Wiluna was the furthest rail terminus from Perth on the Western Australian Government Railways system.

[2] Construction began in the late 1920s,[3] and the line operated between 1932 and 1957, mainly serving the Wiluna gold mining area.

[4] However Wiluna was also at the end of the 1,900-kilometre (1,200 mi) Canning Stock Route from Halls Creek in the Kimberley region, and so the railway became a vital means of dispatching cattle intended for southern markets.

[13] Meekatharra's rail infrastructure was enlarged after the line to Wiluna closed in 1957 as it became an important hub for transporting equipment for the developing iron ore mines in the Pilbara.

[14] At the Wiluna end of the line, the railway goods shed dating back to the 1930s is on the shire's heritage list.