Crossman, Western Australia

Crossman Western Australia
Crossman
Population:	372[1]
Established:	1920s
Postcode:	6390
Location:	125 km (78 mi) SSE of Perth
LGA:	Shire of Boddington Shire of Wandering
State District:	Wagin
Federal Division:	Canning
Localities around Crossman: Bannister Boddington Wandering Bannister Crossman Williams Cardiff Quindanning Quindanning

Coordinates: 32°48′11″S 116°36′22″E / 32.803°S 116.606°E / -32.803; 116.606

Crossman is a town located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, 125 kilometres (78 mi) south-southeast of the state capital, Perth along Albany Highway, and 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) east of Boddington.

Origin of the name

The name honours Lt William Crossman of the Royal Engineers, who arrived in Fremantle as a second lieutenant stationed in Perth in 1852, but was responsible for works in the Albany district and for roads in the area. In 1853, in company with surveyor A.C. Gregory, he examined and reported on various routes between Perth and Albany, and recommended that the then-current routes via York or Bunbury be replaced by a straight line between Kelmscott (now a Perth suburb near Armadale) and Albany. After serving as colonial magistrate, he returned to England in 1856 and later was promoted to captain and served as a British Member of Parliament for Portsmouth. The Crossman River, a 42 kilometres (26 mi) tributary of the Hotham River, was most likely named by A.C. Gregory in 1853.^[2][3]

Present day

Crossman Village Roadhouse, a 24-hour roadhouse with takeaway and sit-down meals, operates on Albany Highway. Accommodation is available 2 km away, and Crossman Wildflower Reserve, a year-round sanctuary for flora and fauna and home to a wide range of native orchids, and Woolpack Lavender Farm, which opened in January 2003 and showcases lavender varieties.

The roadhouse is a stop on the Transwa bus services to Albany (GS1) and Esperance (GE1).^[4]

References

1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Crossman". 2006 Census QuickStats. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/LocationSearch?collection=Census&period=2006&areacode=SSC53611&producttype=QuickStats&breadcrumb=PL&action=401. Retrieved 13 July 2009. 
2. ^ Western Australian Land Information Authority. "History of river names". http://www.landgate.wa.gov.au/corporate.nsf/web/History+of+river+names. Retrieved 2007-03-25. 
3. ^ Fremantle Prison (2002). "Characters - William Crossman". Archived from the original on 2006-08-20. http://web.archive.org/web/20060820035448/http://www.fremantleprison.com.au/history/history24.cfm. Retrieved 2006-10-15. 
4. ^ GS1 timetable (1 November 2006) and GE1 timetable (1 November 2006). Retrieved on 25 March 2007.