Beacon, Western Australia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids BeaconWestern Australia |
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Lindsay Street, Beacon, 2014
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 Beacon
Location in Western Australia
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| Established | 1931 |
| Postcode(s) | 6472 |
| Elevation | 373 m (1,224 ft) |
| Area | [convert: needs a number] |
| Location | |
| LGA(s) | Shire of Mount Marshall |
| State electorate(s) | Central Wheatbelt |
| Federal Division(s) | Durack |
Beacon is a small town located in Western Australia. It's part of the Shire of Mount Marshall. If you were to travel there by road, it's about 42 kilometers north of Bencubbin and 333 kilometers northeast of Perth.
The town sits on the edge of the Wheatbelt region. This area is famous for its farming. Growing crops is one of the main jobs here. Farmers in and around Beacon grow lots of wheat and other cereal crops. The town also has a special site where farmers deliver their harvested grain. This site is run by a company called Cooperative Bulk Handling.
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Discovering Beacon's Past
Beacon has an interesting history. The first European to explore this area was John Septimus Roe. He visited the region way back in 1836.
Early Visitors to the Land
In the 1870s, shepherds often brought their sheep here. They used the wide-open grasslands for feeding their animals. Later, in the 1880s, people came to cut sandalwood trees. Sandalwood was a valuable wood.
How Beacon Became a Town
In 1889, a surveyor named H King explored and mapped the region. Soon after, land was opened up for farming near Bencubbin. More surveyors worked in 1921. They created large blocks of land, each about 1000 acres. The very first settlers in Beacon started farming here in 1922.
The town got its name from a nearby natural landmark. This landmark is a rock formation called Beacon Rock. In 1929, the town was actually supposed to be named Beacon Rock. But later on, the "Rock" part of the name was dropped. The official townsite of Beacon was then created in 1931.
Connecting by Rail
Beacon became connected to the railway system on April 27, 1931. This was through the Burakin to Bonnie Rock railway line. Having a railway made it much easier to transport crops and goods. In 1932, the Wheat Pool of Western Australia announced something important. They said that Beacon would get two large grain elevators at the railway siding. These elevators helped store and move the grain.
