Boolading is a location along the

Coalfields Highway Coalfields Road, is a Western Australian highway linking Roelands (near Bunbury) on the South Western Highway with Arthur River on the Albany Highway. It is signed as State Route 107 and is about long. Route description Coalfields Road i ...

between Darkan and

Collie Collies form a distinctive type of herding dogs, including many related landraces and standardized breeds. The type originated in Scotland and Northern England. Collies are medium-sized, fairly lightly-built dogs, with pointed snouts. Many ...

in the Wheatbelt region of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. The name is Aboriginal in origin but the meaning is unknown. The word ''Boola'' means plenty or abundance of in the

local dialect Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States * Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administra ...

. Boolading began as a

railway siding A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line, branch line, or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end. Sidings often have lighte ...

when

Western Australian Government Railways Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) was the operator of railway services in the state of Western Australia between October 1890 and June 2003. Owned by the state government, it was renamed a number of times to reflect extra responsi ...

constructed it in 1907. The townsite was gazetted in 1909 and the name was suggested by the district

surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...

after a property owned by an acquaintance of his, William Gibbs. It was initially spelt ''Bulading''; the spelling was changed in 1955. Located along the

Collie River The Collie River is a river in the South West region of Western Australia. The Collie River was named by Lieutenant Governor Stirling after Alexander Collie who, along with Lieutenant William Preston, in November 1829 was the first European ...

, the area is now good pastureland and suitable for a variety of agricultural practices. Land was first opened for

selection Selection may refer to: Science * Selection (biology), also called natural selection, selection in evolution ** Sex selection, in genetics ** Mate selection, in mating ** Sexual selection in humans, in human sexuality ** Human mating strategie ...

in the area in 1894. A water-hole known as ''Boolading'' is also near the location; this was the site chosen by the first settlers in the area, William and Sarah-Ann Gibbs, who settled in 1874 and built a split slab home, which was replaced in 1899 by a

mud brick A mudbrick or mud-brick is an air-dried brick, made of a mixture of loam, mud, sand and water mixed with a binding material such as rice husks or straw. Mudbricks are known from 9000 BCE, though since 4000 BCE, bricks have also been fi ...

home that still stands today. The home was also used as a place for shooters to store skins until a buyer was found. Gibbs later became a property guide and helped survey the

– Narrogin railway line. A

telephone exchange A telephone exchange, telephone switch, or central office is a telecommunications system used in the public switched telephone network (PSTN) or in large enterprises. It interconnects telephone subscriber lines or virtual circuits of digital syst ...

operated in Boolading from 1925 until 1952.

References

{{authority control Wheatbelt (Western Australia)