Mingenew, Western Australia

Mingenew is a town in Western Australia, located 383km north of the state capital, Perth. It is the seat of government for the Shire of Mingenew.HistoryMingenew was named after Mingenew Spring, an Aboriginal word recorded by European settlers in 1856, possibly deriving from either the words Minganu "the place of many ants" or Mininoo "the place of many waters". Mingenew and the surrounding Irwin District were first explored by the brothers Augustus Charles and Francis Thomas Gregory in August 1847, looking for suitable grazing land. Settlement of the district then occurred in the 1850s because it was ideal country for cattle. The Midland Railway opened in August 1891 and private land was subdivided, followed in 1906 by subdivision of Government land. In 1906, the town of Mingenew was gazetted.AgricultureToday, the town's economy is based on the farming of sheep, wheat and lupins.Mingenew is known as The Grain Centre. The Mingenew grain facility (CBH, Co-operative Bulk Handling) is recognised as the largest inland grower fed receival site facility in the Southern Hemisphere, with a holding capacity of 403,000 tons. There is a giant Wheat Stalk Sculpture at Cecil Newton Park in the main street of the town, which is affectionately known as "Big Ears" by the locals, and emphasises the importance of wheat farming in the area.