Brunswick Junction Western Australia |
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Peters Creameries building
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Coordinates | 32°17′46″S 115°50′24″E / 32.296°S 115.84°ECoordinates: 32°17′46″S 115°50′24″E / 32.296°S 115.84°E |
Population | 797 (2006 census) |
Established | 1898 |
Postcode(s) | 6224 |
Location | |
LGA(s) | Shire of Harvey |
State electorate(s) | Murray-Wellington |
Federal Division(s) | Forrest |
Brunswick Junction is a town in the South West of Western Australia along the South Western Highway, between Harvey and Bunbury.
The Aboriginal name for the Brunswick area is Mue-De-La.
The Brunswick River which runs just north of the town was surveyed by John Septimus Roe in 1830, and likely named by Governor Stirling after the Duke of Brunswick. Stirling was in command of HMS Brazen in 1813 when the ship was commissioned to take the Duke of Brunswick to Holland. The Duke was on the ship for five days.
The first farm in the area, "Alverstoke", started in 1842 by Marshall Clifton, was producing wheat, barley and potatoes within a few years. A bridge was built over the Brunswick River at Australind to give settlers in the area easier access to what was then the main community in the Harvey District.
In 1893, when the Perth-Bunbury railway was completed, no-one lived in the present-day townsite, but the Brunswick Farmers' Association was formed, with a post office and school operating nearby. In 1898, a junction was opened south of the river when the line to Collie opened, and a railway station was built.
The population of the town was 68 (38 males and 30 females) in 1898.
The town's centre underwent a significant upgrade in 2011 as part of the Royalties for Regions program, a dairy themed playground, landscaping and an underground power hub were all part of the A$380,000 project that was opened by Brendon Grylls.