WYALKATCHEM, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

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A regional centre for the central agricultural area which produces wheat and wool.
Location: 192 km east north east of Perth and 35 km east of Dowerin.
Origin of name: an Aboriginal name, first recorded for a waterhole spelt Walkatching in the 1870's. When the road from Northam to the Yilgarn Goldfield was surveyed in 1892 the spelling Wyalcatchem was used for the tank. The Walkatching spelling is probably the most accurate, as Aboriginal names in this region rarely end in "em". The change of spelling from Wyalcatchem to Wyalkatchem in 1911 was done by the Department of Lands & Surveys according to rules the Department had adopted for spelling Aboriginal names (the letter K should always be used for the hard c). The meaning of the name is not known.
Brief history: when the extension of the railway east from Dowerin was planned in 1908 land was set aside for a future townsite in the area of Wyalcatchem Tank. The route of the railway and site for a station was not fixed until 1910, and action followed to then fix the position of the townsite and survey town lots. Following the survey of the lots the townsite was gazetted spelt Wyalkatchem in 1911. Wyalkatchem was the first place to convert from the very costly and time consuming process of bagged wheat over to bulk wheat loading facilities.
Natural features: Derdibin Rock; Ygnaterring Spring; Barine Rock; Lake Wallambin
Heritage features: CBH Museum