[3] The town was originally known as Yelbene but was changed before it was gazetted to reflect a more precise pronunciation.

The Yelbeni town hall was initially constructed by members of the community in 1913; it has timber frame and a corrugated iron exterior.

Although it has had some extensions over the years, the original hall still stands, and is being assessed for entry into the State Register of Heritage Places.

[4] In 1932 the Wheat Pool of Western Australia announced that the town would have two grain elevators, each fitted with an engine, installed at the railway siding.

[5] The location was one of five sidings where bulk handling was to start operating on the Western Australian Government Railways system.