The town was named for Quairading Spring, derived from a local Aboriginal word recorded in 1872 by surveyor Alexander Forrest.

[4] In 1932 the Wheat Pool of Western Australia announced that the town would have two grain elevators, each fitted with an engine, installed at the railway siding.

[11] A local tourist attraction is the Quairading Nature Reserve, 527 hectares (1,302 acres) of native bushland west of the town along the railway line to York.

[2] The Home of Natural Wood Sculpture is another visitor attraction, originally located 22 kilometres (14 mi) northeast of the town.

[2] Founded by local artist Ian Wills, it displays his wood sculptures, which have been exhibited in Sydney, Adelaide and Perth.

Toapin Weir, 12 kilometres (7 mi) northwest of the town, was constructed in 1912 to collect rainwater runoff and irrigate the nearby farms; it has barbeque, picnic and camping facilities.

[14] The town has a library, located at Quairading Bookpost,[15] a very popular Community Resource Centre and a number of small parks, including a memorial rose garden, and a public swimming pool.

Serving as the camping ground and residence for approximately 30 Nyungar families from 1887 until 1954, the reserve held significant cultural importance, having been utilized by local Nyungar communities for traditional hunting, food gathering, and camping prior to colonization, owing to its abundant freshwater sources.

Despite the official relocation of residents to Quairading Reserve in 1954 following the mission's closure, Nyungar people intermittently continued to camp in the area.