KATANNING Katanning is the next town encounted when heading south from Northam to Albany. Katanning is a very interesting town, and an overnight is recommended. Katanning is not your usual country town. There are clearly demographic interactions at work when you stroll the town precincts. The meaning of Katanning is unknown but it is thought to be a local aboriginal word that is either 'Kart-annin' that literally means "meeting place of the heads of tribes", or 'Kartanup' that means "clear pool of sweet water".  Others suggest that the place is named after a local aboriginal woman. The first Europeans to explore the Katanning area were Governor James Stirling and the Surveyor General who travelled through the area in 1835 en route from Perth to Albany. A roller flour mill, later known as the Premier Flour Mill, was constructed close to the centre of the town in 1891 by the Piesse brothers this in turn encouraged the local farmers to grow wheat which was at the heart of the town's early economic success. The mill is now one of two  first class museums. A statue of Frederick Piesse was erected in 1916 and stands beside the railway line in Austral Terrace. Katanning has a relatively large Muslim population, of about 350 people, and consequently has a mosque. Other religious buildings include churches from Anglican, Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran, Seventh Day Adventist, Uniting, and Wesleyan denominations, along with a Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall. Katanning has three great classic century pubs, one for the young, and one for the old and a pub for the rest that will include TAB customers. Katanning has two worthy War Memorial acknowledgements. One in the cbd and the other at the sports field. To draw comparisons with other towns in the Wheatbelt area and Katanning is most likey unfair, but any traveler will do just that. Katanning is different Heritage diary