Camballin
Western Australia
Camballin is located in Western Australia
Camballin
Camballin
Coordinates17°59′28″S 124°11′35″E / 17.991°S 124.193°E / -17.991; 124.193
Population500 (SAL 2021)[1]
Postcode(s)6728
Area4,210 km2 (1,630 sq mi)
Location8 km (5 mi) from Looma
LGA(s)Shire of Derby-West Kimberley
State electorate(s)Kimberley
Federal division(s)Durack

Camballin is a small town in the West Kimberley district of Western Australia. The town is located on the Camballin Station about 110 km (68 mi) south of Derby and between Derby and Fitzroy Crossing, with the homestead being situated in the town. The town was established in the 1950s by the Public Works Department of Western Australia to service the Camballin Irrigation Scheme.

At the 2016 census, Camballin had a population of 729.[2]

History

The town was established by the Public Works Department of Western Australia to service the Camballin Irrigation Scheme, which has since become defunct due to flooding. It was initially established to support Northern Developments Pty. Ltd, a company incorporated in Sydney in 1951 to establish small scale rice production in 1952. Demonstration that rice production was feasible, a 17 mi (27 km) dam was constructed on the Uralla Creek in 1957, trebling the water storage.[3] The name of the town was chosen by Northern Development Ltd in 1957, with the townsite being constructed to service the Liveringa Rice Project. The town was named after one of the nearby stations.[4]

The town's growth continued with the Australian Land & Cattle Company Limited purchasing Camballin station, Liveringa station and a further five stations in the Kimberley region. This influx of private investment created strong labour demand for the next two decades, with the project leaving a lasting legacy to this day.

Geography

The town lies to the east of Grant Range,[5] and south of Erskine range.[6]

Description

The town now houses school teachers and other personnel who work at the nearby Looma Community. Amenities in the town are: caravan park, shopping (no fuel), reticulated water and power, phones (including pay phone booth) and mechanical repairs. The town is also serviced by a landfill site nearby, mobile satellite phone coverage and contains a rundown picture gardens. The power station provides power to the nearby communities of Looma and New Looma.

References

  1. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Camballin (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022. 
  2. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Camballin (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  3. ↑ looma General Store Camballin History Retrieved, 16 April 2010
  4. ↑ "History of country town names – C". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  5. ↑ "Camballin to Grant Range". Google Maps. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  6. ↑ "Erskine Range". Google Maps. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Camballin.
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