Muchea, Western Australia

For the Romanian village, see Siliştea, Brăila.

Muchea Western Australia
Population:	493[1]
Established:	1904
Postcode:	6501
Elevation:	95 m (312 ft)
Location:	57 km (35 mi) N of Perth 13 km (8 mi) NNW of Bullsbrook
LGA:	Shire of Chittering
State District:	Moore
Federal Division:	Pearce

Coordinates: 31°34′44″S 115°58′04″E / 31.579°S 115.9679°E / -31.579; 115.9679

Muchea is a suburb of the Shire of Chittering. Its postcode is 6501. The towns name comes from the Aboriginal word "Muchela" which means in Nyoongar 'water hole', referring to the abundance of water in Muchea.

History

The area was first surveyed as farmland in 1845 as part of a property to be owned by George Moore. The opening of a railway siding in the area between 1892 and 1898 caused permanent structures to be built and by 1903 farmlots were surveyed close to the siding. The townsite was later gazetted in 1904.^[2]

In 1960, the Muchea Tracking Station was established about 4 kilometres (2 mi) SSW^[3] outside of town as part of NASA's Mercury project. In 1962, the first Australian to speak with a space traveller did so from the Muchea facility. The station was closed in 1964.^[4]

References

1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Muchea (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/LocationSearch?collection=Census&period=2006&areacode=UCL519370&producttype=QuickStats&breadcrumb=PL&action=401. Retrieved 2008-08-14. 
2. ^ Western Australian Land Information Authority. "History of country town names". http://www.landgate.wa.gov.au/corporate.nsf/web/History+of+country+town+names. Retrieved 2008-08-14. 
3. ^ "Muchea Tracking Station: 1960–1964". 2008. http://www.honeysucklecreek.net/other_stations/muchea/index.html. Retrieved 2008-08-29. 
4. ^ "Carnarvon Space - Western Australia in Space". 2008. http://www.carnarvonspace.com/wiki/index.php?title=Western_Australia_in_Space. Retrieved 2008-08-29.