TheTownofNarrogin

CHARACTER & HISTORY OF

NARROGIN

Opportunities for Everyone!

If you have a job with transfer opportunities, make sure you don’t miss the chance to do your country stint in Narrogin. If you are looking for a change, just move here and be done with it. Employment opportunities in Narrogin are good.

We have an $8 million heated leisure pool, sports stadiums and a wet synthetic hockey pitch. There are many sporting clubs in the town – check out the Community Directory for more information. With affordable quality housing, a hospital 3 primary schools, a Senior High School and Agricultural College, a Residential College, TAFE college, venues for hire, supermarkets, specialty shops, pubs, clubs and restaurants you can't go wrong. Narrogin also has a vibrant art and music scene.

Check out the Community Calendar and Community Directory on this website for a glimpse of what Narrogin has to offer you.

History

The Town of Narrogin was gazetted as a municipality on the 13th April 1906. Its emergence as a regional centre for the Central South region can be traced back to the construction of the Great Southern Railway Line between Albany and Beverley in the late 1880's. Between 1905 and 1926 new railway lines were constructed to Collie, Wickepin, Kondinin, Dwarda and points beyond. Narrogin remained a major rail centre until the late 1970's when competition from road transport saw a reduction in the railways workforce from some 280 people to less than a dozen in 1995. 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.

For more history of the town, follow the links below:

1906-1926
1927-1946
1947-1966
1967-1986
1987-2006

Over the years 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. Unlike many other rural regional centres throughout Australia, Narrogin is enjoying a strong and constant growth of approximately 2% per year. This growth is sustained through new developments and renewed value in “Country Style” living in comfort and further to the extent that Narrogin acts as a sponge for the slight population loss from smaller surrounding towns and agricultural areas. In many ways the loss in population in the surrounding rural areas has acted as a spur to the community in making sure that it has control over its destiny.

Operation Bootstrap, the rejuvenation of the CBD through town scaping, the national award winning Gnarojin Park and the second major supermarket project are all indicative of a healthy and vibrant community that is keen to remain competitive and attractive. The Narrogin Town Council prides itself on its progressive approach to economic development. It has financed, built and leased premises for a bank as well as a veterinary practice in order to create employment opportunities for the town. It was the first local government in the State to employ a Community Arts Officer and the first to undertake town scaping with a view to revitalising the town's retail sector.

NARROGIN TOWN HALL

Designed by G.G. Lavater, and built by Hugh Marsh, this icon of Narrogin was officially opened 1908. It became a major venue for social occasions - local amateur and visiting professional theatre, dances, public meetings, etc - and many VIPs were given civic welcomes there. The Public Library and later the art gallery were housed in the Lesser Hall, later the Reception Centre. In early years, the Municipal Council used the front rooms. The building was featured on the Municipal Council Logo for many years and symbolises the past and present significance of the town.