Karlgarin is a town located south-east of

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

in the eastern Wheatbelt region of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. 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. These points are usually on the ...

General

John Septimus Roe John Septimus Roe (8 May 1797 – 28 May 1878) was the first Surveyor-General of Western Australia. He was a renowned explorer, a member of Western Australia's legislative and executive councils for nearly 40 years, but also a participant in ...

, 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 The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian people who live in the South West, Western Australia, south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton, Western Aus ...

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 Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

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 Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

and other

cereal A cereal is a grass cultivated for its edible grain. Cereals are the world's largest crops, and are therefore staple foods. They include rice, wheat, rye, oats, barley, millet, and maize ( Corn). Edible grains from other plant families, ...

crops. The town is a receival site for

Cooperative Bulk Handling The CBH Group (commonly known as CBH, an acronym An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled ...

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 () 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 is a granite ins ...

, along with its location on the

Brookton Highway Brookton Highway is a long undivided single carriageway highway in Western Australia, running from the southern Perth suburb of Kelmscott, Western Australia, Kelmscott, through Westdale, to the southern Wheatbelt (Western Australia), Wheatb ...

, 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 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 league based in the eastern Wheatbelt (Western Australia), Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. The league stretches from Southern Cross, Western Australia, Southern Cross ...

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

2013 storm

A freak

storm A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstor ...

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 Western Australian soldier settlements Grain receival points of Western Australia 1931 establishments in Australia Shire of Kondinin