Facts and figures
The Wheatbelt covers an area of 154 862 square kilometres (96 226 square miles).
Commercial centres: Northam, Merredin
Distance from Northam to Perth: 96 km (60 miles)
Distance from Merredin to Perth: 260 km (161 miles)
Median house price in Merredin: $165 000 (June 2016)
Other main towns: Jurien Bay, Moora
The Wheatbelt is well-known for its magnificent wildflowers as well as for its rich agricultural history in cropping – producing almost half of the agricultural crops for the State. It is the State’s main producer of cereal crops and other products such as canola, vegetables, honey, citrus fruits, olives, wine grapes and livestock. Its vibrant economy is supported by construction, the retail trade and fisheries. It also offers affordable housing and extensive education, health, cultural and recreational services.
Known as the Heartlands, the Wheatbelt offers you an escape from city life in a safe and relaxed environment with more than 200 towns and communities offering a range of liveability options. Some of the attractions in the region include the Narembeen Grain Discovery Centre, Wave Rock near Hyden and the Wagin Historical Village.
The Shire of Northam is the largest regional centre with population distributed throughout the region which boasts 150 km of a pristine coastline lucrative to the fishing industry, particularly rock lobsters for domestic consumption and export.
The Wheatbelt region belongs to a vast and surprisingly diverse region of outback Australia known as Western Australia’s Golden Outback.
Key fact!
Just outside the coastal town of Cervantes are the lunar-like Pinnacles (tall limestone pillars formed from seashells and from the natural forces of wind and water) which rise eerily out of the yellow desert sands of Nambung National Park where you can find the earliest life forms on earth – the stromatolites – at Lake Thetis.
