| Crossman Western Australia | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
)  Crossman | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 32°48′S 116°37′E / 32.80°S 116.61°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 203 (2016 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1920s | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 6390 | ||||||||||||||
| Location | 125 km (78 mi) SSE of Perth | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | |||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Wagin | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Canning | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Crossman is a town located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, 125 kilometres (78 mi) south-southeast of the state capital, Perth along Albany Highway, and 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) east of Boddington.
Origin of the name
The name honours Lt William Crossman of the Royal Engineers, who arrived in Fremantle as a second lieutenant stationed in Perth in 1852, but was responsible for works in the Albany district and for roads in the area. In 1853, in company with surveyor A.C. Gregory, he examined and reported on various routes between Perth and Albany, and recommended that the then-current routes via York or Bunbury be replaced by a straight line between Kelmscott (now a Perth suburb near Armadale) and Albany. After serving as colonial magistrate, he returned to England in 1856 and later was promoted to captain and served as a British Member of Parliament for Portsmouth. The Crossman River, a 42 kilometres (26 mi) tributary of the Hotham River, was most likely named by A.C. Gregory in 1853.[2][3]
Present day
Riverside Roadhouse, a 24-hour roadhouse with takeaway and sit-down meals, operates on Albany Highway. Accommodation is available 2 km (1.2 mi) away, and Crossman Wildflower Reserve, a year-round sanctuary for flora and fauna and home to a wide range of native orchids, and Woolpack Lavender Farm, which opened in January 2003 and showcases lavender varieties.
The roadhouse is a stop on the Transwa bus services to Albany (GS1) and Esperance (GE1).[4]
References
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Crossman". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
- ^ Western Australian Land Information Authority. "History of river names – C". Retrieved 25 March 2007.
- ^ Fremantle Prison (2002). "Characters - William Crossman". Archived from the original on 20 August 2006. Retrieved 15 October 2006.
- ^ GS1 timetable (PDF) (8 May 2018) and GE1 timetable (PDF) (20 November 2017). Retrieved on 14 June 2018.
