The town of Westonia was named after Alfred David Weston, a sandalwood cutter who prospected in his spare time, and discovered gold near Boodalin Soak in 1910. He pegged the lease and started mining, creating a rush of gold prospectors to the area.

By the 1930’s the district had been extensively developed for agriculture and it is wheat and sheep farming that now sustains the district, although the search for more gold continues today.