Mount Kokeby, Western Australia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount KokebyWestern Australia |
|||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Established | 1889 | ||||||||
Postcode(s) | 6304 | ||||||||
Elevation | 243 m (797 ft) | ||||||||
Location | |||||||||
LGA(s) | Shire of Beverley | ||||||||
State electorate(s) | Central Wheatbelt | ||||||||
Federal Division(s) | Pearce | ||||||||
|
Mount Kokeby, often just called Kokeby, is a small town in the Wheatbelt area of Western Australia. It is about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) south of the town of Beverley, on the way to Brookton.
History of Mount Kokeby
The name of the town, Mount Kokeby, came from a mistake! The nearby hill was first named Mount Rokeby in 1835 by an explorer named John Septimus Roe. He named it after Henry Montagu, who was the 6th Baron Rokeby. (You might know Rokeby Road in Subiaco is also named after him.)
When a train station was opened in 1889 on the Great Southern Railway, the name was accidentally spelled Mount Kokeby. This new spelling stuck, and even the nearby hill's name was officially changed to Kokeby in 1950.
In 1899, people suggested that land should be made available near the train station. After a survey, the townsite was officially created in 1902. An agricultural hall was built there, but it has since been taken down. Today, the area is mostly used for farming, especially for growing wheat and raising sheep. The town is also a place where farmers can deliver their grain to Cooperative Bulk Handling (CBH).
People from Kokeby
At the federal election in 1961, two people who used to live in Kokeby were chosen to be part of Australia's national government. Edgar Prowse became a senator for the Country Party, and Fred Collard became a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Labor Party.