Quairading
Quairading Hotel
Is a Western Australian town located in the Wheatbelt region. It is the seat of government for the Shire of Quairading Quairading offers a variety of cultural, sporting and social activities at minimal cost. Quairading was first recognised as an agricultural area in the early 1860′s and developed as a rural centre for the ever expanding wheat and sheep industry. Quairading is a farming community with a population of approximately 1,200, producing cereal and grain crops, wool, sheep, cattle and Rural Service Industries. The district includes the localities of Quairading, Pantapin, Yoting, Badjaling, Dangin, South Caroling, Balkuling, Doodenanning & Wamenusking.
History
The town was named for Quairading Spring, derived from a local Aboriginal word recorded in 1872 by surveyor Alexander Forrest. The first European settler in the area is believed to be Stephen Parker, who settled in nearby York. From 1859 to 1863, his son Edward Parker cleared land east of York towards Dangin, before Edward’s son Jonah took over Dangin and the surrounding area. Jonah Parker subdivided his property and made Dangin a private townsite, surrounded by his land. A Methodist, Jonah Parker banned alcohol in the town and these factors led to residents leaving Dangin. The Government made available new land in nearby Quairading, and gave settlers a 160 acres (0.250 sq mi; 0.647 km) block for free if they cleared the land and lived there for seven years. Many settlers took up the offer and moved into the area between 1903 and 1908. Lil Fallon (Aunty Lil) was born in the year Quairading was founded (1907) and is still living in the town today.
Church and cemetery at the foot of Mount Stirling
The Greenhills Road Board, established in 1892, decided to build a railway from Greenhills (near York) to Quairading and gazette the townsite at the Quairading terminus. The townsite was gazetted on 7 August 1907 and the railway completed in 1908. By 1909, the town had a hotel general store blacksmith, baker, carpenter and two banks, and by 1950, most of the land was cleared and being used for farming. The area was rocked by an earthquake in April 2009; the epicentre was located approximately 20 km northwest of the town. The earthquake that measured 3.2 on the Richter Scale happened at 4.50am local time caused no damage.
Demographics
In the 2006 census, Quairading had 596 residents, with 18.1% Indigenous residents, compared with 2.3% Indigenous persons Australia-wide. The median age of residents was 49 years, compared to the national median age of 37. The religious affiliation of residents was Anglican 31.4%, Catholic 19.3%, no religion 16.1%, Uniting Church 12.9% and Pentecostal 1.8%. The percentage of people identifying themselves as Anglican (31.4%) was significantly higher than the Australia-wide average of 18.7%. 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%. The most common occupations were labourers managers technicians and trades workers 15.7%, machinery operators and drivers 10.8% and sales workers 10.3%. The major industries were farming of sheep beef cattle grain 14.8%, local government administration 10.3%, school education 8.5%, wholesaling of specialised industrial machinery and equipment 4.9% and retailing of fuel 4.9%. The median household weekly income was $637, compared to $1,027 nationally.
Amenities and Facilities
Quairading has an airstrip, located 300 metres (984 ft) east of the town on the York to Merredin Road. The town has a library, located at Quairading Bookpost, and a number of small parks, including a memorial rose garden, and a public swimming pool. The Greater Sports Ground is home to football hockey, cricket and netball
Quairading Gnangarra
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 contains York Gum Salmon Gum, Wandoo and Casuarina trees, and wildlife including the eastern wallaroo, grey kangaroo echidnas, reptiles and birds. Nookaminnie Rock, which is a large granite rock, provides a view over the town and surrounding areas. The townsite can also be viewed from Mount Stirling, 35 kilometres (22 mi) northeast of Quairading. The Home of Natural Wood Sculpture is another visitor attraction, located 22 kilometres (14 mi) northeast of the town. Founded by local artist Ian Wills, it displays his wood sculptures, which have been exhibited in Sydney Adelaide and Perth. The Toapin Weir, 12 kilometres (7 mi) northwest of the town, was constructed in 1912 to collect rainwater runoff and irrigate the nearby farms. Cubbine is a homestead 17 kilometres (11 mi) north of Quairading originally owned by Alexander Forrest.
The Home of Natural Wood Sculpture
The major attraction in the area is ŒThe Home of Natural Wood Sculpture¹ located 22 km northeast of Quairading and founded by the late Ian Wills who had the idea of creating sculptures from unusual shapes of wood emphasising the grain and knottiness of the wood.
Cubbine
Banksia Horrida
Of the towns historical attractions (all of which are presented in great detail on the Quairading District Heritage Trail brochure) the most interesting are Toapin Weir (12 km northwest of the town) and the old homestead ŒCubbine (17 km north of the town).
Toapin Weir was developed to catch the rainwater runoff from Toapin Rock and then reticulate it to the nearby farms. Constructed in 1912 it is an interesting variation of the water gathering techniques used throughout the wheatbelt. See the entries on Merredin and Hyden.
ŒCubbine, located on the western side of Cubbine Road which runs off the Cunderdin Road was originally owned by Alexander Forrest and although he never lived there his son Kimberley Forrest moved to the old property in 1910.
Mount Stirling
The most popular natural attraction is Mount Stirling, 35 km northeast on the Kellerberrin Road, which is a large granite outcrop providing panoramic views over the surrounding countryside and with good picnic facilities for the visitor.
There is an excellent book available on the history of the area titled The Golden Grain and the Silver Fleece: A History of Quairading from 18591930 by Frances Eaton.
Visit more Australian Towns
