Kulin, Western Australia

Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Kulin

---

caption = Tin Horse Character near Kulin
lga = Shire of Kulin
est = 1900s
postcode = 6365
pop = 353 [Census 2006 AUS | id = UCL514000 | name = Kulin (L) (Urban Centre/Locality) | quick = on | accessdate = 2008-08-29]
dist1 = 283 | location1 = Perth
dist2 = 23 | location2 = Kondinin
fedgov = O'Connor
stategov = Wagin
state = wacoord|-32.671|118.153|type:city(353)_region:AU-WA_scale:50000|format=dms|display=title

Kulin is a town located in the Eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, approximately 280 km from Perth. It is the main town in the Shire of Kulin.

History

The first European known to have visited the Kulin area was Captain John Septimus Roe, Surveyor General of the Swan River Colony on his 1848-49 expedition to examine the south coast. He encountered a group of Aborigines 34 miles east of Nalyaring (near Brookton) who guided the expedition party to several water sources, including the Kulin Rock soak, before leaving the party at Yeerakine (just south and east of Kondinin) as this was the limit of their territory. These guides used the name 'Coolin' to describe the area now known as Kulin Rock.

In the early years, settlers occasionally encountered groups of Aborigines hunting possums. Although artifacts such as grinding stones and stone choppers have been found in the district, no signs of permanent occupation were found by early settlers other than the mia-mias built by "Europeanised" Aboriginal shepherds from Narrogin in the employ of Michael Brown.

Michael Brown, a businessman from Narrogin, took up large pastoral leases in the Kulin/Kondinin area including Kulin Rock and Gnarming in 1905. These and other leases in the area were terminated in 1909/1910 to allow the government to distribute the land for agricultural purposes.

The first land selected for farming in the Kulin area was at Wogolin and Dudinin in January 1909 - extending from the more established areas of Narrogin and Wickepin. Settlement did not proceed evenly from this direction however as early farmers selected areas with better soils or reliable water sources. This was the case at Kulin Rock with Edward John (Dick) Reardon and Michael Healy arriving there in February 1909 to take up farming land. Much of this activity took place before the official survey at the end of 1909 including James Fitt (previously an overseer for Michael Brown) taking up land adjoining Jilakin Rock and at Jitarning.

Jilakin had been the original name of the location in 1913; in 1915 it was changed to Kulin. [ Jarvis, Neil (1986) "Western Australia, an atlas of human endeavour" Perth, W.A.: Dept. of Lands and Surveys in association with the Education Dept. of Western Australia 2nd ed. ISBN 0730900827 Previous ed.: Perth, W.A.: Government Printer, 1979. p. 46 ]

Present day

Kulin has a population of about 350 and is an agricultural centre for a district whose main activities are wheat and sheep farming. Wildflower viewing is possible during September and October. The town contains a district high school, a Bendigo Bank, shopping facilities, accommodation (hotel, motel, caravan park), council offices and a telecentre. Every year in October, it hosts the Kulin Bush Races.

The town is a stop on the Transwa bus service to Esperance. [ [http://www.transwa.wa.gov.au/Portals/0/GE2.pdf GE2 timetable] , TransWA, effective 1 November 2006. Accessed 7 November 2006.]

Tin Horses

The roads leading into and through Kulin have a collection of over 100 characters. The largest is 10 m long and stands 5 m high. All the characters are made primarily from lubricant tins and drums. The characters are from entries into the annual competition [http://www.kulin.wa.gov.au/tourism_and_local_events/kulin_bush_races/tin_horse_competition] as part of the local race day.

Kulin Bush Races

The Kulin Bush Races is an annual event involving horse races, betting, alcohol and fireworks. It is held on one day, but campers can sleep the night the day before and after the event. All money made from the event is put back into the community.

References

Further reading

*Greble, William E. (1976). "A Bold Yeomanry: Social Change in a Wheat Belt District, Kulin 1848-1970". Perth: Creative Research. ISBN 0-908469-07-1

External links

* [http://www.kulin.wa.gov.au Shire of Kulin]