Kalamunda History Village: The Whim
Definition of whim
A whim for moving logs
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1: a capricious or eccentric and often sudden idea or turn of the mind : quit his job on a whim
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2: a large capstan that is made with one or more radiating arms to which a horse may be yoked and that is used in mines for raising ore or water
For this post, we’re going with definition #2, but think moving logs.
Kalamunda History Village is on the site of the old Upper Darling Range Railway Station built in the 1890s to service the Zig Zag line which transported timber from Canning Mills to the main line at Midland Junction. It is the largest folk museum in Western Australia depicting the unique hills life and industries that developed in the area.
1880’s – Whim invented for timber hauling at Canning Mills.
Can you imagine moving logs like this? Early whims were horse-powered, but later they were powered by waterwheels or steam engines,
We learned that the whim is on loan from the WA Museum.
This was no small thing, the wheels were taller than us!
