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Wikipedia:WikiProject Western Australian Wheatbelt

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Western Australian Wheatbelt Project is an extended multi-faceted project to increase knowledge and capacity of Wikimedia projects in the rural area of the Wheatbelt (Western Australia), to increase content and increase quality content in most projects, as well as gain new participants - photographers for items on Commons, and editors in Wikivoyage as well as other sister Wikipedia projects.

Map
Location of Wheatbelt region in Western Australia.

What is the Western Australian Wheatbelt?

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The Western Australian Wheatbelt is an Australian agricultural region in the greater South West of Western Australia. It spreads beyond the official boundaries as limited by the Wheatbelt region - and includes over 50 local government areas, as it spreads into the Mod West and Goldfields regions as well.

Traditionally the region was defined by rainfall areas, and railway lines.

It has also been called the Grain Belt due to the increased diversity of grains grown in the region.

Why the project?

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Significant change has occurred over the last one hundred years in the region, and as a significant number of localities, railways, and local government areas are experiencing significant change in the last twenty years, the 'capture' of a range of data onto the Wikimedia projects is a timely conversion of information that otherwise might be lost, due to the spread of changes.

Cultural heritage, and a range of subject areas that might not otherwise be gathered about the people and the region, are expected to be collected and translated into Wikipedia articles and Commons media collections.


Wheatbelt region in Western Australia

Major project

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It is envisaged the project will be completed in various stages as component parts start and contribute to the range of subjects that the larger project will encompass.

The project will be extensive over time, due to funding variations, variations in Wikipedian volunteers, as well as various sponsoring possibilities coming into the larger project over time.

Component subjects

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Component subjects have potential to either encompass the region as a whole or localize to specific areas within the region.

Whole region

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One component project Wikipedia:Western Australian Wheatbelt Project - Railways was started in September 2013, and is on-going.

Other potential component subjects might be:

  • Indigenous peoples of the Wheatbelt region
  • Water supply and hydrology
  • Geology and geomorphology
  • Ecology
  • Transport
  • Agriculture
  • Sport and culture
  • Government and politics

The nature of the component subject titles or the scope may change as the larger project evolves.

Localized subjects

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The already commenced Wikipedia:GLAM/Toodyaypedia with its initial public event Wikipedia Takes Toodyay Show, was an example of a more localized focus component.

The addition of the York WikiTown carries on the localised town projects

Other potential components include:

  • WikiTowns
  • Catchment areas
  • Mining and resources

Overlap

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Note that some towns, historic railway siding locations, some grain receival points, grains storage locations, and grain growing areas do extend into the Great Southern, Goldfields, Mid West regions - so that being a component part of the wheatbelt project might actually be found outside of the official region boundaries


Localities, towns, and populated places

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Please do not edit this section unless to add missed place names that might constitute a place that is found in the geographic names lists, trove, slwa, geoff highams where was that, or similar published sources. Ghost towns/abandoned townsites can be included.Please annotate any queries as a note, thanks.

Involvement

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As specified in every Wikipedia project - the project is open to all interested who wish to edit, there are no constraints.

Contributions, suggestions, hints, and general enquiries are always welcome.

Future plans

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  • 2015 -2018 - on hold
  • 2019 - project re-started temporarily
  • 2022 - 2023 - consolidating and cleanup

2019 development

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The re-start of the project is as much a process of reviewing content on Wikipedia so far relative to:

sub divisions of the Wheatbelt
the towns
the railway lines (former and current)
the roads and highways
the dominant agricultural products (wheat areas for example)
local government areas (former and current)
political electorates at state and federal level
service regions within the Wheatbelt (government authorities etc)

Interest also in

Heritage properties
environmentally significant areas
river catchments
result
Review will be in a subpage of the project early in 2020

2019

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Identifying topics, subjects, and larger lists to be reviewed for focus areas

possible meeting in Wheatbelt with interested persons in 2019

With Toodyaypedia established and York being developed - further Wheatbelt towns and areas were being investigated

2022 - 2023

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Cleanup and completing red links/untidy parts