Quairading

QuaIrading is a townsite in the central agricultural area, 166 kilometres east of Perth. It is situated 69 kilometres from York on the road between York and Bruce Rock. Quairading derives its name from the nearby Quairading Spring, an Aboriginal name first recorded by surveyor Alexander Forrest in 1872. The meaning of this name may be related to "Quairit", an Aboriginal word for the eldest girl of a family, although another source gives it as "home of the bush kangaroo"- "quara".

In 1907 the government decided to build a railway from Greenhills (near York) to Quairading, and also decided to declare a townsite at the terminus. As the Quairading Spring was nearby this was selected as the name, but the district surveyor thought it should be spelt "Kwerading", a more correct spelling pronounced "kwera ding". Local usage of the Q spelling ensured the adoption of this name, and Quairading was gazetted a townsite in late 1907.