Town of Gabbin

The first people thought to have passed through the area were a party led by J S Roe, a government surveyor and assisted by a native from the “Duren “tribe that roamed this area. Roe, travelling west from the Bencubbin area, passed north of Gabbin and south of Mulji Soak on the30th of October 1836.
Originally the area was known as MULJI until the town of Gabbin was gazetted in 1918. Gabbin as a town was approved in 1914 and thought to be sourced after the area approx. 10 km south east known as Gabbabin. A place of a fresh water soak most likely of aboriginal origin.
The next people to frequent the area were the sandalwooders pulling the sandalwood trees, a valuable aromatic wood that was exported mainly to the orient. Sandalwood pulling provided extra money for the early settlers to help in the clearing of their blocks. The tracks left by the sandalwooders paved the way for the families from the York, Toodyay and the Monks from New Norcia areas, to graze their sheep during the winter months. Very large leases were held, up to 5,000 acres (2,000 ha), because wool was a valuable commodity to a fledgling colony.
The MULJI (Gabbin) area was opened for selection in C.1910. Some of the early settlers were Daniels, Down, and Lacey who farmed together as “DADOLA”,Nilsson,Brindle,Rose and Clare. Family living conditions for the pioneers was not easy. They lived in tents until a “Humpy”, a bush timber frame and earth floors that may be covered with hessian bags and walls made of bags sewn together and starched with a form of plaster, made the internal walls and corrugated sheets of tin covered the roof. The buildings were very hot in summer and cold in winter. Cooking was done outside until the luxury of an inside stove could be afforded. Water was heated in a copper or in 20 litre ex. Kerosene tins.