Madura

Madura or Madoera, island (1990 pop. 3,015,124), c.1,760 sq mi (4,560 sq km), Indonesia, near the northeast coast of Java, from which it is separated by Madura Strait. The island and its offshore islets are part of the province of East Java. Pamekasan is the capital; Sumenep is a major town. Principal products are salt, obtained from pans along the coast, and fish. Cattle are extensively raised, and bull races are held annually. The island is densely populated. The generally chalky soil limits agriculture, and much food has to be imported. From the 11th to the 18th cent., Madura was dominated by the rulers of Java. It was made a part of Indonesia in 1949.

Dutch Madoera

Island, Jawa Timur province, Indonesia, off northeastern Java. Its capital is Pamekasan. With an area of 2,042 sq mi (5,290 sq km), it has a hilly terrain rising to more than 1,400 ft (430 m) in the east. Dutch influence was established in the late 17th century. Madura was attached to Java as a residency in 1885 and became part of Indonesia in 1949. Bull races, usually held in September, attract huge crowds.

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Madura is a small roadhouse community located on the Eyre Highway in Western Australia, on the Nullarbor Plain. It is from Perth.

History

Madura was settled in 1876 as a place to breed quality cavalry horses for the British Indian Army for use in the Northwest Frontier region of India (now part of Pakistan). The horses were shipped from the coast at Eucla. (Cervantes, north of Perth, was also used for breeding.) The site was chosen as it was one of the few with free flowing bore water in the area.

Present day

Like other locations in the Nullarbor Plain area, the area consists of little more than a roadhouse, open 6:30am to 8:30pm each day. 2 km west of Madura is a scenic lookout with sweeping views of the Madura Pass across the escarpment and the Roe Plains. Natural blowholes may also be found nearby. The area is used for pastoral purposes, mainly sheep rearing.

References

Further reading

• Main Roads, Western Australia (2006) Distance book: distances to towns and localities in Western Australia East Perth, W.A. Main Roads ISBN 0730976688

External links

• Shire of Dundas - Towns of the Eyre Highway
• Nullarbor Net - Madura including local information.