Town in Western Australia
| Varley Western Australia | |
|---|---|
  Varley | |
| Coordinates | 32°48′S 119°30′E / 32.800°S 119.500°E / -32.800; 119.500 |
| Population | 44 (SAL 2021) |
| Established | 1939 |
| Postcode(s) | 6355 |
| Elevation | 325 m (1,066 ft) |
| Area | 712.4 km (275.1 sq mi) |
| Location | |
| LGA(s) | Shire of Lake Grace |
| State electorate(s) | Roe |
| Federal division(s) | O'Connor |
Varley is a small town located between Hyden and Lake King in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia.
The area surrounding the town was opened for agricultural purposes in the 1930s and by 1938 the local progress association began campaigning to have the townsite gazetted. The move was approved in 1938 and the townsite was gazetted on 22 November 1939. The town is named after the nearby Lake Varley and Varley Rock which were both named by the explorer Frank Hann in 1901. It is thought that Hann was honouring a public servant in the mines department, Gustavus Varley.
The main industry in town is wheat, barley and grain farming with the town being a Cooperative Bulk Handling receival site.
The town has a population of approximately 200 living in the town and district. The facilities in Varley include a comprehensive museum, recreation centre and golf course. Nearby attractions include the Rabbit Proof Fence and the abandoned gold mining town of Hatters Hill.
Notable people
- Iain Eairdsidh MacAsgaill, (1898—1934), alias the Bàrd Bheàrnaraigh ("the Bard of Bernera"), Scottish-Australian immigrant from the Great Bernera, who lived and farmed near Lake Varley from 1925 to 1933. Best known for his locally composed poems and songs of homesickness, which are an important part of modern Scottish Gaelic literature.
Further reading
- Martin, Ruth Lee. 2013. 'Paradise Imagined: Songs of Scots Gaelic migrants in Australia, 1850–1940 ann an Humanities Research àir. XIX. No.3. 2013. dd. 27–44.
References
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Varley (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- "History of country town names – V". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
- "CBH Receival Sites - Contact Details" (PDF). 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
- "Welcome to the Shire of Lake Grace". 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
- Ronald Black (1999), An Tuil: Anthology of 20th-century Scottish Gaelic verse, Polygon, Edinburgh. Page 752-753.