Darkan, Western Australia
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Darkan | |
|---|---|
 The heritage listed former railway station in Darkan in 2021 | |
  Darkan | |
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| Interactive map of Darkan | |
| Coordinates: 33°20′S 116°44′E / 33.34°S 116.74°E | |
| Country | Australia |
| State | Western Australia |
| LGA | |
| Location | |
| Established | 1906 |
| Government | |
| • State electorate | |
| • Federal division | |
| Area | |
• Total | 668.2 km2 (258.0 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 279 m (915 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 194 (UCL 2021)[2] |
| Postcode | 6392 |
Darkan is a town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, between Collie and the Albany Highway on the Coalfields Highway. It is also the seat of the Shire of West Arthur. At the 2016 census, Darkan had a population of 403.[3]
The area was originally settled by William John Gibbs and his family in the 1860s. Gibbs established a property called "Darkan", using a local Aboriginal name which means Black Rock. The townsite developed when the Collie to Narrogin railway line was built, and in 1906, the townsite was gazetted.[4] The town grew quickly thereafter, with a Road Board being established and numerous shops and services being established in the following years. The railway closed in the early 1990s, but the surrounding productive wool growing and mixed farming area along with tourism have ensured the town's survival.[5]
In 1928 a 12-year-old girl Ivy Lewis was murdered by John Milner, who was later hanged for his crime.[6]
