Common Questions....

1. Where is Katanning? How do I get there?
Katanning is situated in the heart of the Great Southern region of Western Australia - we are a couple of hours drive from everywhere! If you are driving here you can find us on the Great Southern Highway 30 minutes east of Kojonup, 30 minutes south of Wagin, 40 minutes west of Gnowangerup and 30 minutes north of Tambellup. Otherwise, you can catch a bus to Katanning from Perth or Albany or anywhere in between. See TransWA for bookings and information.

2. What type of climate does Katanning have?
Locals like to say that Katanning has two temperatures - flamin' hot and flamin' cold! But seriously, Katanning enjoys a Mediterranean/temperate climate with cool, wet winters and hot summers with cool nights.

3. Is Katanning isolated?
We are isolated enough to be a real country town but over 4,500 people choose to work, live and play in the Shire of Katanning! We are only a couple of hours drive from the major regional centres of Albany (2 hours), Bunbury (2¼ hours) and Perth (3 hours) and are close to many popular tourist destinations such as the magnificent Stirling Ranges (1½ hours) and the Mt Barker wine country (1½ hours).

4. Can I surf or swim in Katanning?
Yes, sort of, and yes. The Katanning Telecentre provides reasonably priced internet access where you can surf the internet! As for swimming, your best option would be the Katanning Swimming Pool, which is open during the summer months, as the town's only creek is usually dry - it is part of the Blackwood River catchment and only floods about once every ten years!

5. What's in Katanning?
Katanning boasts over 150 Services and Community organizations from a comprehensive health system to the RSL, from aromatherapy and yoga to a toy library and meals on wheels plus a high school and primary schools. We also have almost every type of Sport & Leisure Facility that you can imagine!

Katanning also has nearly every type of Business - banking and investment services, furnishings, electrical goods, computers and internet services, fashion and jewellery, restaurants and cafes, engineers and mechanics plus so much more. And if a product you want is not available in town just ask and it can be brought in for you.

Oh, and one more thing... we only have one roundabout and no traffic lights!!!

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Places of Interest in Katanning....

Katanning Roller Flour Mill Museum Located right in the heart of Katanning, on the corner of Clive Street and Austral Terrace, is the Roller Flour Mill. The mill was built by the Piesse family in the late 1800's and continued to operate until 1977. It is much as it was with most of the original machinery still in place over four floors. Visiting the old mill is a must and you can almost hear the machines and taste the flour dust as you wander through the building. The Katanning visitor's centre and tourist bureau occupies part of the ground floor and you are guaranteed a welcoming smile.

	Kobeelya Situated on Brownie Avenue on the hill overlooking Katanning sits Kobeelya. Built in 1902 by Frederick Piesse for his family, it boasted seven bedrooms, a billiard room, a ballroom, and hot and cold running water. The grounds, at that time, had stables, tennis courts a croquet ground and a coach house. The main house was sold in 1922 to a private girl's school.

The girl's school was unusual in that it was the only boarding school where girls could stable their own horses. A beautiful chapel - St Michael and All Angels Chapel - was constructed on the grounds in 1938-39 with money raised by Parents and Friends and Students of Kobeelya C.E.G.S. and is still used today for weddings and special services. In 1986 the Baptist church bought Kobeelya and it is now a busy conference centre and retreat which can accommodate up to 76 people.

Historical Museum This lovely old building is the original Katanning government school on the corner of Taylor and Cove Streets. It was built in 1899 and now houses the Katanning Historical Museum. The museum is full of interesting artefacts and quaint memorabilia along with some fascinating records from the Katanning's early history.

The Katanning museum and heritage society volunteers have been the driving force in rescuing and preserving some of our most treasured and irreplaceable memories.

All Ages Playground and Miniature Railway On the corner of Clive Street and the Great Southern Highway is the All Ages Playground, a rare and unusual playground that has adult sized play equipment to bring out the child in all of us. There is also a conventional sized playground for the real children. This is an excellent venue for a picnic or barbeque and is a favourite with all who are young at heart. To add to the fun experience is the Katanning Miniature Railway. Run by a group of volunteer enthusiasts they run on the second and fourth Sunday of every month. Relive the halcyon days of steam on scale model miniature trains and enjoy a Devonshire tea on the platform. - All aboard!

Katanning Library and Art Gallery The Katanning library and Art Gallery on Austral Terrace was built in 1999 and is situated on Austral Terrace. The library offers every modern amenity you could expect from a state of the art facility while the Art Gallery hosts some wonderful exhibitions, from local art collections to TAFE art student's displays to visiting international exhibitions..

	Katanning Sale Yards Every Wednesday the sale yards come alive with thousands of sheep for sale, dozens of barking sheep dogs and some very serious buyers. There is a viewing platform for you to witness this amazing event. Over one million sheep per year pass through the sale yards, making it one of the largest sale yards in Australia. It is an experience not to be missed.

Katanning Recreation and Leisure Centre Located on Pemble Street this impressive building is one of the largest single span structures in the southern hemisphere. Surrounded by lush grassed sports ovals and comprising of many spacious indoor areas, the centre provides a venue for a large range of sporting, recreation and leisure activities.

The centre has a fully equipped gym, indoor basketball and netball courts, football and hockey ovals and much more. There is also a fully equipped function centre available for functions, conventions and receptions. Visitors are always welcome.

	The Katanning Mosque The Katanning Islamic Community began to arrive in Katanning in 1974 from Christmas Island. By 1980 the Islamic population had grown large enough that there became a need for a place of worship to be built. So, in 1980 the community built their own beautiful Mosque on Andrews Road.

The Old Winery Ruins In 1904 A. E. Piesse built this winery to process grapes harvested from the Piesse family vineyards. When the winery ceased to produce wine many of the wine making tools and casks were sold to the monks at New Norcia, north of Perth.

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