GREENOUGH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

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An all but abandoned rural community that developed on the Greenough Plains in the mid 19th century.
Location: 24 km south east of Geraldton in the northern agricultural region.
Origin of name: named from the Greenough River, it having been named by Captain George Grey in 1839 after George Bellas Greenough, President of Royal Geographical Society, which had equipped Grey's expedition. It was never gazetted as a townsite though for all intents and purposes it functioned as one for a period of 30 years.
Brief history: explorer George Grey noted that the flats around the Greenough River were very fertile, and in the early 1850s pastoralists moved into the area. In 1857 the area was subdivided into small farms, and the place soon became renowned for its abundant of crops. The 1860s were the boom years for Greenough with over 10,000 acres under cultivation. By 1880, frequent flooding and a run of mediocre years for agriculturists began to take its toll and was reflected in a drop in acreage under cultivation. In the twentieth century Greenough found itself occupying the margins of WA agriculture. Wheat production declined, local business and commerce diminished and, most notably, the flour mills were rendered obsolete and uncompetitive in the face of improved transportation. The population dropped further during the Depression which spelt the end for Greenough as a thriving farming community.
Natural features: Greenough River
Heritage features: numerous abandoned buildings and ruins from the former farming community, including former Gray's Store (1861); former Court House (1867); former Police Station Old Gaol (1870); former Miss Duncan's School Room (1865); Old Greenough Cemetery; Maley's Bridge (c.1870); St Catherine's Church of England (1914); St Catherine's Church Hall (1914); St Peter's Catholic Church (1908); former Dominican Convent (1899); St Joseph's School; former Priest's House; Wesley Church (1870); Clinch's Mill (c.1856); former Greenough Hotel; 'Old Store'; Cliff Grange; former Hampton Arms Hotel (1863); 'Raphoe' farmhouse (1860s); 'Mount Pleasant' farmhouse; 'Three Bottle' farmhouse and outbuildings; 'Rock House' ruin and outbuildings; Delowes Cottage; McNeece's Cottage; Bell Cottage and Outbuildings; farmhouse ruin; 'Old Walkaway' cottage; Greenough Farmers' Club Hall; former St James' Church; Pioneer Museum (Maley's Mill and Home Cottage).