Gingin, Western Australia

:"There is also a town called Gin Gin in Queensland"Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Gingin
state = wa


caption = Water Wheel in Gingin park, from the original flour mill in Gingin
lga = Shire of Gingin
postcode = 6503
est =
pop = 531 (2006 Census) [Census 2006 AUS|id=SSC53971|name=Gingin (State Suburb)|quick=on|accessdate=2008-09-20]
elevation= 96
maxtemp =
mintemp =
rainfall =
stategov = Moore
fedgov = Pearce
dist1 = 89
dir1 = NNE
location1= Perth
dist2 = 34
dir2 = NE
location2= Yanchep
dist3 = 65
dir3 = SE
location3= Lancelincoord|-31.341|115.908|type:city(531)_region:AU-WA_scale:50000|format=dms|display=title

Gingin is an agricultural town in Western Australia. The town is located convert|92|km|mi|0 north of Perth along the Brand Highway.

The town is well suited for agriculture with a mild climate and available water sources. The area supports many forms of farming including beef cattle, cereal crops, olives and oranges.

The first European to visit the area was the explorer, George Fletcher Moore, arrived in 1836 and recorded the Aboriginal name "Jinjin" on his charts.

The first property to be established in the area by W.L. Brockman in 1841 was named Gingin station.The meaning of the word Gingin is uncertain but is thought to mean "footprint" or "place of many streams".

A townsite, Granville, was established close-by in 1839 but once Gingin was gazetted in 1871 Granville was never developed. [LandInfo WA|c|G|2008-09-20]

By 1853 an area along Gingin Brook was fenced for horses to rest on the way from Perth to Geraldton and a police station was built nearby.

Construction of the telegraph line between Gingin and Perth was completed in 1886, and the railway line was completed in 1891. Gingin was declared a town in 1883. [cite web|url=http://www.gingin.wa.gov.au/history.htm|title=Gingin Shire History - The Municipality of Gingin
year=2008|accessdate=2008-09-20]

In 2003, plans were unvieled to built the Gravity Discovery Centre near Gingin next to the existing Australian International Gravitational Observatory. [cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200304/s822342.htm|title=ABC News - Gravity discovery centre to be built in Gingin|year=2003|accessdate=2008-09-20] The Gravity Discovery Centre is part of a world-wide array of observatories, completing the southern arm of the array to obtain three-dimensional measurements of gravity waves. The Centre includes a 45m tower that leans at an angle of 15 degrees that alows students to complete free fall experiments. [cite web|url=http://www.gdc.asn.au/leaning.php|title=The United Group Leaning Tower of Gingin|year=2008|accessdate=2008-09-20]

It is host to the annual British car rally, which is held in May.

ee also

* RAAF Gingin

References