Morawa, Western Australia

A town in the northern agricultural area known as the Irwin district.
Location: 370 km north of Perth.
Origin of name: an Aboriginal name, first shown on maps of the area for a rock hole in 1910. It is possibly derived from "Morowa" or "Morowar", the Dalgite, a small marsupial which burrows into the earth. Another possible meaning is "the place where men are made". When the Wongan Hills to Mullewa railway was planned in 1913, Morawa was approved as the name of one of the stations. In 1921 the Railways Department decided that the names Mullewa and Morawa were too similar, and suggested Morawa be renamed Wooltanar. Being too similar to a Queensland name, Merkanooka, a local Aboriginal name, was suggested, then gazetted in January 1922. However, the Railways Department, which had pressed for the change, did not alter the name of the railway siding from Morawa, and the town's name was changed back to Morawa in June 1922.
Brief history: The first European occupation of the Morawa district was by pastoralists, shepherds, sandal wood cutters and miners in the latter part of the 19th century. In 1870 alluvial gold was found at Peterwangey, and a small deposit of copper was mined at Wooltana. Agriculture came into the district in the early 1900's when Mr and Mrs. John Stokes settled and grew a plot of oats and wheat. The townsite was gazetted in September 1913.
Natural features: wildflowers in Spring; Koolanooka Springs and Hills (24 km east).
Built features: Koolanooka Hills Mine Site (20 km east)
Heritage features: Church of the Holy Cross and the Old Presbytery (1932)