The Palace Hotel

Wagin
Important and major centre in the wheatbelt
Wagin is located 228 km south east of Perth and 257 m above sea level. It is an important centre for the surrounding wheat and sheep industry with the inevitable grain silos and bulk loading facilities beside the railway line. The town also produces agricultural supplies including superphosphate and stock feed.

No one is quite sure what the word 'Wagin' actually means but it is likely that it either means 'the place where emus watered' or is a variation of 'wedge-an' an Aboriginal word for 'emu'.

The first European explorer through the area was John Septimus Roe, the Surveyor General, who in 1835 reached Mount Hugel (which he named after the German scientist, Baron Hugel) which lies south of the present town.

There was little development of the region until the arrival of the railway in 1889. Between 1835 and 1889 a few settlers eked a simple living by cutting sandalwood and shepherding small flocks of sheep. Land was granted to pastoralists in the Wagin area from the late 1870s onwards.

The town came into existence as a result of the construction of the Great Southern Railway which was completed in 1889. By 1898 Wagin had been proclaimed a town and by 1906 it had become well established as a major service centre for the surrounding area.

Things to see:  

Wagin Heritage Trail
There is an interesting guide to the historical sites in the town titled Wagin Heritage Trail: Settlement and Development of the Wagin District. With the town really only coming into existence in the late nineteenth century many of the so called Œhistoric sitesı are quite recent. The Heritage Trail includes St Georgeıs Anglican Church (1902), St Georgeıs Hall (1912), the Wagin Masonic Lodge (1907), the Old Power House (1914) which is now the Little Gem Theatre a combined cinema and live theatre with seating capacity for 99 people, the Wagin Road Board Office (1912) now the Town Library and the delightful and impressive Palace Hotel (1905). There is very little of great historical interest in Wagin. Like all country towns it has some old buildings but none of them are such as to catch the attention of the visitor and in some cases, the Masonic Lodge for example, the buildings are notable only for their lack of distinction or character.

Wagin Historical Village
The townıs great attraction is the very substantial and interesting Historical Village which is located inside the grounds of the local showground. The village continues to expand and seems as though it will eventually become a town in its own right. In 1988 there were 33 buildings and the complex was expanding rapidly. The buildings include an old Bank, School, Printing shop, wattle and daub humpy, shepherdıs camp, Community Hall, Blacksmithıs Shop, Barberıs Shop, Dressmaker, Bush shearing shed and Mallee Root Shed. Most of the buildings in the complex have been furnished appropriately. Apart from the actual buildings there is also an extensive display of memorabilia from the local area. There is little doubt that this is one of the finest Historical Villages in the country. There has been a great deal of care taken to recreate an environment which combines a Œmain streetı, an Œearly settlementı and extensive displays of farm machinery which are reputed to be the best in Western Australia. It is open every day from 10.00 am - 12.00 noon and from 2.00 pm - 4.00 pm.

The Big Ram at Wagin

The Big Ram
There are a number of Big Ramıs around Australia. The one at Wagin, which stands 7 m high and 15 m long, seems to be particularly appropriate given that each March the Wagin Woolorama draws up to 20 000 people to the townıs Agricultural Show. This show is second only to the Perth Royal Show as Western Australiaıs premier agricultural event.

A book on the area titled The Emuıs Watering Place and written by M. J. Pederick covers the history of the town in great detail.

	Hotel
	Moranıs Wagin Hotel 77 Tudor Street Wagin WA 6315 Telephone: (08) 9861 1017 Rating: **
	Tourist Information
	Wagin Tourist Information Centre Historical Village P.O .Box 303 Wagin WA 6315 Telephone: (08) 9861 1232 Facsimile: (08) 9861 1811
	Motels
	Wagin Motel Tudhoe Street Wagin WA 6315 Telephone: (08) 9861 1888 Facsimile: (08) 9861 1800 Rating: ***
	Hotels
	Federal Hotel/Motel Tudhoe Street Wagin WA 6315 Telephone: (08) 9861 1004
	Palace Hotel Tudhoe Street Wagin WA 6315 Telephone: (08) 9861 1003
	Caravan Parks
	Wagin Caravan Park Jcn Arthur Rd & Scaddan St Wagin WA 6315 Telephone: (08) 9861 1177 Rating: **
	Restaurants
	Chameleon Coffee Lounge 97 Tudor St Wagin WA 6315 Telephone: (08) 9861 1056
	Federal Hotel/Motel Tudhoe Street Wagin WA 6315 Telephone: (08) 9861 1004
	Moranıs Wagin Hotel Restaurant 77 Tudor St Wagin WA 6315 Telephone: (08) 9861 1017
	Palace Hotel Restaurant Tudhoe Street Wagin WA 6315 Telephone: (08) 9861 1003
	Wagin Motel Restaurant Tudhoe Street Wagin WA 6315 Telephone: (08) 9861 1784