Moora  Western Australia

On the Moore River at the heart of the Midlands district, about 180km north of Perth, Moora is at the centre of a mixed farming area - primarily wheat, wool and cattle. The town also supports some light industry, including steel fabrication and a concrete works. But, the big attractions are the wildflowers which bloom in colourful abundance in spring. Moora delights in several wildflower varieties which are unique to the area, and their pollen is important to the local bee-keeping industry. There are more than 8000 species of wildflowers in WA – maybe as many as 12,000, according to some experts - and still more than 2000 of these remain unnamed. This area, which sits on clay flats deposited by an ancient waterway, was originally covered by a large salmon gum forest and many of these handsome trees remain in and around Moora. Prior to European settlement, the Moora area was inhabited by the Yuat tribe of Nyoongar Aboriginal people. Many Aboriginal sites have been identified within the district, particularly along the Moore River where summer water supplies were plentiful. Although various explorers passed through the area earlier, the first European settlers arrived in 1846.The railway to Moora was completed in 1893 and within two years Moora was gazetted as a townsite. In the following decade there was much development and many of Moora's historic buildings date from that time.