Collie with its large jarrah forests provided hundreds of thousands of wooden railway sleepers essential in building the rail network over which the railway tracks were laid.
Timber mills were plentiful, with some such as Lyall’s Mill supporting communities into the 1950s, until its closure and subsequent move to the mill site on the eastern edge of town (now closed).
Worsley, west of Collie, was also a thriving timber mill town. The town peaked in 1902 with a population of over 1500, but in the mid 1920s a gradual decline began, which saw the town all but disappear by the mid 1950s. Worsley was also the location of the first railway link to Collie.
In 1984 the area underwent a revival with the construction of the Worsley Alumina refinery. Residents of the area have restored the old Worsley Church and use the church and surrounding picnic area for functions and reunions.