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.
| 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°E |
| Population | 484 (SAL 2021)[1] |
| Established | 1926 |
| Postcode(s) | 6286 |
| Elevation | 89 m (292 ft) |
| Area | 54.7 km2 (21.1 sq mi) |
| Location |
|
| LGA(s) | Shire of Augusta-Margaret River |
| State electorate(s) | Warren-Blackwood |
| Federal division(s) | Forrest |
History
editIn 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
edit| 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) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | — | 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) |
| Mean daily minimum °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
edit- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Witchcliffe (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ Dzelme, John (1976) Place and Date Stamps of Western Australia, p. 121, Perth, W.A: published by the author
- ^ "History of country town names – W". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. 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.