Greenhills WA

Greenhills is located 22 km from York and was once a private town developed on McMullen’s farm after they successfully lobbied for the railway line to pass through their property. The new railway was instated in 1898 and shifted the focus from the original townsite where the church, cemetery, school and Agricultural Hall had been established.  In 1893 the Greenhills Road Board was formed and covered an area from east of York to the South Australian border. The goldrushes meant travelers heading east passed through the district after getting off the train in York. The hall and school were established in the mid 1890s near Penny’s farm and the church. The Club Hotel was located further away as the Pennys objected to it being near their property. McMullen's were business people who had established in the area. With the prospect of the railway coming through, they lobbied for it to come through their farm rather than further east along the road near Penny’s farm. On 1 September 1898, the railway came to Greenhills and the private townsite developed around the railways siding (that was previously McMullen's property). Greenhills was the railhead until 1908. The town continued to develop around the railway with the Railway Hotel directly opposite the railway station, as is tradition. Next to the Railway Hotel was McMullen’s Hall (1912), and the school and schoolhouse (1916) and bakery on the west side of the railway line. A railway station was built, 5 railway houses, a bank and residence, and two garages. The settlement near the church and the Club Hotel declined with the focus in the town. In 1924, the York co-op had a store in Greenhills and in 1937 the CBH grain bins were constructed at the railway site. The road was the main thoroughfare until the 1960s when it was realigned and Greenhills now sits about three kilometer's off the main road.
 

The closure of the Greenhills train station and discontinuation of the line in 2014 has seen the once vibrant town become a time capsule and is a quiet testament to days gone by.

There are still a few interesting buildings scattered around including the old bakery that dates from 1896, the town hall constructed in 1910 and the Greenhills Art Centre (former Greenhills Inn) building 1906. The hall is interesting as May Ann McMullen travelled to Albany to meet with the Roads Board about the positioning of the main road and offered to build a hall if the road was placed so that it passed next to the hotel.

There are a few houses on Greenhills Road, one of which used to be the town's post office and dates from 1899.