Dongarra   WA  6525
	Population: 2,400   Height above sea level: 35m Latitude: -29.2600 Longitude: 114.9400 Location: 350km north of Perth   Highway: Brand Hwy (1)  Nearest Major Town: Geraldton Nearest Airport: Geraldton Touring Area: WA - Mid West
Settlement around the Dongara Estuary began in 1853 when the 'Cattle Company' appointed harbourmaster, Edward Downs, to watch for passing ships to service their investments some 15km east in the hinterland. Farmers soon took up land around the estuary and a flour mill was built to process grain from the region and a townsite was surveyed in 1871, and a council appointed. Churches, hotels, a school, and a police station followed during the 1880s and by 1890 a railway connected the town to Perth creating the need for a larger mill to service the growing agricultural production and the Perth market. Fishing became a new industry and Dongara is now a busy supplier of lobsters to a national market. A small oil and gas field was discovered nearby in 1966 and has created a new industry and some new jobs.

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© Copyright Peter W. Wilkins