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Yarloop Workshops

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32-516: The Yarloop Workshops was a railway and timber mill machinery workshop, situated in the town of Yarloop, Western Australia . The workshops operated from 1901 to 1978. Originally built by Charles and Edwin Millar on the site of the first timber mill in the area, the operations expanded to become the support facility for Millars Karri and Jarrah Forests Limited 's 26 timber mills and the rail network that connected them. The workshops hand-crafted most of

64-618: A Mediterranean climate (Csb) with warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters. According to the 2016 census, Denmark had a population of 2,558. Of these, 67.9% were Australian-born, 11.8% were born in England or Scotland, 2.3% were born in New Zealand and 1.2% were born in South Africa. 2.1% identified as Aboriginal. The demography fluctuates depending on tourism; with the town at full capacity during school holidays and throughout

96-399: A bushfire destroyed most of the town. The name Yarloop is said to have originated from the words "yard loop", the rail loop into the timber yard there. However, the name is more likely Aboriginal in origin (most likely from the local Bindjareb Noongar people). Yalup Brook is situated about 5 km (3.1 mi) north of Yarloop and there is similarity in pronunciation of the word, and

128-680: A conservation area by the National Trust and is now protected by the Yarloop Conservation Plan (1998) administered by the Heritage Council. The town was gazetted in 1962. Yarloop became home to citrus growers, dairy farmers, vegetable growers and commuters. Until the bushfire of 2016, the town centre included many restored timber buildings along with the historical steam workshops . The workshops had many operating steam engines along with displays of

160-488: A government-surveyed town site as the company wished to maintain effective control over staff and workmen. However, not everyone working at the mill wanted to live in the facilities, so a company town on the eastern side of the railway and a public town on the western side developed. A siding on the Perth-Bunbury Railway came into being in 1896. In 1901, they made Yarloop the centre of their operations, and

192-452: A large variety of trees, including the eucalypts marri , karri , jarrah and red tingle . The latter can reach a height of 60 metres (200 ft). A distinctive local tree is the red-flowering gum . There are many indigenous bird species, including splendid fairy-wrens , emus , Australian white ibis , Australian magpies and Australian ringnecks . Many species of reptiles including snakes and skinks can be found. Marsupials such as

224-519: A timber mill on the site and as production increased the need to maintain equipment meant that the place was expanded to incorporate the various machinery workshops until 1901 when the site's sole function was for the maintenance of Millars equipment. During both World War I and World War II the workshops were converted to manufacture armaments. In the 1930s the timber industry in the region peaked with Millars operating 26 sawmills and an extensive private railway system to support them. The workshops became

256-583: Is limited commercial fishing in Wilson Inlet . Denmark has no harbour. The town is home to the Western Australian College of Agriculture – Denmark, a 560-hectare (1,400-acre) working farm and educational facility for Year 10, 11 and 12 students providing specialist education in farming and farm-related studies. It is also home to Denmark Senior High School . Denmark was awarded the title of Australia's Tidiest Town in 1998. On

288-612: The Four Corners program "Something in the Air", although no formal causal link has ever been established. These claims are also disputed by a large section of the local population. Alcoa subsequently obtained permission (September 2006) to double the size of the refinery to become the biggest such refinery in the world, although very strict conditions have been imposed on the expansion by the Health and Environment departments. A minority of

320-568: The Denmark Roads Board . The population declined dramatically, and revived only with the introduction of the Group Settlement Scheme in the 1920s. Small farms of 40 hectares (99 acres) were cleared from woodland to create pasture for cattle, dairying and orcharding, mainly apples. Conditions were often poor and some of the small farmers could hardly survive. They worked in one of the timber mills operating around

352-458: The western grey kangaroo , the southern brown bandicoot and the common brushtail possum also live in the area. The abundance of fish, squid and other marine life in the Denmark estuaries and along the coastline attracts bottlenose dolphins and seals ; seasonally southern right whales rest there during their long migrations to the north. Greens Pool (located between Denmark and Walpole)

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384-736: The Denmark River near Wilson Inlet there is a wooden Heritage Railway bridge where several walking trails come together including the Bibbulmun Track , which runs from the Perth region to Albany, and the "Denmark–Nornalup Heritage Trail". Denmark is on the South Coast Highway , and is serviced by the Transwa public transport system. The town has an airstrip for small planes. Denmark is surrounded by native woodland with

416-670: The Denmark area was observed in 1627 by the Dutchman François Thijssen , captain of the ship ' t Gulden Zeepaert (The Golden Seahorse), who sailed to the east as far as Ceduna in South Australia and back. Captain Thijssen had seen the south coast of Australia and charted about 1,800 kilometres (1,100 mi) of it between Cape Leeuwin and the Nuyts Archipelago . Two centuries later, when

448-789: The Fleet, Resident Physician at the Royal Hospital Haslar , and past-Physician to the Mediterranean Fleet. Wilson found the river while exploring the area in company with the Noongar Mokare from King George Sound, John Kent (officer in charge of the Commissariat at Frederick Town, King George Sound), two convicts and Private William Gough of the 39th Regiment , while his ship the Governor Phillip

480-427: The centre of the operations employing over 100 people. The workshops included a foundry making the parts as necessary; as part of this the largest collection of wooden patterns were made and are still retained on site in the workshops. On 7 January 2016 the workshop, along with most of the townsite, was destroyed by the 2016 Waroona bushfire . In January 2022, it was announced that the workshops would be rebuilt, with

512-661: The closure of No 1 Mill, the Denmark milling industry was in decline. On 30 September 1904 Millars' Denmark operation was closed down. In 1908 Millars sold the Denmark Estate and the Elleker -Denmark railway to the state government . A townsite was surveyed and provision made for a school site, recreation reserves and town hall site. In 1911 the Denmark Ward of the Albany Roads Board was excised to form

544-665: The early spelling variations of the siding (Yailoup and Yarloup) support it being Aboriginal. In 1849, Joseph Logue arrived in the area and farmed at nearby Cookernup . He was followed by W. J. Eastcott, who used to collect river red gum bark and pit-sawn timber for other settlers, and John Bancells in 1886. In 1894, Charles and Edwin Millar moved into the district looking to put nearby stands of jarrah to use – they had exported jarrah blocks to London for use in street paving. They soon established their 300-acre (1.2 km ) timber town with accommodation and support facilities, located 2 km (1.2 mi) south of

576-469: The end of the town." Those visiting the town after the fire described the level of destruction as "apocalyptic". However, Western Australia's Premier Colin Barnett said that the town would be rebuilt, and a majority of residents voted in favour of rebuilding. On 9 January the remains of two men were found in burnt-out houses. Public access to Yarloop was restored on 11 August 2016, seven months after

608-637: The equipment used to maintain 25 steam locos and the timber production of millers. There is a heritage trail around the old mill town and conservation area. Facilities included a primary school, local shop, bowling club, hotel, post office, community centre and various types of accommodation. A notable issue in the town was alleged emissions from the Alcoa alumina refinery at nearby Wagerup . For years, some residents have reported illnesses such as respiratory irritation, frequent blood noses, headaches, nausea and cancer, as reported in numerous media outlets, including

640-747: The fire, when roadblocks were removed. A new community centre was built, incorporating the facade of the original town hall, and opened in November 2019. Yarloop is situated on the South Western Railway , and is a stopping place for the Australind passenger train from Perth to Bunbury . Denmark, Western Australia Denmark is a coastal town located on Wilson Inlet in the Great Southern region of Western Australia , 423 kilometres (263 mi) south-south-east of

672-515: The first Europeans entered the lands around the present Denmark, the area was inhabited by the Noongar . Aboriginal Australians called the river and the inlet Kwoorabup, which means "place of the black wallaby" (kwoor). The Denmark River was given its modern name in December 1829 by naval ship's surgeon Thomas Braidwood Wilson after his mentor, naval surgeon Alexander Denmark, Physician of

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704-553: The first stage focusing on rebuilding the steam workshops. 32°57′33″S 115°54′01″E  /  32.9593°S 115.9004°E  / -32.9593; 115.9004 Yarloop, Western Australia Yarloop is a town in the South West of Western Australia along the South Western Highway , between Waroona and Harvey . At the 2016 census , Yarloop had a population of 395. On 7 January 2016

736-479: The middle of the 20th century. Tourism started when American soldiers, stationed in Albany during World War II , made outings to Denmark. After the war, Denmark became a popular holiday destination for Western Australians. By the 1960s the population had increased to 1,500 and Denmark was becoming attractive to alternative life-stylers and early retirees. Intensive agriculturists such as wine growers had discovered

768-465: The parts necessary to maintain the equipment rather than experience delays in obtaining parts from the United Kingdom . After suffering extensive damage from Cyclone Alby in 1978, Millars moved their operation to a site just outside the town on the South Western Highway . The site then changed ownership several times until it was bought by Bunnings in 1983. In 1895 the Millar brothers built

800-523: The residents announced plans to fight the decision in the Supreme Court . On 7 January 2016, 121 homes were destroyed by a massive bushfire. Over a seven-minute period, the fire also burned the historic timber workshops , factories, an old church, the old hospital, shops, the hotel, fire station and a part of the school. Local politician Murray Cowper , observing soon afterwards that the town now looked "very surreal", said: "This could well be

832-483: The sale of the railway line the State leased the line and WAGR rail services began on 3 May 1907. In 1908 Millars sold the railway to the state government. Line extension works beyond Denmark were started in 1926 and on 11 June 1929 the first passenger service ran to Nornalup . The Nornalup-Denmark-Torbay-Elleker rail service was permanently shut down on 30 September 1957 and the rails were lifted in 1963. Denmark has

864-645: The state capital of Perth . At the 2016 census , Denmark had a population of 2,558; however, the population can be several times the base population during tourist seasons. 't Landt van de Leeuwin (Leeuwin's Land) was the original Dutch name for the area from King George Sound to the Swan River. It was named after the Dutch East Indiaman Leeuwin , which sighted the coast from Hamelin Bay to Point D'Entrecasteaux in 1622. The coastline of

896-420: The summer. The many holiday houses kept in Denmark usually belong to wealthy Perth-based families. During the census (Tuesday 9 August) 19.6% of dwellings were unoccupied (national average 11.2%). Denmark is a rural town with timber milling, orcharding, beef cattle and dairy farming as its primary industries. Soil and climate attract wine growers, with tourism being the fastest growing business in Denmark. There

928-510: The town became even more important when in 1905 they closed their Denmark mills on the south coast. At their peak, they employed over 500 people in the Yarloop area. By the 1930s, they boasted the largest private railway in the world with eight railway systems and 25 locomotives. The timber mill, originally known as the Waigerup mill, still operates and in 1984 the mill town was classified as

960-572: The value of the rich karri loam for their vineyards. Riesling and Chardonnay were the first grapes grown on Denmark soil, soon followed by other varieties. Within 50 years the area became a wine subregion of critical acclaim, as part of the Great Southern Wine Region . The first winery, Tinglewood, opened in 1976, and by 2008, over twenty vineyards had been established around Denmark. Millars' Elleker-Torbay-Denmark railway line closed on 31 May 1905. During negotiations over

992-536: Was being repaired at King George Sound . In August 1895 C & E Millar completed the purchase of 8,100 hectares (20,000 acres) of freehold timber country at Denmark River, known as the Denmark Estate, and in October 1895, after a stock exchange listing in London to raise the capital, Millars Karri and Jarrah Forests Limited commenced a railway extension from Torbay to Denmark River. The formation

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1024-414: Was completed and the first timber mill constructed at Denmark timber station in December 1895. A post office and savings bank was opened on 30 August 1897. Millars built its third mill in 1898 and by 1900 there were 800 workers and their families resident at Denmark, for a total population of 2,000. Resource depletion soon resulted in a total collapse of the local karri timber industry. By May 1903, with

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