Muchea, Western Australia

For the Romanian village, see Siliştea, Brăila.

Muchea Western Australia
Muchea
Coordinates	31°34′44″S 115°58′04″E
Population	762 (UCL 2021)[1]
Established	1904
Postcode(s)	6501
Elevation	95 m (312 ft)
Area	215.1 km^2 (83.1 sq mi)
Location	57 km (35 mi) N of Perth 13 km (8 mi) NNW of Bullsbrook
LGA(s)	Shire of Chittering
State electorate(s)	Moore
Federal division(s)	Durack

Muchea is a town in the Shire of Chittering, located 43 km (27 mi) north north-east of Perth. Its postcode is 6501. The town's name comes from the Aboriginal word "Muchela" which means in Nyoongar 'water hole', referring to the abundance of water in Muchea.

History

The area was first surveyed as farmland in 1845 as part of a property to be owned by George Moore. The opening of a railway siding in the area between 1892 and 1898 caused permanent structures to be built and by 1903 farmlots were surveyed close to the siding. The townsite was later gazetted in 1904.^[2]

Community hall in Muchea

In 1960, the Muchea Tracking Station was established about 4 kilometres (2 mi) SSW^[3] outside of town as part of NASA's Mercury project. In 1962, the first Australian to speak with a space traveller did so from the Muchea facility. The station was closed in 1964.^[4][5]

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Muchea (urban centre and locality)". Australian Census 2021. 
2. "History of country town names – M". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
3. "Muchea Tracking Station: 1960–1964". 2008. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
4. "Carnarvon Space – Western Australia in Space". 2008. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
5. "A MAN ON THE MOON Along the rood to Honeysuckle Creek (4 September 1965)", The Bulletin, 87 (4462), John Haynes and J.F. Archibald: 22, 4 September 1965, ISSN 0007-4039