Ranford is a town located north-east of
Boddington along the road from
Pinjarra to
Williams
Williams may refer to:
People
* Williams (surname), a surname English in origin, but popular in Wales, 3rd most common in the United Kingdom
* Williams Nwaneri, American football player
Places Astronomy
* Williams (lunar crater)
* Williams ...
.
History
The town's name honours Henry Samuel Ranford, who had traversed the Hotham River and marked out the first holdings in the vicinity. In 1884, he became a government surveyor with the Lands Department and held various appointments in the
Swan River Colony
The Swan River Colony, also known as the Swan River Settlement, or just ''Swan River'', was a British colony established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. This initial settlement place on the Swan River was soon named Perth, an ...
, including Acting Surveyor General. In 1897, he moved to
Katanning to become the Government Land Agent.
Ranford was a stop on the
Pinjarra to Narrogin railway
The Pinjarra to Narrogin railway was a 153 kilometre cross-country railway line built between the towns of Pinjarra and Narrogin in Western Australia.
History
The line was opened in stages between 1910 and 1927 (with construction being delaye ...
line.
In 1936, Industrial Extracts Ltd, which produced
tanning extracts from white gum timber, proposed a townsite at the location of their Tannin Extracts Factory. The townsite was gazetted and named Ranford in 1936. The Lieutenant Governor, Sir
James Mitchell, opened the factory on 21 April 1937. For the next 20 years, the factory operated and brought many people to the district in the post-Depression era. However, by 1957, the plant had been closed down—twenty years at three shifts a day had worn out the factory and nearly exhausted the timber supply. Both mills were removed, and the offices, which are now private dwellings for donkeys, are the only original buildings remaining.
Although Ranford had a boarding house it relied on Boddington for its services, including shopping and education.
Present day
Ranford is largely a historic site, with a few remaining cottages and the factory area, now used as a grain storage silo. A large pool at the end of River Road offers canoeing and other water activities.
References
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Towns in Western Australia
Shire of Boddington