DESCRIPTION
The wheat silo is the dominating feature of this little town. There is a hotel dating from 1925 and a shop or two but very little else. The caravan facility
by the lake is cheap and has excellent toilets and showers.
Early pioneers planted gums and pine trees in town and near the lake. The lake has long been a popular place for picnics and sporting events.
The first time I ever visited the town I wrote the following in my diary:
'The odd ute passes by on its way, taking the driver to see friends or family. The shops are closed and nothing moves in town. Everything is still and quiet.
Blue bottle flies buzz lazily around the caravan windows. Only the bees are busy, collecting pollen from flowers in a nearby park. A faint breeze ripples the
water of the salt lake keeping the temperature just low enough to be comfortable. The cricket oval is empty and the bowling green is similarly deserted. A lone
pink and grey galah lies dying at the foot of a gum tree; the victim of a collision with a car or perhaps poison bait. Other birds sing in the trees, unconcerned
about the galah's fate. This is Yealering on a Sunday afternoon in October 2004; much the same as it has been for years past.'
HISTORY
Starting life as a railway siding on the Merredin to Wickepin line the townsite was gazetted as
Yearlering in 1912. The incorrect spelling was noticed and changed after a few weeks.
The name comes from the Aboriginal language and was first recorded by Europeans in 1870 but the meaning is unknown.
Early settlers moved into the area in the 1870s and the lake was an important source of water for both the Aborigines and settlers.
Land was opened up for selection in 1907 and the following year the Yealering Lake Progress Association was formed.
By the time the town was gazetted in 1912, there were already a number of buildings including a post office and school. It
took until 1927 for a local hall to be errected.
When the lake dried out completely there were occasional horse races held on the dry lake bed.
During World War II a prisoner of war camp was established. The inmates were Italians and numbers varied between 100 and 125 men.
TALL TALES AND TRUE
We don't have any folklore for this town yet. Do you have a story we can add?
VIDEO
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OTHER INFORMATION
ATTRACTIONS
Yealering Lake, Sewell's Rock, Malyalling Rock.
BUILDINGS OF NOTE
Town hall, Hotel.
ELECTORAL ZONES
State : Roe
Federal : O'Connor
OTHER INFO.
Postcode : 6372
Local Government : Shire of Wickepin
PHOTOS
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