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{{Infobox Australian place | type = town
| name = Narrogin
| state = wa
| image = Narrogin gnangarra 02.JPG
| caption = Soldier memorial institute
| lga = Town of Narrogin
|latd=32.936
|longd=117.178
|pushpin_label_position = right
| postcode = 6312
| pop = 4,238 | pop_year = 2006
| pop_footnotes = <ref>{{Census 2006 AUS | id = UCL520600 | name = Narrogin (Urban Centre/Locality) | quick = on | accessdate = 29 August 2008}}</ref>
| est = 1890s
| stategov = [[Electoral district of Wagin|Wagin]]
| fedgov = [[Division of O'Connor|O'Connor]]
| dist1 = 192
| location1= [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]]
| dist2 = 50
| location2= [[Wagin, Western Australia|Wagin]]
| dist3 = 103
| location3= [[Katanning, Western Australia|Katanning]]
| maxtemp = 22.4
| mintemp = 9.8
| rainfall = 499.6
| elevation= 192
}}
'''Narrogin''' is a large town in the [[Wheatbelt (Western Australia)|Wheatbelt region]] of [[Western Australia]], {{convert|192|km|mi|0}} southeast of [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]] on the [[Great Southern Highway]] between [[Pingelly, Western Australia|Pingelly]] and [[Wagin, Western Australia|Wagin]]. In the age of steam engines, Narrogin was one of the largest railway operation hubs in the southern part of Western Australia.
==History==
Narrogin is an [[Indigenous Australians|Aboriginal]] name, having been first recorded as "Narroging" for a pool in this area in 1869. The meaning of the name is uncertain, various sources recording it as "bat camp", "plenty of everything" or derived from "gnargagin" which means "place of water".<ref>{{LandInfo WA|c|N|17 January 2007}}</ref>
The first Europeans into the Narrogin area were Alfred Hillman and his party who surveyed the track between Perth and [[Albany, Western Australia|Albany]] in 1835. They passed only 10 km west of the present site of Narrogin. In time they were followed by the occasional shepherd who drove his [[sheep]] into the area seeking good pastures.
The area was first settled in the 1860s and 1870s when pastoralists moved and settled in isolated outposts. The population was so scattered that there was no incentive to establish a town.
Narrogin was officially declared a town in June 1897 and it was gazetted as a municipality on 13 April 1906. The early years of settlement were hard with farmers relying on [[Santalum spicatum|sandalwood]] cutting and the bark from mallee trees (it was used as a tanning agent) to compensate for poor returns from [[wheat]] and sheep.
By early 1898 the population of the town was 60, 35 males and 25 females.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article33153441 |title=Population of Western Australia|newspaper=[[Western Mail (Western Australia)|Western Mail]]|location=Perth, Western Australia|date=22 April 1898|accessdate=6 April 2013|page=23 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The local Agricultural Hall was opened the same year by [[Frederick Henry Piesse|Frederick Piesse]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article67032975 |title=Narrogin Agricultural Hall |newspaper=[[The Inquirer & Commercial News]] |location=Perth, Western Australia |date=25 November 1898 |accessdate=2 October 2013 |page=8 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
==Rail centre==
The arrival of the [[Great Southern Railway (Western Australia)|Great Southern Railway]] in July 1889 initiated the first hint of a town. The railway company was in search of good reliable watering points along the route from Perth to Albany. The company which had won the railway contract, the WA Land Company, duly purchased Narrogin pool and it was around this pool that the town developed.
Narrogin was connected to six separate railway destinations - York, Wagin, Collie, Wickepin, Kulin and Boddington.<ref>http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/105263/20090910-1331/wastations.i8.com/gsr/narrogin/narrogin_station.html</ref>
Narrogin remained a major rail centre until the late 1970s when competition from road transport saw a reduction in the railways workforce. By 1987, Narrogin was very much in decline, largely as the result of altered working of engines through from Avon Yard. The station ceased to be served by scheduled passenger trains from 1978. The number of employees dropped from about 280 people to fewer than a dozen in 1995.<ref>{{Citation | author1=White, Maurie | title=Mighty heart : Narrogin's railway story | publication-date=1991 | publisher=M. White | url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/34405456 | accessdate=15 April 2012 }}</ref><ref>"Narrogin as a Rail Centre", Milne, Rod [[Australian Railway History|''Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin'']], January 1994, pp 3-13</ref>
==Narrogin today==
Narrogin's previous role as a major railway junction has acted as an attractor for agricultural service industries as well as government departments and agencies. The town has accumulated significant public infrastructure - mainly in the health and education areas. This infrastructure serves as the base for the modern regional centre that Narrogin has become today.
According to the Town of Narrogin, Narrogin is unlike many other rural regional centres throughout Australia and is enjoying a strong and constant growth rate of approximately 2% per year, at the expense of surrounding areas.<ref>[http://www.narrogin.wa.gov.au/ Town of Narrogin]</ref> However, statistics from ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) show a steady decline in population from 1981 through to today - 4969 (1981),<ref>http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/free.nsf/0/27382F1EAE146758CA25758300125515/$File/24050_1981_PD_LGA_WA.pdf</ref> 4638 (1991),<ref>http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/free.nsf/0/C39AAB0E5F4E4AA4CA2574BF0000040C/$File/27305_1991_180_Census_Counts_for_Small_Areas_-_%20Western_Australia.pdf</ref> 4419 (2001) <ref>http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2001/quickstat/UCL520600?opendocument&navpos=220</ref> and 4219 (2011).<ref>http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2011/quickstat/UCL515024?opendocument&navpos=220</ref> It is worth noting that in 2006, the population in Narrogin was 4238,<ref>http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2006/quickstat/UCL520600?opendocument&navpos=220</ref> so between 2006 and 2011 the town lost only 19 people. Therefore, the population decline in the town has slowed down significantly.
The Old Court House Museum is a major attraction for tourists. The building was designed by the architect [[George Temple-Poole]] and constructed in 1894. The building served as a Government school until 1905, when it became the local courthouse. A local branch of the Agricultural Bank was housed in the building between 1924 and 1945, but in 1970 it was converted again into the local courthouse. Since 1976, the building has been used as a museum, exhibiting displays of regional memorabilia.<ref>[http://www.smh.com.au/news/Western-Australia/Narrogin/2005/02/17/1108500208590.html/ The Sydney Morning Herald]</ref>
The surrounding areas produce [[wheat]] and other [[cereal]] crops. The town is a [[CBH grain receival points|receival site]] for [[Cooperative Bulk Handling]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbh.com.au/media/120302/cbh%20receival%20sites%20-%20contact%20details.pdf|title=CBH receival sites|year=2011|accessdate=1 April 2013}}</ref>
==Climate==
Narrogin has a [[Mediterranean climate]] characterised by hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Narrogin was {{Convert|44.7|C|F}} on 3 February 2007 while the lowest temperature recorded was {{Convert|-3.1|C|F}} on 6 September 1956. Narrogin's highest daily rainfall occurred on 29 January 1990 when {{Convert|150.0|mm|in}} of rain was recorded.<ref>http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_010614_All.shtml</ref>
{{Weather box
|location = Narrogin (climate data: 1891-2012)
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C = 43.7
|Feb record high C = 44.7
|Mar record high C = 40.9
|Apr record high C = 36.1
|May record high C = 32.2
|Jun record high C = 26.2
|Jul record high C = 22.2
|Aug record high C = 26.3
|Sep record high C = 36.4
|Oct record high C = 37.8
|Nov record high C = 42.1
|Dec record high C = 43.2
|year record high C = 44.7
|Jan high C = 31.0
|Feb high C = 30.2
|Mar high C = 27.3
|Apr high C = 23.0
|May high C = 18.5
|Jun high C = 15.4
|Jul high C = 14.6
|Aug high C = 15.3
|Sep high C = 17.7
|Oct high C = 21.0
|Nov high C = 25.5
|Dec high C = 28.9
|year high C = 22.4
|Jan low C = 14.1
|Feb low C = 14.3
|Mar low C = 13.0
|Apr low C = 10.4
|May low C = 7.9
|Jun low C = 6.4
|Jul low C = 5.3
|Aug low C = 5.1
|Sep low C = 6.0
|Oct low C = 7.4
|Nov low C = 10.1
|Dec low C = 12.3
|year low C = 9.4
|Jan record low C = 4.3
|Feb record low C = 3.9
|Mar record low C = 3.3
|Apr record low C = -0.4
|May record low C = −2.4
|Jun record low C = −2.7
|Jul record low C = −2.7
|Aug record low C = −2.7
|Sep record low C = −3.1
|Oct record low C = -1.7
|Nov record low C = 0.0
|Dec record low C = 1.8
|year record low C = −3.1
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 12.8
|Feb rain mm = 15.9
|Mar rain mm = 20.6
|Apr rain mm = 29.8
|May rain mm = 62.9
|Jun rain mm = 87.1
|Jul rain mm = 87.7
|Aug rain mm = 67.8
|Sep rain mm = 46.1
|Oct rain mm = 31.4
|Nov rain mm = 18.2
|Dec rain mm = 14.1
|year rain mm = 494.1
|Jan rain days = 2.3
|Feb rain days = 2.9
|Mar rain days = 3.7
|Apr rain days = 6.3
|May rain days = 11.0
|Jun rain days = 14.6
|Jul rain days = 15.6
|Aug rain days = 14.2
|Sep rain days = 11.3
|Oct rain days = 8.5
|Nov rain days = 5.2
|Dec rain days = 3.0
|year rain days = 98.6
|source 1 = Bureau of Meteorology<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_010614_All.shtml
|title=Narrogin Climate Averages
|date=March 2012
|format=Webpage
|author=Western Australian Climate Services Centre (Bureau of Meteorology)
|accessdate=23 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_010614_All.shtml
|title=Narrogin Climatic Extremes
|date=March 2012
|format=Webpage
|author=Western Australian Climate Services Centre (Bureau of Meteorology)
|accessdate=23 March 2012}}</ref>
|date=March 2012}}
==Sport==
In [[1951 Australian Grand Prix|1951]] the [[Australian Grand Prix]] was held on a large seven kilometre circuit laid out the town's streets. The event attracted a crowd estimated at 35,000 and was won by Warwick Pratley driving an Australian developed car.
The town also acts as a hub for sporting competitions in the surrounding regions. Facilities were improved in recent years with the development of the Narrogin Leisure Complex, which houses a 50m outdoor pool, 25m indoor heated pool with leisure pool, gymnasium, café, squash courts, basketball stadiums as well as a world class wet synthetic hockey turf.<ref>http://www.narrogin.wa.gov.au/Narrogin%20Leisure%20Docs/NLCNewFrontpage.htm</ref>
==Notable residents==
* [[Barry Cable]], the star [[Perth Football Club|Perth]] and [[North Melbourne Football Club|North Melbourne]] [[Australian Rules Football]] player came from Narrogin.
* [[Bevan George]], field hockey player who won the gold medal with the Australian Men's Team at the [[2004 Summer Olympics]] in [[Athens]].
* [[Brian Glencross]], a retired Australian [[field hockey]] player and coach of the [[Hockeyroos|Australian Women's Team]].
* [[Brad Hogg]], retired Australian cricketer.
* [[Shaun Marsh]], Australian cricketer and the elder son of retired cricketer [[Geoff Marsh]].
* [[Stephen Smith (Australian politician)|Stephen Smith]], a Labour politician.
* [[Albert Facey]], author of ''[[A Fortunate Life]]'', lived a period of his life in Narrogin.
==Sister towns==
{{DJI}}, [[Ali Sabieh]]
==See also==
* [[Town of Narrogin]]
* [[Shire of Narrogin]]
* [[Narrogin Senior High School]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[http://www.narrogin.wa.gov.au/ Town of Narrogin]
*[http://www.narroginobserver.com.au Narrogin Observer newspaper]
{| class="toccolours" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"
|-
! style="background:#ccccff" align="center" | Pages associated with Narrogin, Western Australia
|-
| style="font-size: 90%;" |
*Narrogin, Western Australia - a town in [[Western Australia]]
* [[Town of Narrogin]] - a [[Local Government Areas of Western Australia|local government area]] covering Narrogin
* [[Shire of Narrogin]] - a [[Local Government Areas of Western Australia|local government area]] surrounding Narrogin
|}
{{Towns Wheatbelt South WA}}
[[Category:Towns in Western Australia]]
[[Category:Wheatbelt (Western Australia)]]
[[Category:Australian Grand Prix]]
[[Category:Grain receival points of Western Australia]]
{{usedwp|Narrogin, Western Australia}}