Our History, Our Heritage

In 1894 a private company completed the construction of the Midland Railway line, which ran from Midland Junction in Perth to Walkaway near Geraldton. The towns and settlements along the railway soon became known as The Midlands.

The phrase North Midlands was officially used for the first time in 1919 and has evolved to include the shires of Carnamah, Coorow, Mingenew, Morawa, Perenjori and Three Springs. These six districts each have their own and unique histories but are also part of a larger and shared story.

Aboriginal People have inhabited this part of Western Australia for at least 25,000 years. The North Midlands is at a juncture of traditional boundaries and spans Yued, Amangu, Badimaya and Widi country.

European squatters moved into the region in the 1850s and 1860s, establishing a number of large pastoral stations. Farmers gradually took over, boosted by soldier settlers after the First World War. Over the years the mining of coal, copper, ballast, mineral sands, talc, gold and iron ore has occurred across the region.

The past 200 years have seen a continual evolution of changes both in the North Midlands and across Australia. As things continue to change, it is important for us to think regionally, rather than locally. Our towns are quite small, but across the North Midlands we number 4,000… and together we are stronger!

We can all play an active role by looking after ourselves and others. We encourage everyone to be active, have a sense of belonging and a purpose in life – which all contribute to happiness, good mental health and a stronger community.

Act: keep mentally, physically, socially and spiritually active: take a walk, say g'day, read a book, do a crossword, dance, play cards, stop for a chat...

Belong: join a book club, take a cooking class, be more involved in groups you are already a member of, go along to community events...

Commit: take up a cause, help a neighbour, learn something new, take on a challenge, volunteer…

The above video was created for our Act-Belong-Commit Heritage Festival in 2018 and was originally shown in the strong room (vault) of The Bank Gallery in Carnamah.