Grass Patch, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Grass Patch is a small town in the Mallee
region of Western Australia
, located 79 km north of Esperance
on the Coolgardie-Esperance Highway
. The town was named after a nearby farm of the same name that had been settled around 1896 and was renowned for bountiful crops and good grass. The town is part of the Shire of Esperance
, and services the local farming community.
to Norseman
Railway
, which was completed 15 years later. Although the area was already well known as "Grass Patch", locals sought a more suitable name for the town when it was gazetted in 1923. Of the three nominated, "Warden" was chosen. However, objections were soon raised about this name and later the same year it was changed back to Grass Patch.
The poor quality of the soil in the surrounding district made the development of farming in the area difficult and unproductive. In 1949 the Esperance Downs Research Station was established and it was discovered that the soil in the Esperance region was deficient in certain trace element
s. The addition of these trace elements to the soil has since improved fertility and crop yields a great deal, and the region has become an important agricultural district, successfully producing wheat, barley, canola, sheep and cattle.
Mallee (biogeographic region)
Mallee, also known as Roe Botanical District, is a biogeographic region in southern Western Australia. Located between the Esperance Plains, Avon Wheatbelt and Coolgardie regions, it has a low, gently undulating topography, a semi-arid mediterranean climate, and extensive Eucalyptus mallee...
region of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, located 79 km north of Esperance
Esperance, Western Australia
Esperance is a large town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, located on the Southern Ocean coastline approximately east-southeast of the state capital, Perth. The shire of Esperance is home to 9,536 people as of the 2006 census, its major industries are tourism, agriculture,...
on the Coolgardie-Esperance Highway
Coolgardie-Esperance Highway
The Coolgardie–Esperance Highway is a 368 km Western Australian highway between Coolgardie and Esperance. It runs in a north-south direction linking the WA's Eastern Goldfields to the coast....
. The town was named after a nearby farm of the same name that had been settled around 1896 and was renowned for bountiful crops and good grass. The town is part of the Shire of Esperance
Shire of Esperance
The Shire of Esperance is a Local Government Area in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, about south of the city of Kalgoorlie and about east-southeast of the state capital, Perth...
, and services the local farming community.
History
The townsite was proposed in 1910 when land in the area was being opened up, and as a watering spot for the planned EsperanceEsperance, Western Australia
Esperance is a large town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, located on the Southern Ocean coastline approximately east-southeast of the state capital, Perth. The shire of Esperance is home to 9,536 people as of the 2006 census, its major industries are tourism, agriculture,...
to Norseman
Norseman, Western Australia
Norseman is a town located in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia along the Coolgardie-Esperance Highway, east of Perth and above sea level. It is also the starting point of the Eyre Highway, and the last major town in Western Australia before the South Australian border to the...
Railway
Esperance Branch Railway
The Esperance Branch Railway is a railway from Kalgoorlie to the port of Esperance in Western Australia.It was lobbied for by Esperance residents to be linked into the WAGR railway network to provide land transport to their region - Gauge and Route :...
, which was completed 15 years later. Although the area was already well known as "Grass Patch", locals sought a more suitable name for the town when it was gazetted in 1923. Of the three nominated, "Warden" was chosen. However, objections were soon raised about this name and later the same year it was changed back to Grass Patch.
The poor quality of the soil in the surrounding district made the development of farming in the area difficult and unproductive. In 1949 the Esperance Downs Research Station was established and it was discovered that the soil in the Esperance region was deficient in certain trace element
Trace element
In analytical chemistry, a trace element is an element in a sample that has an average concentration of less than 100 parts per million measured in atomic count, or less than 100 micrograms per gram....
s. The addition of these trace elements to the soil has since improved fertility and crop yields a great deal, and the region has become an important agricultural district, successfully producing wheat, barley, canola, sheep and cattle.