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Statistics
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Km from Perth |
422 |
|
Population |
|
|
Rainfall |
347mm |
|
Max Temp |
C |
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Min Temp |
C |
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Autogas |
|
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Telecentre |
Yes |
Caravan Parks
None
Services
Attractions
Dempster Rock, Museum, Golf course, Hatter's Hill.
Buildings of note
Unknown
Calendar of events
Unknown
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Description
J.S. Roe and John Holland were two
early visitors to the area during their explorations in 1848 and 1893
respectively. Neither were too impressed with the potential of the land even
though they would have seen the land at its best in late winter and early
spring.
Frank Hann named nearby Lake Varley and Varley Rock in 1901 and the possible
source of the name was Gustavas Varley who worked for the Lands and Surveys
Department. (Other suggestions include a South Australian Magistrate or
Cornelius Varley an English artist.)
Settlement of the area was relatively late (1928) and Captain J.S. Logan is
thought to have been the first to move in to the area.
In 1930 a hall was erected that served as a school, church and social
centre. The school closed in May 1933 and did not re-open until 1945. Some
of the students had to walk as much as eight miles (each way) to get to
school and on occasion were menaced by packs of dingoes.
The town site was gazetted in 1939.
Varley was hit harder by the Great Depression than many other areas because
it had been so late in getting started. No sooner were people moving into
the area and trying to get farms going, than the depression caused many to
abandon their land. By 1933 there were only 8 families left in the area and
they had to survive mostly on emu, kangaroo, rabbit and Cocky’s Joy – a
mixture of boiled wheat and treacle..
Western Australia was particularly vulnerable to the effects of the
Depression as it earned much of its income from exports of wool and grain.
When Wall Street crashed in October 1929, the markets dried up and during
the next few years more than 3,000 farms in W.A. were abandoned. To make
matters worse, 1931 was a bumper harvest year but there was simply no-one to
sell the wheat to.
Next came WWII, with its demands on men for service and the lack of petrol
and other essential supplies. In 1944 a bad drought started and stock losses
were high. The drought saw the end of the line for most working horses as
farmers switched to tractors that did not have to be continually fed and
watered.
Finally in the 1950s those who had stuck it out through the hard times were
to begin reaping their long overdue reward. Prices for wool and grain rose
and the district’s future was assured.
In the 1960s with their farms and incomes reasonably secure, people turned
their attentions to building up local infrastructure and a new hall was
constructed in 1964. Other local amenities followed with the construction of
a football oval in 1966 and then a golf course in 1969.
Varley today is not much more than a wheat collection centre located between
Hyden and Lake King.
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