Grass Patch, Western Australia

Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Grass Patch
state = wa


caption =
lga = Shire of Esperance
postcode = 6446
est = 1923
pop =
elevation= 218
maxtemp =
mintemp =
rainfall =
stategov = Eyre
fedgov = Kalgoorlie
dist1 = 783
dir1 = SE
location1= Perth
dist2 = 78
dir2 = N
location2= Esperance
dist3 = 114
dir3 = S
location3= Norsemancoord|-33.229|121.716|type:city(50)_region:AU-WA_scale:100000|format=dms|display=title

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.LandInfo WA|c|G|2008-04-08 ] The town is part of the Shire of Esperance, [cite web|last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= | date= | url=http://www.esperance.wa.gov.au | title=Shire of Esperance|format= |work= |pages= |publisher=Shire of Esperance | language= |accessdate=2008-04-08 ] and services the local farming community.

History

The townsite was proposed in 1910 when land in the area was being opened up, and as watering spot for the planned Esperance 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 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 elements. [cite web|last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= | date= | url=http://www.heritageaustralia.com.au/search.php?state=WA&region=138&view=1053 |title=Esperance |format= |work= |pages= |publisher=Australian Heritage Magazine | language= |accessdate=2006-07-15 ] 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.

References