(C) Don Copley

KELLERBERRIN

HEMA Map reference 74/C6

31° 38' 17" S 117° 42' 47" E

Statistics

Caravan Parks

Kellerberrin             08 9045 4066

Services

Attractions

Gardner Nature Reserve (35km south west), Mt Caroline, Folk museum,  Milligan homestead, Mt Stirling, Kokerbin hill 20km south), Kellerberrin Lookout, Wildflowers in spring. Town heritage trail, Durakoppin Reserve (27km north).

Buildings of note

Former agricultural hall 1890, Post office 1912.

Calendar of events

March, Aboriginal cultural festival. April (biennial): Dreaming festival. May, Harness Racing Cup. September, Agricultural show.

(C) Don Copley

Description

The area was first visited by Robert Dale who led an exploratory party inland from York in the 1830. Charles Hunt was later commissioned by the government to sink wells in the area and during his travels he discovered and named Killaberrin hill. From 1861 pastoralists moved in to the district. (Another source says the name Killaburnin was used by an explorer in 1861 and that C. C. Hunt used the name Kellerberrin in 1864.)

Among the earliest settlers were : Massingham, Leake, Sewell and Ripper. By 1877 these families had established the properties of Cuttening, Milligan, Mooranoppin and Mt Caroline.

The Northam to Southern Cross railway was constructed in 1895 and Kellerberrin was a station on the line.
 

Charles Glass found gold while sinking a well in the area and a prospecting party was quickly formed to examine his land for more signs but none was found. The party decided to move further out towards the Yilgarn hills (Yilgarn is the Aboriginal name for white quartz.) The leader of the party (Colreavy) reported back to Perth that there was no evidence of gold but as soon as his services were terminated he and a mate provisioned themselves and quickly went back to the same area.

Meanwhile another prospecting party (Edward Payne and Robert Kirkham) had been more successful and discovered gold on October 20th 1887.

The town dates from 1895 when the townsite was first surveyed (gazetted 1901) and was named after a nearby hill ‘Killabin’ or ‘Killaburing’. The hill was named by local Aborigines after a fierce type of ant known as keela. There is a second theory about the name meaning 'camping place near where rainbow birds are found'. This originates from the Aboriginal words, 'kalla' which means 'camping place' and 'berrin berrin' which means 'rainbow bird.'

The Agricultural Hall was built in 1897 and queries were raised in parliament by the Member for Yilgarn, as to why the government would spend money on a place where nobody lived except “two men, a dog and a dead kangaroo”.

Local industries revolve around farming but also include the construction of silos, wheat bins and seed cleaning services.

The book - History of Kellerberrin is available from local shire office.

(C) Max Jefferies