KATANNING CROSSROADS

Located in the heart of the Wheatbelt and nearly 300 kilometres south-east of Perth, Katanning has enjoyed the knock-on effects of the trail, even if its silos have remained paint-free.A series of street art murals by some of the silo artists, instead, adorn the town’s walls and transformer boxes.

Initially a working-class community centred around local captain of industry Frederick Piesse’s Premier Roller Flour Mill, Katanning is now a multicultural hotspot.The town is home to 50 different ethnic and religious groups, with Muslims (mostly from the Cocos Islands and Malaysia) making up 10 per cent of the population.This diversity comes to the fore at the annual Katanning Harmony Festival, where the various cultures display their food, entertainment and history.

The mill lives on as the five-star boutique Premier Mill Hotel by the Dome Group, a venture that has shot Katanning to the top of must-stay lists.“We haven’t spent a dollar on advertising,” says Dome owner Nigel Oakey.“It’s all been word of mouth.”

Katanning’s history is told throughout the hotel via local stories and findings that emerged during the development’s meticulous research stage. A mummified cat was discovered bricked up in the mill’s walls, and now sits in a box above the bar.

The attention to detail is astonishing.The walls feature period signage, mill machinery hangs from the ceiling, and the bar’s placemats sport labels from Piesse’s soft drink range.

The hotel’s rooms are themed around departments of the flour mill. Guests can spend a luxurious night in the packing depar tment, in the space once occupied by wheat purifying machines, by an enormous steam boiler, or even in one of the old silos.