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Larrimah was established during the war years when a huge staging camp was formed east of the railway siding. It became known as Larrimah meaning “resting place”. The Larrimah Museum has interesting displays about the war.
Some 130 army units served at Larrimah during the war years and the RAAF also had extensive facilities in the area with a huge airport ten kms north. Every day six or more convoys of troops would arrive at or leave Larrimah. At the time Birdum was the end of the railway line and the small settlement became home to the Americans. It was said the war was “conducted from the porch of the Birdum Hotel”
Years earlier, in 1879 Alexander Forrest led an eight man expedition exploring the top of Western Australia. Running low on provisions, they headed east in desperation. Forrest and Hicks, a party member struggled on and were delighted to find the overland telegraph line. A monument marks the spot near Larrimah.
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