Wongan Tourism

Rotary Market Day

fredporter — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 23:34:36 +0000

Rotary Market Day, Wongan Hills Plaza Saturday 3rd December 9am – 1.00pm
A selection of stalls.

Reynoldson Reserve Festival

fredporter — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Wongan Hills Tourism Group proudly presents our 6th Annual Reynoldson Reserve Festival.

A spectacular display of seven varieties of Verticordia flowering in October to December.

List of Events:

Friday: Wine and Cheese evening with Opening of Photo Exhibition from 5.00pm at Wongan Hills Visitor Centre. Photo Exhibtion open all weekend. Sausage Sizzle or Steak Burgers on sale. Live entertainment Duncan Gardiner on classical guitar , also local singer Gerogie Sadler. Global Illumination Wongan Hills Water Tower lit pink for Breast Cancer Awareness.

Saturday: Breakfast from 7.30am at the Visitor Centre

Guided Tours of Reynoldson Reserve, 10.00am and 2.00pm bus departs from the Visitor Centre, Cost gold coin donation.

Scones/Jam/Cream available for morning and afternoon tea.

Markets/Stalls/Swap Meet 9am – noon

Family Expo at Community Park 10.00am, fun for all the children

Saturday Evening: BYO BBQ at the Wongan Hills Airstrip with live entertainment Duncan Gardiner from 5.30pm, then followed by Phil Witt Amateur Astronomer returning to Wongan Hills for a night under the stars.

Sunday: Breakfast from 7.30pm at the Visitor Centre

Guided Tours of Reynoldson Reserve, 10.00am and 2.00pm bus departs from the Visitor Centre, Cost gold coin donation.

Scones/Jam/Cream available for morning and afternoon tea.

Sunday Evening: Thanksgiving Service Mt O’Brien with Community Voices Choir at 6.00pm. Entertainment David Brown and Lyn Hood. BYO BBQ and nibblies.

Weather permitting Phil Witt will give another informative evening under the stars at Mt O’Brien.

For all enquiries contact the Wongan Hills Visitor Centre.

Save our Water Tower

fredporter — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:13:20 +0000

Save our Water Tower.
Great News for the Shire of Wongan-Ballidu who have been unofficially notified of being successful with their grant application for $89,000 to save the Wongan Hills Water Tower. This means we are on track and have already raised over $22,000 in the community with a goal of $25,000 – $30,000 and the shire contributing the balance.
Our Railway Water Tower is falling over. The “Friends of the Water Tower” are raising monies to restore the tower. Built in 1913 to supply water to the steam trains. The water came from the railway dam a few kilometres to the north. Water is collected from Christmas Rock and channeled from the rock across the highway into the dam. The water tower is one of our main attractions. One of only a few still standing in the state. As you can see it is leaning to the north. Some of the legs and cross beams are rotting. The tank is made of cast iron panels bolted together, very heavy. Standing on Jarrah & Karri poles. Call into the visitors centre for more information, any donations accepted.

Christmas Rock Walk Trail

fredporter — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 19:05:59 +0000

Walk the 2.5km trail through natural bushland, following the signs commencing in Wandoo Crescent at Apex Park. Wander along the rock wall used to divert water to the town dam. In spring see the variety of colourful wildflowers/orchids and listen to the many birds.

Mt Matilda Walk Trail

fredporter — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 19:05:34 +0000

Mt Matilda provides one of WAs top five walk trails. The newly interpretated flora walk taking 3 hours and the scenic walk 5 hours to complete. It features rare and endangered flora and outstanding animals and birds.

Reynoldson Reserve

fredporter — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 19:05:10 +0000

Reynoldson Reserve is a truly outstanding reserve in November when the Verticordia abound with several different varities. The 1 hour walk trail resembles a massive garden of colours, shapes and sizes with scarcely room to tread.

Wongan Hills Heritage Walk Trail

fredporter — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 19:04:55 +0000

Walk the 2km trail, which starts and ends at the Wongan Hills Railway Station, Visitor Centre. Pass historical places of interest which are well marked with interpretation signs.

Pioneer Museum

fredporter — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 18:53:11 +0000

The museum was originally the first hospital for Wongan Hills and the surrounding area. In 1927 at the local Roads Board Meeting the issue of the need for a hospital was raised. Before this time people in the area were taken to Goomalling, 25 miles away. A rate payers meeting also addressed the problem of no local hospital. Dr Stenning had commenced practicing in Wongan Hills in 1929 and he assisted the townsfolk in raising and acquiring the funds for the hospital to be built.

In 1931 the hospital was opened. It had been built so that if the hospital did not continue it could be turned into a boarding house. Alterations and additions were made in the late 1930’s. In the 1950’s the doctors consulting room and waiting room were located within the hospital building.

In 1965 a new hospital was constructed. The original hospital had operated for thirty three years. The old hospital was used for nurse’s quarters. At times the flat within the building was rented out. In 1971 the Wongan Hills and Districts Museum and Historical Society took over the building. In 1972 the Wongan Pioneer Museum was officially opened.

Mt O’Brien Wheatbelt Lookout

fredporter — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 18:45:02 +0000

In 1986 Mt O’Brien was officially renamed from Mt Dick and opened to the public by Mrs Hennessy (nee Cath O’Brien).

In July 1999 the Hon. Wilson Tuckey announced funding for the Mt. O’Brien Wheatbelt Lookout had been approved after an application for funding had been submitted by the Wongan Hills Tourism Group and shire of Wongan-Ballidu. Mt O’Brien Centenary of Federation “Wheatbelt Lookout” was officially opened on 27th October 2001, jointly by Hon. Wilson Tuckey M.P., Federal Member for O’Connor and the Wongan –Ballidu Shire President Mr Duncan Holme J.P., with 150 people attending.

At this event the Holme family donated to the Wongan -Ballidu Shire, 1 hectare adjoining the previous land excised, which now includes the mobile phone area and the Wheatbelt Lookout.

Mt O’Brien is the second highest point in the Wongan Hills (424 metres). Mt O’Brien has BBQ facilities, lighting, seating and tables.

Wongan Hills Nature Reserve

fredporter — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 18:43:24 +0000

Also known as the Mount Matilda Walk Trail.

418 hectare reserve approx 12kms from Wongan Hills on the Waddington/Wongan Road.

The landscape of the hills is a complex of ridges dissected by steep gullies with the rugged ground unsuitable for farming and grazing. It remains an island of natural vegetation surrounded by cleared farmland. The highest point of the reserve is Mt Matilda at 434 metres above sea level.

The significance of the Wongan Hills is that it is not only floristically rich, but it also contains an assembly of plants that does not occur anywhere else in the wheatbelt.

The flora of the Wongan Hills is extremely diverse with more than 250 species of flowering plants, an exceptionally high number of species for this area. Of greater importance is that 16 of these species are unique to the Wongan Hills.

There are five species gazetted rare flora in the Wongan Hills Nature Reserve and numerous species of priority flora.