Karlgarin, Western Australia

Karlgarin
Church of Our Lady Help of Christians, Karlgarin
Karlgarin
Interactive map of Karlgarin
Coordinates: 32°29′49″S 118°42′36″E / 32.497°S 118.71°E / -32.497; 118.71
CountryAustralia
StateWestern Australia
LGA
Location
Established1931
Government
 • State electorate
 • Federal division
Area
 • Total
1,048.5 km2 (404.8 sq mi)
Elevation
308 m (1,010 ft)
Population
 • Total105 (SAL 2021)
Postcode
6358

Karlgarin is a town located 321 kilometres (199 mi) south-east of Perth in the eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. A small traditional farming town, in 2010 Karlgarin made national papers, as the poorest town in Western Australia, with an average of $34,054 taxable income.

The first European to visit the area was Surveyor General John Septimus Roe, who passed through in 1848. He recorded the name "Carlgarin" as the name of a nearby hill. the town name, Karlgarin, was derived from the Noongar word, karl, meaning fire. Karlgarin was selected as a soldier settlement site and a declaration of a townsite was sought in 1924. The townsite was gazetted in 1931. The Hyden railway line opened in 1933.