Tenindewa Store & Railway

Population: 143 (2006 Census)

Tenindewa is a small town located between Geraldton and Mullewa along the Geraldton – Mount Magnet Road in the Mid West region of Western Australia.

From railway station to town site (1908-1913)

A railway from Geraldton to Mullewa was constructed in 1894 and passed through the area. By 1908 a station was opened in the location of the town and had the name 55 mile siding. Later in 1908 the name of the station was changed to the Aboriginal name of a nearby gully, Kockatea. The name was changed again almost a year later to Tenindewa which is also Aboriginal in origin. The meaning is unknown. The town site was gazetted in 1913.

Last Manual Telephone Exchange in WA (1985)

Tenindewa contained the last manual telephone exchange in Western Australia. It was closed on 13 April 1985.

The telephone switchboard was located at the Tenindewa Store where the operator would manually connect calls with cord pairs. Everyone from Tenindewa will still recall fondly their 2 digit phone number.  We will publish the last phone book here shortly and we also have video footage of the closure of the manual exchange.

Tenindewa Christmas Tree

The Community celebrated its 100th Christmas tree on Saturday the 21st of December  2013. Learn more about the history of the Tenindewa Christmas Tree.

About tenindewa.com

This website was established by the Tenindewa Progress Association to record the history of Tenindewa and in particular, to capture the stories of the remaining early settlers while they are still living. We do however welcome contributions from residents and visitors old and new, young and old, to record memories of Tenindewa for future generations.

Tenindewa

a poem by Doreen Lindsay (nee Butler)

The Store is still Standing,
But the people have all Gone
From this the Siding
Of sand, salt and Stone

The whistling wind in the Trees
And the birds still fly in the Sky
Sulkies, horses and carts are no More
Oh! The history of the Store

Our fathers toiled this salted Land
With ax, spade and Shovel
And with their hands they dug the Wells
For water right through the Gravel

A lot of people I cannot Remember
Nationality, Creed and all the Races
The Railway gang lived by the Store
So many different Faces

Some places I still Remember
Pine Ridge, Bindu and Wollya Dam
And it was all a Slumber
Till the World War came Around

Bren Guns, Army Trucks and Tanks
And Soldiers by the Score
All the Aeroplanes landing on the Drome
Over my home that is no More

Stepping Stones across the Lake
I can see it all Today
Where Children walked safely to The School
To learn, skip, laugh and Play

I came back to Tenindewa,
The Memories flood back More
As I walk along this lonely Road
That passes by the Store

Most of the People were Farmers
Our Fathers who worked for a Living
They came from many Countries Afar
To this Land of Loving and Giving

Rumbles, O’Briens, Butlers, Olman and Stokes
Dunkin, Brenkley, Keeffe, Moore and Benoit
They came to farm this Maiden Land
And toiled with all their Might

Ullrich, Hayes, Malony, Petrov, and McCarley
Oldham, Curtis, Bedford, Campbell and Bell
How they braved the Drought and Rains
Only the Ruins can Tell

Merchant, Short, Hamilton, Meadowcroft, and Troy
Higgins, Valentine, Hellan and Stafford
They worked from daylight through till Dark
Aches and Pains in their Bodies they Suffered

Eves, Palmer, Griffiths, Hamilton, Kelsey
And Fosters owned and ran the Post Office and Store
But now it comes the end of Day
The Closing of the Door

So now as I wander down the Road
Where Ancestors used to Roam
I silently shed a tear or Two
For the place I still call Home