Karlgarin is a town located south-east of Perth in the eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. A small traditional farming town, in 2010 Karlgarin made national papers, as the poorest town in Western Australia, with an average of $34,054 taxable income. The first European to visit the area was

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 ...

General John Septimus Roe, who passed through in 1848. He recorded the name "Carlgarin" as the name of a nearby hill. the town name, Karlgarin, was derived from the Noongar word, karl, meaning fire. Karlgarin was selected as a soldier settlement site and a declaration of a townsite was sought in 1924. It was not until 1930 that the railway came to the area. The townsite was gazetted in 1931.

Economy

According to 2011 census data, 57.3% of Karlgarin residents are employed in sheep, beef cattle and grain farming. The surrounding areas also produce wheat and other

cereal A cereal is any Poaceae, grass cultivated for the edible components of its grain (botanically, a type of fruit called a caryopsis), composed of the endosperm, Cereal germ, germ, and bran. Cereal Grain, grain crops are grown in greater quantit ...

crops. The town is a receival site for Cooperative Bulk Handling.

Facilities

As well as the Cooperative Bulk Handling site to support the booming grain industry, Karlgarin townsite has an abandoned school and shop, both of which were destroyed during a storm in 2013. The main hub of the community is the Karlgarin Country Club, established in 1953. Located on Foundation Street, it sells food and a range of drinks. A large portion of the revenue for "The Club", as it is commonly known, comes from the associated bowls club. As well as the club, Karlgarin offers a diverse range of food options, including a burger van. In 2015 Karlgarin welcomed a new cafe and art gallery at the old CWA building. Other facilities offered in Karlgarin include the Church of Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church Karlgarin. The church's foundation stone was laid by Rev. Myles McKeon on 13 March 1966. On the main street, Melba Street, is the abandoned school, opened in 1932 and closed in 2005.

Tourism

Karlgarin is home to the annual gilgie races. The town's proximity to Hyden and

Wave Rock Wave Rock ( nys, Katter Kich) is a natural rock formation that is shaped like a tall breaking ocean wave. The "wave" is about high and around long. It forms the north side of a solitary hill, which is known as "Hyden Rock". This hill, which ...

, along with its location on the Brookton Highway, means reliable tourism potential. To capitalise on this, the Trestrail family opened Tressie's Museum and Caravan Park.

Sport

Tucked away behind the Cooperative Bulk Handling, Karlgarin has a small cricket oval, used by the combined Karlgarin and

Pingaring Pingaring is a small town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. The name of the town is the Indigenous Australian name of a nearby spring that was first recorded by surveyors in 1926. The town originated as a railway siding on the Hy ...

cricket team. The town also shares a football team with Hyden, the Hyden/Karlgarin Football Club, which competes in the

Eastern Districts Football League The Eastern Districts Football League is an Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players ...

, and hockey and netball team shares a hockey team, both shared with Hyden.

2013 storm

A freak storm swept through the town 16 January 2013, with heavy rain and winds of . Only of rain fell but trees were uprooted and roofs were torn off buildings, including the local school, general store and church. Twelve buildings were damaged and the town has never fully recovered.

References

{{authority control Towns in Western Australia Australian soldier settlements Grain receival points of Western Australia 1931 establishments in Australia Shire of Kondinin