The two Bencubbin Hotels

Bencubbin
A typical sleepy wheatbelt town
Located 274 km north east of Perth on the northeastern edge of the wheatbelt, Bencubbin is a typical wheatbelt town.

It is a tiny township with a population of less than 200 people. The area was first explored by the Surveyor General J. S. Roe in October 1836 when, in his travels beyond the Avon Valley he travelled through the area naming the granite outcrop to the south of the town (after which the shire is named) Mount Marshall in honour of his friend Captain Marshall MacDermott, the first manager of the Western Australian branch of the Bank of Australasia.

Captain Marshall MacDermott was one of those quixotic adventurers who make the early history of Australia so interesting. He was a well to do Army Officer who resigned his commission, bought a 500 ton ship in Sweden and sailed to the Swan River Colony. Upon his arrival in 1803 he purchased 5000 acres on the Swan River near Governor Stirling's summer residence. Three years later he imported some Saxony sheep to the colony. He was active in public life establishing, with some friends, his own bank which he ran until he was persuaded to take over the management of the Bank of Australasia.

Typical countryside around Bencubbin

By the 1840s there were shepherds and sandalwood cutters in the area although there was no permanent settlement until the 1860s. The agricultural potential of the area was recognised in the 1890s but the first permanent settlement in the shire didn't occur until 1908. The Mount Marshall Roads Board was established in 1923. It is said that the town's name comes from the Aboriginal word 'Gnylburngobbing' which is rather amusing as J. S. Roe named the nearby Mount Marshall after an Englishman precisely because he despised Aboriginal names believing them to be unpronouncable.

Things to see:  

Bencubbin Hotel
One of the town's minor interests is the strange fact that the Bencubbin Hotel is actually two hotels. Although one hotel is obviously nothing more than an extension of the original hotel the difference in architectural style is such that they give the impression of being two hotels standing next to each other.

Bencubbin Museum
There is a museum in Bencubbin (it can be opened by getting the key from the Shire Office which is next door). The museum's great claim to fame is that it has a piece of meteorite but it is so small as to be of interest only to scientists. The piece of meteorite is part of one of the three meteorites found near Waddouring which weighed 54.2 kg, 64.6 kg and 16 kg respectively. They are all now located in the Western Australian Museum. The museum is a typical rural folk museum with small displays of bottles and other memorabilia.

Bates Farm Museum
Another museum, the Bates Farm Museum, is located some kilometres out of town at Welbungin on the Mukinbudin road. It has a large collection of old farm equipment and vehicles of which a rare donkey drawn wagon is one of the most interesting exhibits.

	Tourist Information
	Bencubbin Beacon Tourist Information Centre Shire of Mt Marshall P.O. Box 20 Bencubbin WA 6477 Telephone: (08) 9685 1202 Facsimile: (08) 9685 1299
	Hotels
	Bencubbin Hotel/Motel Monger St Bencubbin WA 6477 Telephone: (08) 9685 1201
	Caravan Parks
	Bencubbin Caravan Park Lot 198 Trayning Rd Bencubbin WA 6477 Telephone: (08) 9685 1202