Wundowie, Western Australia

Infobox Australian Place
type = town
name = Wundowie
state = wa


caption =
lga = Shire of Northam
postcode = 6560
est = 1947
pop = 944 (2006 Census) [Census 2006 AUS|id=UCL529400|name=Wundowie (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)|quick=on|accessdate=2008-09-12]
elevation= 235
stategov = Central Wheatbelt
fedgov = Pearce
dist1 = 67
dir1 = NE
location1= Perth
dist2 = 33
dir2 = WSW
location2= Northamcoord|-31.762|116.383|type:city(1367)_region:AU-WA_scale:50000|format=dms|display=title

Wundowie is a town in Western Australia located between Perth and Northam in the Darling Range. It was the location of an iron works, and siding and stopping place on the Eastern Railway.

It was named in 1907 and was a siding on the Chidlow to Northam section of the railway. The origin of the name is from nearby Woondowing Spring which is an Aboriginal word thought to come from Ngwundow, meaning "to lie down".

Following the decision of the government to construct the blast furnace and wood distillation plant (to produce charcoal) in 1943 at Wundowie, plans were made to develop the townsite. Lots were surveyed in 1946 and the town was gazetted in 1947. [LandInfo WA|w|W|2007-06-08] The iron works commenced production in 1948, and the railway station was opened in 1949.In 1974 the plant was sold to Agnew-Clough Ltd and the plant was upgraded. By 1979, a shortage of hardwood timber resulted in the saw mill being closed. By 1981 the mill ceased operation. [cite web|url=http://members.westnet.com.au/wundowietc/wci.html|title=The Birth of Wundowie in charcoal, iron and steel|year=2006|accessdate=2008-09-12]

The railway line was continued for a while from Northam to service Wundowie - after the main closure of the Chidlows route and the opening of the Avon Valley route in 1966.

References

Further reading

* Clayden, B. J. (1958) "A short history of the wood distillation, charcoal, iron and steel industry, Wundowie: the plant and the town", Thesis - Graylands Teachers College - held in Battye Library
* Seabrook, Benjamin (2000) "Wundowie the charcoal town". (reminisces about the town over the last 40 years). "Avon Valley Advocate", 26 January 2000, p. 14
* Saunders, D. M. and Pearce, D. G. (1978) "The financial viability to Westrail of railing iron ore from Koolyanobbing to Avon and Wundowie for Agnew Clough" Perth, W.A. Westrail, Management Services Bureau, Planning Division