Roelands, Western Australia

Roelands is a town in the South West region of Western Australia on the South Western Highway, between Brunswick Junction and Bunbury. At the, Roelands had a population of 620.HistoryThe name Roelands relates to a property of the same name granted to the Swan River Colony's first Surveyor General in 1830, John Septimus Roe as part of the 5000acre to which he was entitled for bringing considerable capital to the colony. Roe spoke highly of the area and its potential value for agriculture. The first pastoralists and shepherds arrived in the area in the 1880s seeking improved pasture for their stock.In 1893 a railway station was built here to service the railway line from Pinjarra to Picton Junction, and was initially called Collie Siding after the nearby Collie River. However, after the gazettal of nearby Collie in December 1897, and much public argument in the region, Collie Siding was renamed to Roelands. The first big quantity of coal from Collie was carted by road to the Collie Siding and then railed to Perth. The demand on the area from the timber and coal business led to the construction of the Colliefields Hotel.A school was established in 1903, and in 1916 a private subdivision was undertaken surrounding the schoolsite. In 1963 the subdivision was gazetted a townsite at the request of the Shire of Harvey.