Mornington, Western Australia

Mornington, also known as Mornington Mills, is the site of former timber saw mills and a community on the Darling Range in Western Australia. It was part of the operations of Millars Karri and Jarrah Forests Limited. At the 2021 census, the area had a population of 42.

Mornington
Western Australia
Mornington is located in Western Australia
Mornington
Mornington
Map
Coordinates33°09′S 115°56′E / 33.150°S 115.933°E / -33.150; 115.933
Population42 (SAL 2021)[1]
Postcode(s)6221
Area238.5 km2 (92.1 sq mi)
Time zoneAWST (UTC+8)
Location
LGA(s)Shire of Harvey
State electorate(s)Murry-Wellington
Federal division(s)Forrest

The Millars timber railway system covered an extensive area east of Mornington.[2][3] It is east of the South Western Highway and South Western Railway, south of Wokalup and north of Benger.

It was fully operational as a company town by 1899 and, at its peak, it contained a school, two churches, a hall, and a company store. On 6 November 1920, the Jubilee locomotive carrying workers and timber from Mornington Mills to Wokelup derailed, killing nine people and injuring two. The town closed on 11 August 1961, when its workers moved to Yarloop.[4][5] The site of the mill was subsequently a Police Citizens Youth Club camp, Camp Mornington, which closed in 2020 due to financial pressures relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4][6] The remains of the community, railway line and the former saw mills have been regularly researched and written about.[7][8][9][10]

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Mornington (WA) (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.  
  2. ^ Map 5 page 266 of Gunzburg, Adrian; Austin, Jeff; Rail Heritage WA; Gunzburg, Adrian; Austin, Jeff (2008), Rails through the bush : timber and firewood tramways and railway contractors of Western Australia (2nd ed.), Rail Heritage WA, ISBN 978-0-9803922-2-7
  3. ^ Greenham and Evans (1903), Timber mills at Mornington, retrieved 11 November 2017
  4. ^ a b "Mornington Mill (fmr)". Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  5. ^ Fiore, Briana (26 May 2020). "The 100-year anniversary of WA's worst train crash". Harvey Waroona Reporter. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  6. ^ Fiore, Briana (7 July 2020). "Harvey PCYC and Camp Mornington close". Harvey Waroona Reporter. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  7. ^ Hamilton, Margaret, 1921-; Murdoch University. History Programme (1980), Mornington Mills : a record of an industrial archaeological dig at Mornington Mills, May 1980, undertaken by the Murdoch University History Programme, Murdoch University History Programme, ISBN 978-0-86905-053-8{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Fortune, Val (2000), Mornington as I knew it : a year 2000 project, Interesting Publications, ISBN 978-1-876760-04-5
  9. ^ Morton, Viv (1980), Memories of Mornington Mills, V. Morton, retrieved 11 November 2017
  10. ^ Fryer, Lew (1992), Ground plan of Mornington Mills of the late 20s to early 30s as I remember driving on every track delivering stores to all residences, retrieved 11 November 2017