| Quairading Western Australia | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Heal Street, Quairading, 2018 | |
  Quairading | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 32°01′00″S117°24′00″E / 32.01667°S 117.40000°E /-32.01667; 117.40000 |
| Population | 582 (UCL2021)[1] |
| Established | 1907 |
| Postcode(s) | 6383 |
| Elevation | 249 m (817 ft)[2] |
| Area | 200.5 km2 (77.4 sq mi) |
| Location | |
| LGA(s) | Shire of Quairading |
| State electorate(s) | Central Wheatbelt |
| Federal division(s) | Durack |
Quairading is aWestern Australian town located in theWheatbelt region. It is the seat of government for theShire of Quairading.
The town was named for Quairading Spring, derived from a localAboriginal word recorded in 1872 by surveyorAlexander Forrest.[3] The first Europeansettler in the area is believed to be Stephen Parker, who settled in nearbyYork.[2] From 1859 to 1863, his son Edward Parkercleared land east of York towardsDangin, before Edward's son Jonah took over Dangin and the surrounding area. Jonah Parker subdivided his property and made Dangin aprivate townsite, surrounded by his land. AMethodist, Jonah Parker bannedalcohol in the town and these factors led to residents leaving Dangin.[2] The Government made available new land in nearby Quairading, and gave settlers a 65-hectare (160-acre) block for free if they cleared the land and lived there for seven years.[4] Many settlers took up the offer and moved into the area between 1903 and 1908.[4]
The Greenhills Road Board, established in 1892, decided to build arailway fromGreenhills (near York) to Quairading and gazette the townsite at the Quairadingterminus.[4] The townsite was gazetted on 7 August 1907 and the railway completed in 1908.[4] By 1909, the town had ahotel,general store,blacksmith,baker,carpenter and twobanks, and by 1950, most of the land was cleared and being used forfarming.[4]
In 1932 theWheat Pool of Western Australia announced that the town would have twograin elevators, each fitted with an engine, installed at the railway siding.[5]
The area was rocked by an earthquake in April 2009; theepicentre was located approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) northwest of the town. The earthquake that measured 3.2 on theRichter Scale happened at 4:50 am local time caused no damage.[6]
The railway through Quairading began as theYork toGreenhills line[7] (about a sixth the length of the whole line), and this was later extended to Quairading and onward toBruce Rock. Construction began in 1897.[8] Due to various operational changes the line between Quairading and Bruce Rock was closed in the 1970s,[citation needed] and the line from York was closed in October 2013, the operatorBrookfield Rail citing safety as the primary reason.[8] The decision to close this half of the line was politically contentious, with Brookfield Rail taking pains to point out that it was not politics that forced the closure, and community groups (such as the Wheatbelt Rail Retention Alliance) campaigning against it.[8]
In the2006 census, Quairading had 596 residents, with 18.1%Indigenous residents, compared with 2.3% Indigenous persons Australia-wide.[9] The median age of residents was 49 years, compared to the national median age of 37.[9] Thereligious affiliation of residents wasAnglican 31.4%,Catholic 19.3%, no religion 16.1%,Uniting Church 12.9% andPentecostal 1.8%.[9] The percentage of people identifying themselves as Anglican (31.4%) was significantly higher than the Australia-wide average of 18.7%.[9] 90.4% of residents were Australian citizens, with English the language spoken at home by 95.6% persons, compared to the national average of 78.5%.[9] The most common occupations werelabourers 18.4%,managers 17.0%,technicians andtrades workers 15.7%,machinery operators and drivers 10.8%, and sales workers 10.3%.[9] The major industries were farming ofsheep,beef cattle andgrain 14.8%, local government administration 10.3%, school education 8.5%, wholesaling of specialised industrial machinery and equipment 4.9%, and retailing offuel 4.9%.[9] The median household weeklyincome wasA$637, compared to $1,027 nationally.[9]
ThePink Lake of Quairading which lies 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) east of Quairading on the Bruce Rock Road atBadjaling, with the road traversing it.[10] It is regarded as a phenomenon, as certain times in the year one side has a distinctive pink colour whilst the other side remains its natural blue.[11]
A local tourist attraction is the Quairading Nature Reserve, 527 hectares (1,302 acres) of native bushland west of the town along the railway line to York. The reserve containsYork gum,salmon gum,wandoo andcasuarina trees, and wildlife including theeastern wallaroo,western grey kangaroo,echidnas, reptiles and birds. Nookaminnie Rock, which is a largegranite rock, provides a view over the town and surrounding areas.[12]
The townsite can also be viewed fromMount Stirling, 35 kilometres (22 mi) northeast of Quairading.[2] The Home of Natural Wood Sculpture is another visitor attraction, originally located 22 kilometres (14 mi) northeast of the town.[2] Founded by local artist Ian Wills, it displays his wood sculptures, which have been exhibited inSydney,Adelaide andPerth.[13] The wood sculptures are now on display in the Old Railway Station Info Centre and is open every weekday morning by volunteers. Toapin Weir, 12 kilometres (7 mi) northwest of the town, was constructed in 1912 to collect rainwater runoff andirrigate the nearby farms; it hasbarbeque, picnic and camping facilities.[2] Cubbine is a homestead 17 kilometres (11 mi) north of Quairading originally owned by Alexander Forrest.[2]
Quairading has anairstrip, located 300 metres (984 ft) east of the town on the York to Merredin Road.[14] The town has a library, located at Quairading Bookpost,[15] a very popular Community Resource Centre and a number of small parks, including amemorialrose garden, and a public swimming pool.[16] The Greater Sports Ground is home tofootball,hockey,cricket andnetball.[17]
The Badjaling Mission reserve, located 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) east of Quairding, established in 1933 for theUnited Aborigines Mission, encompassed the area initially comprising all the land withinDepartment of Environment and Conservation Reserve 23758. Serving as the camping ground and residence for approximately 30 Nyungar families from 1887 until 1954, the reserve held significant cultural importance, having been utilized by localNyungar communities for traditional hunting, food gathering, and camping prior to colonization, owing to its abundant freshwater sources. Despite the official relocation of residents to Quairading Reserve in 1954 following the mission's closure, Nyungar people intermittently continued to camp in the area. In 1980, there was a formal return of Nyungar people to the Reserve, with current housing infrastructure established in 1998.[18]
