Wasleys, South Australia
Encyclopedia
Wasleys is a hamlet located north west of Gawler, South Australia
. Roseworthy College
is located around 6 km south of the town. At the 2006 census
, Wasleys had a population of 235.
The town of Wasleys was established in an area known as the Mudla Wirra Forest. The name Mudla Wirra is aboriginal, Mudla meaning "implement" and Wirra meaning "forest". The town of Wasleys is now situated on an area first known as "Ridleyton" which was named after John Ridley, who laid out the village of Ridley in 1873. In 1869, the railway line was extended through the region and a railway station was erected on the land purchased by Josiah Wasley, one of the first settlers to the area.
The township was advertised to attract people seeking good agricultural land as "Ridly Township - Wasleys Station". In time two townships were announced and called Ridleyton and Wasley. As the towns grew the name Ridleyton was discarded and the town became known as Wasleys.
Early settlers soon made their mark on the history of the region. In 1843, John Ridley revolutionised the agricultural industry with the first "stripper machine". This machine stripped crops quickly and cheaply with the minimum of labour.
In the 1860s, a local farmer named Charles Mullen created a method of ploughing which was known as "Mullenising". Mullen invented an implement, used throughout Australia, which was the precursor of the stump-jump plough
.
During 1866-1877, pioneer farmer Richard Marshall succeeded in solving the "red dust" problem in wheat by crossbreeding various wheat varieties and improved soil conditions using bone meal on the land. After good crop returns, a student at Roseworthy College named Charles Deland, led a campaign in favour of fertilizer.
On 12 April 1970 a bus collided with a passenger train [92] near Wasleys killing 17 people and injuring 45.
Wasleys became a thriving centre and once operated three chaff mills. Although the chaff mills have ceased operating, the town is still a focal point for agriculture and farming livestock, and as reported in The Bunyip on 27 September 1873, "There can be no questions that this is an excellent locality for a township". 85% of all residents were born in Australia, 10% in the UK, and the remaining 5% in other countries.
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. Roseworthy College
Roseworthy College
Roseworthy Agricultural College was an agricultural college in Australia. It is north of Adelaide and west of Roseworthy town. It was the first agricultural college in Australia, established in 1883. It is now part of the University of Adelaide....
is located around 6 km south of the town. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Wasleys had a population of 235.
The town of Wasleys was established in an area known as the Mudla Wirra Forest. The name Mudla Wirra is aboriginal, Mudla meaning "implement" and Wirra meaning "forest". The town of Wasleys is now situated on an area first known as "Ridleyton" which was named after John Ridley, who laid out the village of Ridley in 1873. In 1869, the railway line was extended through the region and a railway station was erected on the land purchased by Josiah Wasley, one of the first settlers to the area.
The township was advertised to attract people seeking good agricultural land as "Ridly Township - Wasleys Station". In time two townships were announced and called Ridleyton and Wasley. As the towns grew the name Ridleyton was discarded and the town became known as Wasleys.
Early settlers soon made their mark on the history of the region. In 1843, John Ridley revolutionised the agricultural industry with the first "stripper machine". This machine stripped crops quickly and cheaply with the minimum of labour.
In the 1860s, a local farmer named Charles Mullen created a method of ploughing which was known as "Mullenising". Mullen invented an implement, used throughout Australia, which was the precursor of the stump-jump plough
Stump-jump plough
The stump-jump plough is a kind of plough invented in South Australia in the late nineteenth century by Richard Bowyer Smith to solve the particular problem of preparing mallee lands for cultivation.-The problem:...
.
During 1866-1877, pioneer farmer Richard Marshall succeeded in solving the "red dust" problem in wheat by crossbreeding various wheat varieties and improved soil conditions using bone meal on the land. After good crop returns, a student at Roseworthy College named Charles Deland, led a campaign in favour of fertilizer.
On 12 April 1970 a bus collided with a passenger train [92] near Wasleys killing 17 people and injuring 45.
Wasleys became a thriving centre and once operated three chaff mills. Although the chaff mills have ceased operating, the town is still a focal point for agriculture and farming livestock, and as reported in The Bunyip on 27 September 1873, "There can be no questions that this is an excellent locality for a township". 85% of all residents were born in Australia, 10% in the UK, and the remaining 5% in other countries.