37-644: Waroona is a town located in the Peel region of Western Australia along the South Western Highway , between Pinjarra and Harvey . The town is the seat of the Shire of Waroona . At the 2016 census , Waroona had a population of 2,934. The town was originally known as Drakesbrook , and was first settled by John Fouracre in 1891. A railway station on the Pinjarra to Picton Junction railway line with
74-532: A soldier resettlement scheme beginning in 1919. Typical scenery is farmland interspersed with forests and small timber towns. The highway then goes through Bridgetown (where it meets the Brockman Highway from Augusta and Nannup ), Manjimup and finally to Walpole . This part of the highway, especially from Manjimup, is sparsely populated and very thickly forested, with abundant wildlife and wildflowers as well as many old growth trees, especially
111-459: A campaign to change the name of the region was launched. It received the backing of MP for Murray-Wellington Robyn Clarke . The campaign was rejected by the premier of Western Australia Mark McGowan on 25 October 2017. South Western Highway South Western Highway is a highway in the South West region of Western Australia connecting Perth 's southeast with Walpole . It
148-521: A ferry to cross the Murray River's estuary, and did not go through Pinjarra, a significant settlement in the area; however, it would be shorter, had more water along the route, and did go through the village of Mandurah, with a population of twenty-nine people from six families. During the winter of 1842, the existing route became impassable, and Clifton decided to undertake the creation of the proposed coastal route. He sent his company's men to clear
185-503: A medium-timbered area with low marshes. The first river to cross was the Harvey River , which could only be forded by horses at a single point, near the river mouth. Continuing south-westward, the northern tip of Leschenault Estuary was reached, and its shores followed before curving around into Bunbury. The last stretch of approximately 12 miles (19 km) was the most dangerous for many years, as it required precarious crossings at
222-500: A new proposal for a Perth–Pinjarra–Bunbury route along the foothills, with a one chain (66 ft; 20 m) width, mostly following the alignment of previous tracks. Between 1864 and 1876, two parties of convicts were involved in the making of the road. A road from Bunbury to Boyanup, called the Blackwood Road, existed as early as 1864. A bi-weekly mail route from Boyanup to Bridgetown via Preston, Balingup, and Greenbushes
259-412: A very small number of nineteenth-century timber and iron railway houses extant in 2003. The local dairy industry included a local Nestlé milk factory, which was functional until the mid-20th century. It has since become a private compound for heavy machinery. Following a lightning strike near Nanga Brook a bushfire broke out that caused extensive damage to bushland, properties and infrastructure in
296-585: Is Mike Walmsley. There are two local schools: St Joseph's Primary School (Catholic) and Waroona District High School , which is a primary (elementary) school including kindergarten and junior high school. Senior high school is usually completed by local students in the towns of Pinjarra , Harvey and Mandurah . On 26 July 2005 the Drakesbrook School House, first opened in 1898 as a one-room school and located in Centennial Park,
333-677: Is a part of the Highway 1 network for most of its length. It is about 406 kilometres (252 mi) long. From Perth, the highway, signed as State Route 20, starts from the Albany Highway junction in Armadale , 28 km from Perth, and follows a north–south route 20–30 km inland from the coast, passing through several agricultural and timber towns that sprang up in the 1890s when the nearby railway came through, such as Pinjarra , Waroona , Yarloop and Harvey . In January 2016,
370-567: Is marked by artistic bollards. The trail's guidebook is illustrated by sketches of the sites drawn by local artists. The main road route through the town is the South Western Highway (Route 20; Perth to Bunbury via Pinjarra and Harvey). Waroona is located on the South Western Railway and is a stopping place for the Australind passenger train from Perth to Bunbury . Peel (Western Australia) The Peel region
407-413: Is now Boyanup-Picton Road from Picton via Dardanup, but changed to the present shorter route in the 1980s. From Bunbury, the highway goes through Boyanup and on to Donnybrook , the heart of WA's apple country. From then on the highway passes through thick forests featuring many native trees like jarrah , marri and karri . The region was settled much later than other parts of south western WA , under
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#1732794214703444-609: Is one of the nine regions of Western Australia . It is located on the west coast of Western Australia , about 75 km (47 mi) south of the state capital, Perth . It consists of the City of Mandurah , and the Shires of Boddington , Murray , Serpentine-Jarrahdale and Waroona . The total region of the area is 6,648 km . In 2017, Peel had a population of 136,854, of which over sixty percent lived in Mandurah. In June 2019
481-481: The Djadjawurrung language.) The town was boosted by the building of the railway, for which local timber was milled for sleepers. It catered to the needs of the mill workers with a post office, general store, school, blacksmith, a number of hotels come boarding houses, churches, doctor and dentist. The farms supplied butter, fruit and vegetables for the men of the mills, and chaff for the horse teams that hauled
518-543: The Collie and Preston Rivers. In an initial attempt to settle the area, the government declared the land open for pastoral settlement by ordinary settlers, but little progress was made. By 1840, the population was just fifty-three, and most of those were in or near Bunbury (then known as Port Leschenault). The settlement of Australind by the Western Australian Land Company in 1840–41 prompted
555-602: The Peel Settlement Scheme, organised by Thomas Peel . However the scheme was poorly administered, and many settlers died of malnutrition in the first few months. The surviving settlers abandoned the area, with some moving inland where they found fertile soil. In 1846, Western Australia's first mining operation was established at Yarrabah (near present-day Mundijong ), mining lead , silver and zinc . The Jarrahdale timber mill, established in May 1872, became
592-529: The Peel region is dominated by mining and mineral processing; the area has large reserves of bauxite , some gold and mineral sands , and an aluminium refinery. Other important economic sectors include agriculture and a substantial equine industry. The region is named after Thomas Peel , a British settler in Australia who was involved in the Pinjarra massacre of Aboriginal Binjareb people. In 2017,
629-538: The Samson Brook bridge, one of the highway bridges near Waroona, was damaged by a bushfire. Just past Brunswick Junction , the highway heads southwest towards Western Australia's third-largest city, Bunbury . The typical scenery on this part of the highway includes small dairy farms and orchards, jarrah and marri remnant forests and pine plantations. Until the 1980s, the Armadale-Bunbury section
666-451: The area including the collapse of the Samson Brook bridge on the South Western Highway . The fire started early on 6 January 2016 and as at 4 pm on 7 January it continued to burn out of control with in excess of 21,000 hectares (52,000 acres) burnt and residents being evacuated to facilities in Pinjarra or Australind . The towns of Yarloop and Harvey were also threatened by the fire with residents urged to evacuate; most of Yarloop
703-591: The dam, together with drainage and irrigation works, were the start of a period of considerable development in Waroona. The present Waroona Dam, further up in the hills, was officially opened in 1966. The railway cottages, built in 1896 to accommodate railway employees (until about 1970), and which have survived to the modern day and have been heritage-listed, are the only surviving timber and iron clad platelayers ' cottages in Western Australia and are among
740-472: The dirt track to a formed and gravelled road, with works expected to be completed over the 1921–22 summer at a cost of £2,000. The road from Bunbury through Bridgetown to Manjimup was improved in 1926, as one of the Main Road Board 's first projects. The worst segments were identified for reconstruction, as part of an ongoing process to create a high-quality highway. The name South Western Highway
777-482: The first real need for a good quality road to Perth. Throughout much of 1842, there was much debate and discussion over providing a new route to Bunbury. A coastal route from Fremantle had been proposed, while an alternative proposal published on 11 May 1842 was a new route from Pinjarra to Bunbury, via an upstream crossing of the Harvey River, where a bridge could easily be built. The coastal route would require
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#1732794214703814-748: The giant karri . From Walpole, the Highway 1 continues as South Coast Highway to Albany . Following the establishment of the Swan River Colony , the earliest report of exploration of the district around what is now Bunbury is from Lieutenant H. W. Bunbury in December 1836. The route he – and later others – took was slow and hazardous, taking four days to cover around 80 miles (130 km), and crossing four rivers. The route began with passage from Perth to Pinjarra , before turning south-west and passing through low, open scrubland, and subsequently
851-476: The government intended to settle returning servicemen in the far south-west of the state. To determine the public works required, a flying survey was undertaken. The route between Manjimup and Walpole (then known as Nornalup) was reported to be overgrown and impassable. The Public Works Department was tasked with clearing the route and forming a road, with works gradually progressing from c. 1919 onwards. By October 1921, £ 16,000 had been spent on upgrading
888-514: The logs. In March 1899, McDowell's Siding was converted into Waroona Station, and figures for rail traffic on the South Western Railway reveal that total earnings of outgoing traffic from Waroona was the highest of any station from 1904 to 1947. Development was confused in the early years as Drakesbrook and Waroona both persisted in usage – in the 1890s referring to the separate towns 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) apart (of which Waroona
925-536: The name "Drake's Brook", named after William Henry Drake, an Assistant Commissioner General and original landholder in the area (1847), opened in September 1893 and the town was surveyed and gazetted by March 1895. The surveyor-general of the day recommended the name change from Drake's Brook to Drakesbrook as "it is more euphonious and would look better on the plan". The change was made official in October 1896, and in
962-520: The path and make a road. By the second half of the nineteenth century, the importance of the coast road was diminishing. For most of its length, the road went through well-timbered, sandy limestone country of little value to agriculture, and settlers in the vicinity of the road were scarce. In contrast, settlements had spread and prospered in the foothills of the Darling Scarp , and on 1 July 1853, Colonial Secretary Frederick Barlee announced
999-606: The same year a post office was opened. In 1895 Joseph McDowell built a timber mill in the northern end of the surveyed townsite at present-day Mill Street, near which a railway siding was opened. Due to the unpopularity of the initial subdivision, new lots were surveyed near the mill, which became known as Waroona. This name was most probably a corruption of Werroona near the Bendigo goldfields in Victoria , believed to be McDowell's hometown. (The original word meant "resting place" in
1036-460: The state's largest timber operation, and led to the development of service centres for the timber industry along the Perth–;Picton railway line at Mundijong, Waroona and Dwellingup . In recent times, the timber industry has declined, but the establishment of alumina refineries at Pinjarra and Wagerup , and gold mines at Boddington , have helped the local economy. The economy of
1073-515: The total population for the constituent LGAs was 142,960 within an area of 5516.3 km . Before European settlement, the Peel region was inhabited by Indigenous Australians , specifically the Pindjarup dialect group of the Noongar people. Shortly after the establishment of the Swan River Colony in 1829, part of the northern coastal area of the Peel region was settled under a program known as
1110-703: The town and nearby agricultural areas. Every October the town hosts the Waroona Agricultural Show. Waroona has a recreation centre and two public sports ovals. Until the 1990s, an abattoir operated from the town, but one in nearby Harvey now fulfils this purpose, and some Waroona residents work there. Shopping needs are met by local businesses and supermarkets. Nearby Waroona Dam and Drakesbrook Weir are now popular tourist and picnic spots and camping grounds, offering activities such as canoeing and water-skiing. Several heritage trails and art and craft shops are also located in Waroona. The shire president
1147-625: The town site since 1998, as part of the Alcoa and Fremantle Arts Centre "Art in the Community" project. These include the "forest" of heritage bush poles near the northern tourist information bay, which are jarrah poles that have been carved and painted, as well as a 24-tonne (53,000 lb) concrete sofa with patchwork quilt, knitted by more than 60 local women, with pieces depicting life in Waroona. The Waroona Heritage Trail – which can be walked or driven – passes by historic buildings and sites, and
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1184-491: Was burnt down. It had been closed since the 1980s but maintained as a historic site. After police investigations, the remaining structure was removed, but a year later the council approved a memorial to the school to be built on the site in consultation with the Waroona Historical Society. The Waroona Visitor Centre is the location of a local art and craft gallery. Public artwork has been installed around
1221-553: Was destroyed by it. The town of Preston Beach was isolated with residents sheltering on the beach or evacuated by boat. Waroona is located on South Western Highway , 113 kilometres (70 mi) south of Perth at the foot of the Darling Range and has a population of about 1,800. Agriculture (including dairying) and tourism are the major economic activities, and an irrigation system from the Drakesbrook Weir waters
1258-491: Was established by 1891; it also extended further south to Balbarrup on a weekly basis. Surveying of a direct Bridgetown–Albany route was requested in January 1871, so that an electric telegraph line could be established, but the government surveyors were overwhelmed by other work. Surveying of the route from Manjimup (south of Bridgetown, adjacent to Balbarrup) was undertaken in 1909 by Fred S. Brockman. Following World War I,
1295-532: Was part of National Highway 1 , but following the upgrading of Old Coast Road and construction of the Mandurah bypass, Highway 1 now follows the coastal route via Kwinana Freeway and Old Coast Road to Bunbury passing through the resort town of Mandurah . The highway does not actually enter Bunbury – it stops at the industrial suburb of Picton , following Robertson Drive (Bunbury's ring road) for 1 km south before turning southeast past Bunbury Airport towards Boyanup . The highway actually used to follow what
1332-632: Was suggested for the road from Armadale to Pemberton in 1940 by the Under-Secretary for Lands. The name was in common usage by March 1941, and in July 1941, the name was officially applied to "the main road from Armadale to Pemberton via Pinjarra, Harvey, Picton Junction, Boyanup, Donnybrook, Bridgetown and Manjimup". The northern end was at the Perth–Albany road in Armadale, and the southern end
1369-634: Was the focus of most major development) but often coming to be used interchangeably. The two settlements gradually merged into one town, which became known as Waroona. The name was officially changed in 1946. The first Waroona Dam, now the Drakesbrook Dam, was built in 1931–32 under the guidance of the Waroona Irrigation District by unemployed people on work programmes during the Great Depression. The completion of
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