Some shires in adjoining regions are traditionally considered part of the Wheatbelt – there are shires in the Great Southern, Goldfields-Esperance and Mid West regions that are dominantly grain growing areas.

• Beverley
• Brookton
• Bruce Rock
• Chittering
• Corrigin
• Cuballing
• Cunderdin
• Dandaragan
• Dalwallinu
• Dowerin
• Dumbleyung
• Gingin
• Goomalling
• Kellerberrin
• Kondinin
• Koorda
• Kulin
• Lake Grace
• Merredin
• Moora
• Mount Marshall
• Mukinbudin
• Narembeen
• Narrogin
• Northam
• Nungarin
• Pingelly
• Quairading
• Tammin
• Toodyay
• Trayning
• Victoria Plains
• Wagin
• Wandering
• West Arthur
• Westonia
• Wickepin
• Williams
• Wongan-Ballidu
• Wyalkatchem
• Yilgarn
• York

|File:Wheatbelt panorama-2.JPG |Wheat growing north-east of Northam

Sub-regions within the Wheatbelt

There are numerous subdivisions of the Wheatbelt, and in most cases the separation is by local government areas.

Wheatbelt Development Commission

The Wheatbelt Development Commission (WDC) breaks the region up into five sub-regions with four offices:

Avon

• Shire of Beverley
• Shire of Cunderdin
• Shire of Dowerin
• Shire of Goomalling
• Shire of Koorda
• Shire of Northam – WDC office in Northam
• Shire of Quairading
• Shire of Tammin
• Shire of Toodyay
• Shire of Wyalkatchem
• Shire of York

Central Coast

• Shire of Chittering
• Shire of Dandaragan
• Shire of Gingin

Central Midlands

• Shire of Dalwallinu
• Shire of Moora – WDC office in Moora
• Shire of Victoria Plains
• Shire of Wongan-Ballidu

Central East

• Shire of Bruce Rock
• Shire of Kellerberrin
• Shire of Merredin – WDC office in Merredin
• Shire of Mount Marshall
• Shire of Mukinbudin
• Shire of Narembeen
• Shire of Nungarin
• Shire of Trayning
• Shire of Westonia
• Shire of Yilgarn

Wheatbelt South

• Shire of Brookton
• Shire of Corrigin
• Shire of Cuballing
• Shire of Dumbleyung
• Shire of Kondinin
• Shire of Kulin
• Shire of Lake Grace
• Shire of Narrogin – WDC office in Narrogin
• Shire of Pingelly
• Shire of Wagin
• Shire of Wandering
• Shire of West Arthur
• Shire of Wickepin
• Shire of Williams

Tourism regions

Most of the Wheatbelt is included in the larger Australia's Golden Outback.

Due to their proximity to Perth, however, the following shires are instead promoted as part of the Destination Perth region. The tourist precincts are included:

• Avon Valley
  • Beverley
  • Brookton
  • Goomalling
  • Northam
  • Toodyay
  • Victoria Plains
  • York
• Peel and Rockingham
  • Wandering
• Sunset Coast
  • Gingin
• Swan Valley
  • Chittering

Finally, the northwestern Shire of Dandaragan is promoted as part of Australia's Coral Coast region due to the presence of the larger seaside towns of Cervantes and Jurien Bay, which developed independently of wheat-growing.

Other regional designations

The Wheatbelt is separated into other designations at various times as well:

• Wheatbelt North East
• Wheatbelt Central
• The Open Wheatbelt

Notes

References

References

1. (13 October 1920). "THE WHEAT BELT.". [[The West Australian]].
2. (27 April 1911). "The New Agricultural Commissioner for Western Australia's Wheat Belt.". [[Bunbury Herald]].
3. (2014). "Government of Western Australia Department of Regional Development". Wheatbelt: a region in profile 2014.
4. (1 September 2016). "Hanging on: What does it mean to be Red Hot?: Australia's most imperilled plants and their recovery". Wildlife Australia.
5. [https://www.environment.gov.au/resource/nationally-threatened-birds-western-wheatbelt Nationally threatened birds of the Western wheatbelt] Australian government, Environment Australia 2000, accessed 7 May 2019
6. "Wheatbelt Development Commission".
7. "Museums in the wheatbelt".
8. "Like nothing on this earth : [a literary history of the wheatbelt]". UWA Publishing.
9. {{cite MRWA map. WB-ISA
10. {{cite MRWA map. WN
11. {{cite MRWA map. WS
12. http://wheatbelt.wa.gov.au/Maps – the most helpful maps being the "Wheatbelt Development Commission Map"
13. "Wheatbelt Development Commission".
14. (2020). "Western Australia's golden outback self drive guide : Gascoyne & Murchison, Wheatbelt, Esperance & Fitzgerald Coast, Kalgoorlie & Goldfields". Australia's Golden Outback.
15. "Western Australia's Wheatbelt Holiday Destination | Australia's Golden Outback". Australia's Golden Outback.
16. (2020). "Australia's golden outback, Western Australia : holiday planner". Western Australian Visitor Centre.
17. "Conditions of Membership".
18. "Avon Valley".
19. "The Coral Coast Highway".
20. (1995). "North-east wheatbelt remnant vegetation survey. Volume A, Koorda : prepared for WA Department of Agriculture". The Dept.
21. (2000). "Regional assessment of the wheatbelt of Western Australia : Central Wheatbelt". Murdoch University.
22. (2013). "The Open Wheatbelt". [Mount Hawthorn, Western Australia] Promaco Geodraft.