Morawa

History

The name Morawa is an Indigenous Australian name; it probably derives from the Morowar, the local dialect's word for the dalgite. The name was first used on maps of the area in 1910, in reference to a rock hole. When the railway was being planned in 1913, it was decided to locate a siding at the location, and the name Morawa was chosen for it. The Lands Department then decided to establish a townsite there, and Morawa was gazetted in September 1913. In 1921 the Railways Department decided that Morawa was too similar to Mullewa and requested a name change. In response, the town's name was changed to Merkanooka in January 1922. However the Railway Department, which had pressed for the name change in the first place, did not rename the siding, and in June the town's name reverted to Morawa at the request of the townspeople. In 1932 the Wheat Pool of Western Australia announced that the town would have two grain elevators, each fitted with an engine, installed at the railway siding. Population growth in Morawa has been fairly stable since the 1990s, without much increase, possibly due to people moving out to the Perth metropolitan area. Farms had been amalgamating for a number of years for economic reasons and the larger farms required fewer staff.

Most-observed species

• Australian Ringneck

  Barnardius zonarius (Shaw, 1805) · Aves
  33
• Galah

  Eolophus roseicapilla (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  29
• Australian Raven

  Corvus coronoides Vigors & Horsfield, 1827 · Aves
  29
• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  26
• Yellow-throated Miner

  Manorina flavigula (Gould, 1840) · Aves
  23
• Tree Martin

  Petrochelidon nigricans (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  20
• Willie-wagtail

  Rhipidura leucophrys (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  18
• Singing Honeyeater

  Gavicalis virescens (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  18