Mullewa, Western Australia

Mullewa
Western Australia
Jose Street, Mullewa, 2018
Mullewa is located in Western Australia
Mullewa
Mullewa
Map
Coordinates28°32′13″S 115°30′43″E / 28.53694°S 115.51194°E / -28.53694; 115.51194
Population312 (UCL 2021)[1]
Established1894
Postcode(s)6630
Elevation281 m (922 ft)[2]
Area415.1 km2 (160.3 sq mi)
Location
LGA(s)City of Greater Geraldton
State electorate(s)Moore
Federal division(s)Durack

Mullewa is a town in the Mid West region of Western Australia, 450 kilometres (280 mi) north of Perth and 98 kilometres (61 mi) east-northeast of Geraldton. Mullewa is well known for its abundance of wildflowers in the spring and is one of the few places in Western Australia the wreath flower grows in. The surrounding areas produce wheat and other cereal crops. The town is a receival site for Cooperative Bulk Handling.[3]

History

European settlers moved to the area in 1869 to take up pastoral leases for farming.[4] In 1894, the government built a narrow gauge railway line from Geraldton to Mullewa and the town was gazetted in the same year.[4] The town is named after Mullewa Spring, whose name is based on an Aboriginal name recorded by surveyor John Forrest in 1873.[4] The meaning of the name is not certain, but the most accepted meaning is "place of fog".[4]

Church of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and the Holy Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul and Priesthouse

The architect priest Mgr John Hawes built the Church mainly with his own hands and the help of parishioners. Work started in 1921 and the stone and tile church was completed, after some interruptions, in 1927. The eclectic design of the Church shows some influence of Spanish Mission style. Hawes built a presbytery for himself next to the church and this, known as the Priesthouse, was finished in 1929: it has been used as a museum since 1980.[5]

  • Images of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel complex
  • The Church, front
    The Church, front
  • Gargoyle on the Church
    Gargoyle on the Church
  • Church, side view
    Church, side view
  • Priesthouse and Church
    Priesthouse and Church
  • Priesthouse, street view
    Priesthouse, street view

Rail service

One of the Western Australian Government Railways named overnight passenger services from Perth was known as The Mullewa, which ceased operation in 1974.

Junction

Mullewa was the junction of the railway line west to Geraldton, the Geraldton to Mullewa railway line, northeast to Meekatharra, the Mullewa–Meekatharra railway, and south to Northam, the Avon Yard to Mullewa railway line.[6]

Isolation

The closure of the Meekatharra line and the decline of the tonnage on the southward line the line is no longer operationally connected with the rail system to the south.[7] Iron ore from Tallering Peak mine was hauled by road 65 km south to Mullewa, and loaded onto railway wagons for hauling 107 km west-southwest to Geraldton, where ships of up to 60,000 DWT were loaded.[8]

Media

Radio

Radio services available in Mullewa:

  • ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt (6GN 828 AM) – Part of the ABC Local Radio Network.
  • ABC Radio National – (6ABCRN 99.7 FM) – Speciality talk and music.
  • Triple J – (6JJJ 98.9 FM) – Alternative music
  • ABC News Radio – (6PNN 101.3 FM) – Rolling News bulletins, news magazine programs and LIVE coverage from Federal Parliament House of Representatives.
  • WAFM (96.5FM) – Top 40 Music
  • The Spirit Network (Radio 6BAY FM 98.1/1512 AM) – Classic Hits / Adult Contemporary Music format aimed at 35 years + audience.
  • Radio Mama- 100.5FM- Indigenous Community station

Television

Free-to-air broadcast television services available in Mullewa:

The programming schedule is mainly the same as the Seven, Nine and Ten stations in Perth, with variations for news bulletins, sport telecasts such as the Australian Football League and National Rugby League, children's and lifestyle programs and advertorials. GWN7 produces a 30-minute regional news program each weeknight (originating from Bunbury) with a newsroom based in Geraldton, covering the local area.[citation needed]

Climate

Mullewa has a semi-arid climate with hot summers and mild to cool winters. The town features a dry summer/wetter winter routine, thus giving its climate some characteristics of the Mediterranean one.

Climate data for Mullewa
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 47.3
(117.1) 		46.5
(115.7) 		44.0
(111.2) 		41.7
(107.1) 		35.5
(95.9) 		29.4
(84.9) 		28.9
(84.0) 		33.0
(91.4) 		37.6
(99.7) 		40.4
(104.7) 		43.2
(109.8) 		45.0
(113.0) 		47.3
(117.1)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 36.8
(98.2) 		36.4
(97.5) 		33.7
(92.7) 		28.7
(83.7) 		23.7
(74.7) 		19.9
(67.8) 		18.7
(65.7) 		20.1
(68.2) 		23.4
(74.1) 		27.1
(80.8) 		31.1
(88.0) 		34.4
(93.9) 		27.8
(82.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 19.4
(66.9) 		20.0
(68.0) 		18.3
(64.9) 		15.0
(59.0) 		11.1
(52.0) 		8.5
(47.3) 		6.9
(44.4) 		7.0
(44.6) 		8.5
(47.3) 		11.0
(51.8) 		14.3
(57.7) 		16.9
(62.4) 		13.1
(55.6)
Record low °C (°F) 9.0
(48.2) 		10.0
(50.0) 		7.4
(45.3) 		5.0
(41.0) 		1.4
(34.5) 		−0.3
(31.5) 		−1.2
(29.8) 		−1.4
(29.5) 		0.0
(32.0) 		2.8
(37.0) 		6.0
(42.8) 		7.2
(45.0) 		−1.4
(29.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 13.1
(0.52) 		18.6
(0.73) 		18.8
(0.74) 		21.2
(0.83) 		47.2
(1.86) 		64.6
(2.54) 		60.4
(2.38) 		42.2
(1.66) 		21.7
(0.85) 		13.0
(0.51) 		8.7
(0.34) 		8.5
(0.33) 		339.0
(13.35)
Average precipitation days 2.3 2.4 2.5 3.8 7.1 10.3 11.2 9.6 6.1 4.1 2.3 1.9 63.6
Source: [9]

References

  1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Mullewa (urban centre and locality)". Australian Census 2021. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ http://www.altitude.nu/ Archived 7 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine Elevation at any place.
  3. ^ "CBH receival sites" (PDF). 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d "History of country town names – M". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2008.
  5. ^ https://visitwanderland.com.au/explore/coral-coast/mullewa-priest-house Mullewa Priest House
  6. ^ "The Demise of Mullewa as a Rail Centre" Milne, Rod Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, November, 1992 pp255-270
  7. ^ Perenjori South to Dalwallinu being not open for service https://www.arcinfra.com/ARCInfrastructure/media/documents/Network%20Specifications/Arc-Infrastructure-Network-Control-Boundaries.pdf
  8. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20120320090646/http://www.mtgibsoniron.com.au/op-tallering.asp Tallering operation
  9. ^ "Climate statistics for Mullewa". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 15 October 2011.

Media related to Mullewa, Western Australia at Wikimedia Commons