Railways of Australia

The opening of the Great Southern Railway in 1889 resulted in an economic boom for the district along the rail line. It passed just 10km west of Moorumbine and a small settlement was established at the railway siding located there. A spring of water east of the railway crossing was named ?Pingeculling,? an Aboriginal name for ?Watering Place.? From this, the present name of Pingelly was derived. The growth and development of Pingelly which was gazetted on the 4th of February 1898 marked the beginning of Moorumbine?s gradual decline. While settlers began to desert Moorumbine, Pingelly attracted many settlers from the Goldfields who were looking for an alternative and more secure means of income. An estimate of the population from the WA Yearbook in 1898 shows that Pingelly had a population of 350. In addition to farming, other profitable industries of the time included sandalwood, mallet bark and animal skins