Hamel, Western Australia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids HamelWestern Australia |
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Hamel Hall
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| Established | 1890s | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 6215 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | [convert: needs a number] | ||||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Shire of Waroona | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Murray-Wellington | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Canning | ||||||||||||||
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Hamel is a small town in the Peel region of Western Australia. It's located just off the South Western Highway. You can find it between Waroona, which is 4 kilometres north, and Harvey. In 2011, about 223 people lived in Hamel.
A Glimpse into Hamel's Past
Hamel gets its name from Lancel Victor de Hamel. He was a lawyer and a politician who owned the land where the town now stands. From 1890 to 1894, de Hamel was a member of the state parliament. He was also Western Australia's first Opposition Leader. This means he led the main group of politicians who were not part of the government.
Lancel Victor de Hamel also helped start a local newspaper called the Albany Advertiser in 1888. This newspaper is still printed today! Sadly, he passed away in 1894 while visiting Coolgardie.
After his death, the government bought the land for the town from his estate in 1898. They then divided it into smaller blocks for people to buy and build on. An interesting fact is that a special printing ink was named after the town: Hamelink.
Hamel Today
Today, Hamel is a small town mainly focused on farming. Most of the services people need, like shops and schools, are found in nearby Waroona.
Hamel has a community hall that was built a long time ago, in the 1890s. It was actually used as a prison first! The last prisoners left in 1907. Near the hall, you can see three special wooden poles called "bush poles." These poles were made by local artists and show what life was like in Hamel in the past.
There's a large factory nearby called the Alcoa Wagerup alumina refinery. In 2006, there was a plan to make this factory bigger. Because of this, the Health Department suggested creating a safety zone around the factory. This zone would be about 5 kilometres wide. This plan might mean that the town of Hamel would need to close, and its residents would have to move. Alcoa has already offered to buy some properties from people living in Hamel.
