Lancelin

History

The town's name originates from nearby Lancelin Island which was named after Lancelin, the scientific writer of Nicolas Baudin during his 1801 expedition. The area was initially a holiday camping place through the 1940s and holiday shacks were probably built in the area during this time, but interest in the area grew as it was designated as a possible port to be utilised by the crayfish or lobster fishery. One such vessel used at Lancelin was in the 1960s, now preserved in the Western Australian Maritime Museum. Lancelin was gazetted in 1950 and was originally named , the Aboriginal word for 'fish'. The area was renamed in 1953 after a request from the Gingin Road Board. Two sounding rockets were launched from Lancelin for solar research during the solar eclipse of June 20, 1974. The Australian military has used the Lancelin Defence Training Area to the north of the town for training exercises since the 1940s.