Witchcliffe, Western Australia
| Witchcliffe Western Australia | |
|---|---|
 The heritage listed former Darnell's General Store in Witchcliffe in 2021 | |
  Witchcliffe | |
| Coordinates | 34°02′S 115°06′E / 34.03°S 115.1°ECoordinates: 34°02′S 115°06′E / 34.03°S 115.1°E |
| Population | 263 (2016 census)[1] |
| Established | 1926 |
| Postcode(s) | 6286 |
| Elevation | 89 m (292 ft) |
| Location |
|
| LGA(s) | Shire of Augusta-Margaret River |
| State electorate(s) | Vasse |
| Federal division(s) | Forrest |
Witchcliffe is a small town in the South West region of Western Australia, located a few kilometres south of Margaret River on the Bussell Highway. The name originates from a cave in the area, Witchcliffe cave, that was recorded by a surveyor in 1900. It is believed the name was given by the Bussell family whose property, Wallcliffe, was established in the area in the 1850s.
History[]
In 1924 the government extended the Flinders Bay Branch Railway to Witchcliffe. The siding was to be named Narawary but a post office already existed at the site with the name Witchcliffe, having opened in 1923,[2] so the siding was named Witchcliffe in 1925. Lots were surveyed and sold along the siding in 1924 and the townsite was gazetted in 1926.[3]
The town was built around the timber industry, with the Witchcliffe sawmill being built in 1922 just east of town for the W.A. Jarrah Forests Ltd, which was taken over by the Adelaide Timber company in 1929.[4]
Climate[]
| Climate data for Witchcliffe | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 40.6 (105.1) |
39.4 (102.9) |
39.0 (102.2) |
32.6 (90.7) |
27.7 (81.9) |
22.5 (72.5) |
21.2 (70.2) |
22.1 (71.8) |
25.0 (77.0) |
32.4 (90.3) |
36.2 (97.2) |
40.6 (105.1) |
40.6 (105.1) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 26.5 (79.7) |
27.3 (81.1) |
25.9 (78.6) |
22.7 (72.9) |
19.9 (67.8) |
17.5 (63.5) |
16.4 (61.5) |
16.7 (62.1) |
17.4 (63.3) |
19.5 (67.1) |
22.8 (73.0) |
24.8 (76.6) |
21.4 (70.5) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 13.9 (57.0) |
14.5 (58.1) |
13.0 (55.4) |
11.1 (52.0) |
9.8 (49.6) |
8.8 (47.8) |
8.0 (46.4) |
8.2 (46.8) |
8.8 (47.8) |
9.1 (48.4) |
10.9 (51.6) |
12.4 (54.3) |
10.7 (51.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 4.5 (40.1) |
5.9 (42.6) |
3.2 (37.8) |
3.0 (37.4) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
0.5 (32.9) |
1.1 (34.0) |
2.4 (36.3) |
3.4 (38.1) |
4.0 (39.2) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 11.1 (0.44) |
8.2 (0.32) |
22.3 (0.88) |
65.0 (2.56) |
138.7 (5.46) |
177.2 (6.98) |
193.2 (7.61) |
150.2 (5.91) |
116.9 (4.60) |
61.1 (2.41) |
38.2 (1.50) |
15.0 (0.59) |
1,018.7 (40.11) |
| Average precipitation days | 3.8 | 5.1 | 7.3 | 14.1 | 18.6 | 20.9 | 23.4 | 22.4 | 20.3 | 16.6 | 11.0 | 7.3 | 170.8 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 50 | 48 | 50 | 57 | 62 | 67 | 67 | 65 | 64 | 61 | 55 | 52 | 58 |
| Source: [5] | |||||||||||||
References[]
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Witchcliffe". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
- ^ Dzelme, John (1976) Place and Date Stamps of Western Australia, p. 121, Perth, W.A: published by the author
- ^ Western Australian Land Information Authority. "History of country town names – W". Retrieved 30 September 2008.
- ^ Gunzburg, Adrian and Austin, Jeff (2008) Rails through the Bush: Timber and Firewood Tramways and Railway Contractors of Western Australia Perth, W.A. Rail Heritage WA. ISBN 978-0-9803922-2-7 page 134
- ^ "Climate statistics for Witchcliffe". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- Towns in Western Australia
- South West (Western Australia)
- Timber towns in Western Australia