Pingelly is in fact just a little north of Cuballing (previously described). Like most townships along this route it consists of only a small number of shops and commercial buildings that service the surrounding wheat belt properties with basic needs. It does however have a 15 bed hospital with a general practice and aged care facilities as well as a TAFE college both of which would be welcome in these parts. A friendly little place of about 800 people with some nice architecture, it originated as a railway siding along the Great Southern Railway line that began in 1889 when it was designed and built by the Western Australian Land Company. The WA State Government purchased the railway and the land and gazetted the townsite in 1898. "Pingelly' is Aboriginal in origin being derived from the name of the nearby Pingeculling Rocks.
In contrast to Pingelly, Narrogin , the largest town in the area, was busy with an active commercial centre and many on the streets. Compared to most towns around here it is huge with 4219 recorded in the last census of 2011.It even has a Coles supermarket. Originally a significant railway junction, it was officially declared a town in1897 but was not gazetted as a municipality until 1906. The early years of settlement relied upon sandalwood cutting and the bark from mallet trees that was used as a tanning agent. To date, Narrogin has accumulated important public infrastructure with significant health and education services that make it a major regional centre.
I almost forgot to explain where the name of Narrogin came from. it is Aboriginal of course, first recorded as "Narroging" , a pool in the area in 1869. As is often the case, the meaning of the name is uncertain, with various sources recording it as "bat camp", "plenty of everything" or derived from "gnargagin" which means "place of water".
(Click on a photo to enlarge)
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