This week's PhotoHunter theme is half.
Kimba is located half way across Australia between the east and west coast. At least it would be if you were to fly like a crow. We passed through the town of 800 on our drive from Perth to Adelaide.
Originally, this "half way" point was located on the lands inhabited by the Pangkala. It is an area that has many springs, soakages and rock-holes that provided the Aboriginals with sufficient water during their seasonal forays from the coast.
In 1839 John Eyre skirted the area during his exploration of Australia. In 1870's Kimba was opened up to pastoral lease holders. In the 1900's, because of the overseas demand for wheat, local farmers opened the last of the Mallee lands for agriculture. In 1915, as the number of new settlers in the area grew, the township of Kimba was proclaimed. Kimba is an Aboriginal word meaning bushfire--the process that was used to clear the area of scrub to make way for agricultural development. Today Kimba continues to play an important role in the wheat industry.
Originally, this "half way" point was located on the lands inhabited by the Pangkala. It is an area that has many springs, soakages and rock-holes that provided the Aboriginals with sufficient water during their seasonal forays from the coast.
In 1839 John Eyre skirted the area during his exploration of Australia. In 1870's Kimba was opened up to pastoral lease holders. In the 1900's, because of the overseas demand for wheat, local farmers opened the last of the Mallee lands for agriculture. In 1915, as the number of new settlers in the area grew, the township of Kimba was proclaimed. Kimba is an Aboriginal word meaning bushfire--the process that was used to clear the area of scrub to make way for agricultural development. Today Kimba continues to play an important role in the wheat industry.
Posts
Good post - at least it is not out in the desert where I thought half way would be
ReplyDeleteHi Marta, if you wanted to get technical the half-way mark should be out in the middle of nowhere. Since there is only one road that crosses the country east to west, Kimba is the half-way mark on it.
ReplyDeleteHi Maya, great photo and choice for the Half theme. What a wonderful sign. Kimba's history sounds really interesting too. I was not aware that wheat was one of Australia's exports. Thanks so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend.