Ogilvie is a small town in the

Mid West The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

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 ...

. Other than sheep, agriculturally the area was known for

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...

oat The oat (''Avena sativa''), sometimes called the common oat, is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name (usually in the plural, unlike other cereals and pseudocereals). While oats are suitable for human con ...

lupins ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

, Wimmera rye, and

clover Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus ...

. The area is about 70 kilometres north of

Geraldton Geraldton ( Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...

, and includes the small Ogilvie Nature Reserve. The town was named by 1916 as a farming community, likely to have been named after Andrew Jameson Ogilvie (–8 October 1906), the land owner of the nearby Murchison House Station. Over time the locale was serviced by a railway siding of the same name. The Ogilvie State School was in existence by 1917, while two acres of land was set aside for a tennis court in the same year. The Ogilvie Agricultural Hall was opened in May 1919. This public hall was used for dances, a church, and as the local school. By 1953, the hall also had a supper room and nursery. The Ogilvie and District Branch of the Primary Producers' Association was re-formed in July 1925. Its representations included to the Western Australian Minister for Agriculture for

emu The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus '' Dromaius''. The emu ...

s to be declared

vermin Vermin (colloquially varmint(s) or varmit(s)) are pests or nuisance animals that spread diseases or destroy crops or livestock. Since the term is defined in relation to human activities, which species are included vary by region and enterpr ...

following continued widespread crop destruction. Tennis continued to be an important community activity, with new tennis courts constructed by and opened in December 1946. In that year, the wheat and barley crops were only a moderate harvest, an abundance of emus, but a notable impact of foxes on lambing stock. Efforts were made to form a fire brigade in 1952.

References

{{authority control Shire of Northampton Towns in Western Australia