Burracoppin, Western Australia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Burracoppin Western Australia
The former Burracoppin Hotel, 2017
Burracoppin Location in Western Australia
Established	1891
Postcode(s)	6421
Area	[convert: needs a number]
Location	283 km (176 mi) east of Perth 25 km (16 mi) east of Merredin
LGA(s)	Shire of Merredin
State electorate(s)	Central Wheatbelt
Federal Division(s)	Durack

Burracoppin is a small town located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. It sits on the Great Eastern Highway, a main road east of Merredin. This town is known for its interesting history and its role in farming.

Burracoppin's Story

How Burracoppin Started

Burracoppin officially became a town in 1891. Its name comes from Burracoppin Rock, a large granite rock nearby. The name "Burracoppin" is an Aboriginal word. It means "near a big hill," which describes the area well.

The town is also located on the Eastern Railway line. This means trains can stop here, connecting Burracoppin to other places.

The Famous Rabbit-Proof Fence

Burracoppin is a very important place in the history of the Rabbit Proof Fence. This huge fence was built to stop rabbits from spreading across Western Australia. Construction of the first fence, called No. 1, started right here in Burracoppin in 1901.

Workers built the fence south towards Esperance and north towards Port Hedland. Burracoppin was the main base for building and looking after the fence. All the gates through the fence and the wells used by the "fence runners" (people who maintained the fence) were numbered starting from this town. You can still see parts of the original fence and some of its gates in Burracoppin today.

Farming and Transport

In 1932, the Wheat Pool of Western Australia decided to build special storage buildings in Burracoppin. These were called grain elevators. They were built at the railway siding, which is where trains load and unload goods. The first one was finished in 1933. It could handle a lot of wheat, about 1,800 bags per day.

Today, the main industry in Burracoppin is wheat farming. The town is a Cooperative Bulk Handling site. This means it's a place where farmers bring their harvested grain to be stored and transported.

Train Services

The Prospector train service stops at Burracoppin. This train runs once or twice each day. It travels between East Perth and Kalgoorlie.

Preceding station	Transwa			Following station
Merredin towards East Perth		Prospector		Carrabin towards Kalgoorlie