Kellerberrin's main street - the pub was burnt down some time ago

Kellerberrin
Typical wheatbelt service town
Kellerberrin is a typical wheatbelt town located 246 metres above sea level and 203 km east of Perth on the Great Eastern Highway. It has an average annual rainfall of 350 mm and produces good crops of wheat, barley and oats.

It is widely believed that the town's name is a corruption of Killabin or Kellabrin. In the 1860s a nearby hill was always known as 'Killabin' which was supposedly a corruption of the Aboriginal word (or at least this is what local folklore says) 'Kellabrin' which was the name for a large ant colony which existed on the side of the hill.

The area around Kellerberrin wasn't settled by Europeans until 1861. In that year an expedition passed through the area and observed that 'there was a spring and about 2000 acres of tolerable grazing land'. Their description of the virgin land is far removed from the image the modern traveller has. They described the area as one of open forests and tree thickets.

The first settler, E. R. Parker, moved into the area in 1861 with a flock of sheep and over the next decade he was followed by a number of graziers who took up large runs and survived by a combination of sheep grazing, a little wheat growing, some sandalwood cutting and some horse breeding.

The area experienced a dramatic change in 1887 when gold was discovered at Southern Cross. Suddenly there were prospectors and fossickers wandering through the area on the Old York Road. The railway came through the area in 1893 and terminated at Doodlakine 16 km to the west. The original survey had placed the railway some 20 km to the north of the present site. It was moved further south after protests from the local graziers. A town grew up 5 km north of the present site of Kellerberrin near a waterhole.

When the railway moved further west the township at Doodlakine died and Kellerberrin became the district centre. The Doodlakine Post Office was moved to Kellerberrin and in 1897 the Agricultural Hall was built. It is a comment on the size of the town at this time that the member for Yilgarn observed that Kellerberrin was inhabited by 'one man and a dead kangaroo'.

Things to see:  

Kellerberrin Folk Museum
The Kellerberrin Folk Museum, originally the town's Agricultural Hall and built of fieldstone and brick in 1897, is on the far side of the railway line. In its time this rather unimpressive building has been the Agricultural Hall, a school, a Court House, the offices for the local Roads Board, and, in 1972 it became the local museum. It has an interesting collection of memorabilia including a fairly comprehensive photographic record of the area. It can be opened by contacting (08) 9045 4006 or the key to the museum can be obtained from the people next door. In the Pioneer Park, which surrounds the Museum, there are a number of old steam engines which were used in the early days of the area's settlement.

The Coolgardie water pipeline came through the town in 1902 and two years later the beautiful Kellerberrin Hotel was built. It is still the most prominent and impressive building in the town. Ironically the pub was built on a spring and today the old cellars are full of water.

There is a Kellerberrin Heritage Trail brochure which is a pleasant half hour walk through the town and a short 4 km drive to the local lookout.

	Tourist Information
	Kellerberrin Tourist Information Centre Shire Office P.O. Box 145 Kellerberrin WA 6410 Telephone: (08) 9045 4006 Facsimile: (08) 9045 4437
	Motels
	Shell Roadhouse Motel Great Eastern Hwy Kellerberrin WA 6410 Telephone: (08) 9045 4007 Rating: **
	Hotels
	Kellerberrin Hotel/Motel 108 Massingham St Kellerberrin WA 6410 Telephone: (08) 9045 5000
	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	The Prev 1 George St Kellerberrin WA 6410 Telephone: 0427 063 638
	Caravan Parks
	Kellerberrin Caravan Park Kelleberrin Showgrounds- Kellerberrin WA 6410 Telephone: 0428 840 447 Rating: *
	Restaurants
	Shell Roadhouse Motel Great Eastern Hwy Kellerberrin WA 6410 Telephone: (08) 9045 4007
	Cafés
	Kellerberrin Tea Rooms 72 Massingham St Kellerberrin WA 6410 Telephone: (08) 9045 4374