Ballidu is a town located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

, about 217 kilometres (135 mi) north of Perth

Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....

. Ballidu is also 34 kilometres (21 mi) north of the town of Wongan Hills

Wongan Hills, Western Australia

Wongan Hills is a town in the Shire of Wongan-Ballidu, in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. The town is approximately 182 km north of the State capital Perth, at an altitude of 286 metres....

 which, along with a few other small towns such as Cadoux and Bindi Bindi make up the Shire of Wongan-Ballidu.

History

The name Ballidu is a hybrid name, coming from "balli", a Noongar

Noongar

The Noongar are an indigenous Australian people who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the south coast...

 Aboriginal

Indigenous Australians

Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....

 word meaning "on this side" or "in this direction", and "Duli" after a nearby rockhole. The townsite was gazetted in 1914, with street names of the original settlers. A primary school opened in the town on 4 September 1922, moving into permanent premises in 1924. The streets in Ballidu are named after varieties of wheat.

The surrounding areas produce wheat

Wheat

Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...

 and other cereal

Cereal

Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...

 crops. The town is a receival site for Cooperative Bulk Handling.

Population

Ballidu has a population of less than 100 people and consists of Ballidu Primary School, the local Art Gallery, a hall, a few shops for groceries and essentials and several farming supply stores. As Ballidu is a farming region, over the years (as the size of the surrounding farms has increased), the town has become smaller and smaller. Currently there are approximately 27 students attending the local primary school, with others attending school at surrounding towns.

Community events

Each year the Shire of Wongan-Ballidu along with the surrounding communities hosts the annual 'Bike-it to Ballidu' which consists of teams from the primary school along with adults cycling from Wongan Hills in turn to Ballidu. The whole ride is approximately 34 km and starts from the Wongan Hills visitor centre ending in Alpha Street, Ballidu. After the ride there is a celebration in Alpha Park in which awards are presented. The last competition was held on 14 March 2008.