The town bears the name of its founder, Henry Boddington, who was a shepherd. The first European settlers came to the region in the early 1860s. In 1912 the establishment of the place was officially announced. Boddington was built during the 1920s.
In 1961, bush fires destroyed the local timber industry. Around 1969 the railroad line was abandoned for timber transport, so employment in Boddington fell. With the establishment of the Boddington bauxite mine in 1979 and the opening of the Boddington gold mine in 1986, Boddington developed into a mining town.
Today there is a street carnival every November. The city has a high school , a branch of the National Australia Bank , shops and a council house, as well as a telecentro .
