The Shire of Yilgarn is 30,720 square km in area and has a population of approximately 1,600. Yilgarn is known by many as the Gateway to the Wheatbelt and the Goldfields.

The name “Yilgarn” is aboriginal for “white stone” or “quartz”.

Southern Cross is the major town centre of the Shire of Yilgarn and is 370km east of Perth along the Great Eastern Highway. Other townsites in the Shire include Bodallin, Bullfinch, Ghooli, Koolyanobbing, Marvel Loch, Moorine Rock and Yellowdine.

The town of Southern Cross owes a lot to the discovery of gold and to Tom Riseley and Mick Toomey, who named the area after the Southern Cross , the constellation they used to help them navigate their way when travelling at night. Southern Cross literally boomed overnight.

The two major industries in the area are Mining and Rural. Gold, gypsum, salt and iron are mined, while grain, wool, sheep, cattle and pigs are the focus of the rural industry.

The co-existence of mining and agriculture has balanced the Yilgarn economy, with the two activities supplementing and complementing each other through their respective boom and bust cycles.

Tourism is another growing industry in the Yilgarn. There are many wonderful places of attraction throughout the Shire including Baladjie Rock, Frog Rock, Karalee Dam, Hunts Soak, Yilgarn History Museum, just to name a few. The wildflower season is an excellent time to visit the Yilgarn to see the may beautiful colours of the area. To learn more about what to see and do in the Yilgarn, visit our Visit Yilgarn page.

The people and places make the Yilgarn a place to remember. The long history surrounding the Shire is famous to many throughout the State and complements the existing beauty and adventure of the Shire of Yilgarn. For more information on any tourist attractions in the area, as well as booking train tickets and tourist brochures visit the Shire Office, the tourism information centre. If you are visiting on the weekend, you can also find some tourism information at the Yilgarn History Museum.