The area's name, although an English word, appears to owe its name to a local Aboriginal word, "wandooin", after the wandoo or white gum tree that is prevalent in the area, although some sources suggest it was named to recall the first sighting of wandering stock, and was originally applied to Wandering Brook, first recorded in 1866. Wandering was first settled in 1859 by members of the George Stedman Watts family when their straying wagon team horses were found grazing in lush grass around a fresh water spring known to this day as Horse Well. In 1861, they selected an area on what is now the south-eastern approach to the town, and named it "Grassdale" - the property is still owned by the Watts family to this day. A road board was convened in 1874 within slightly different boundaries to the present day. By 1877, there was sufficient population in the area for the government to set aside land for a school. In 1911-12, the government surveyed a number of lots and then gazetted the townsite of Wandering. However, the decision two decades earlier to build the railway some distance to the east restricted the town's growth. Also, fresh water was not readily available - the town was reliant on two Water Corporation dams until scheme water was extended here in 1997. Subsequently, rural residential subdivisions in the area on lots have been developed. From 1944 to 1977, the Wandering Mission, also known as St Francis Xavier Mission, was operated as a home for Aboriginal children by the Pallottine Fathers. A recollection of growing up in the mission is in Glenyse Ward's autobiography, Wandering Girl. It was later the subject of a number of sexual abuse claims.
Present day
Wandering is primarily an agricultural region, which produces hay, cereal crops, pulse crops, oil seed, wool, lamb and beef. Timber milling and viticulture are also practised. The town's school still operates with mixed-grade classes, and accommodation is offered at a caravan park with powered sites. The original Agricultural Hall now hosts a telecentre for the use of the town's residents, and a nearby hall hosts local community groups and clubs.
Climate
Wandering has a Mediterranean climate with hot dry summers and cool, damp winters. In winter, it is one of the coldest towns in Western Australia, not infrequently recording temperatures below. The primary school's motto, "Cold Temperatures Warm Hearts", is testament to this.
