Howatharra, Western Australia

Town in Western Australia

28°32′S 114°58′E / 28.533°S 114.967°E / -28.533; 114.967Population112 (SAL 2021)^[1]Area90 km² (35 sq mi)Location

454 km (282 mi) N of Perth
30 km (19 mi) N of Geraldton

LGA(s)Shire of Chapman Valley State electorate(s)Moore Federal division(s)Durack

Howatharra is a small town in the Mid West region of Western Australia, between Geraldton and Binnu. It is situated just off the North West Coastal Highway and on the Oakagee River.^[2]

The town was originally a railway siding on the Northampton railway line that was established in 1908 after the surrounding land was opened up for agriculture in the early 1900s. It was located 17 miles and 56 chains from Geraldton, on the line.^[3] Initially the town was known as Howatharra and also Webb's Siding and was gazetted as the former in 1909.^[4]^[5] A progress association was formed in 1910.^[6]

The town's name is Aboriginal in origin, and is the local name for a nearby spring.^[5]

References

^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Howatharra (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
^ "Fishing Boat Wrecked". Geraldton Guardian. Vol. XXII, no. 3658. Western Australia. 11 February 1950. p. 1. Retrieved 30 July 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
^ Western Australia. Department of Lands and Surveys (1917), Plan of Howatharra townsite, Dept. of Lands & Surveys W.A, retrieved 30 July 2024
^ "Webb's Siding". Geraldton Guardian. Vol. III, no. 287. Western Australia. 10 December 1908. p. 4. Retrieved 30 July 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
^ ^a ^b "History of country town names – H". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
^ "Howatharra". The Geraldton Express. Vol. XXXII. Western Australia. 6 May 1910. p. 1. Retrieved 30 July 2024 – via National Library of Australia.