Manjimup, Western Australia

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Entrance to Manjimup, late afternoon.

Manjimup, ( 34°15′2″S, 116°8′33″E), has a population of 5,000, and lies 304km South of Perth, Western Australia. The town of Manjimup is a regional centre for the largest shire in the South West of Western Australia. It possesses areas of ecological, historical, agricultural, commercial and industrial interest.

The Tourist Centre is housed in a large mud brick and shingle roofed building attached to the Timber Park Complex. Other attractions within the Park are the state Timber Museum, the historical Hamlet, which contains many relocated (for preservation) buildings from within the shire, the steam museum, a blacksmith's forge and a craft and coffee shop.

Over eighty percent of the shire is composed of National Park and forestry. Within a short drive of the town you can visit the King Jarrah, climb the Diamond Tree Lookout Tower and visit the Four Aces. Water attractions include historic Fonty's Pool, the Donnelly River and Glenoran Pool. For those interested in the history of the area a visit to the Dingup Church, the Pioneer Cairn, and One Tree Bridge are a must. Free tours of the local mills are available at nominated times and the milling town of Deanmill enables you to step back into the early days of the district.

The variety of accommodation available reflects the diversity of the area. There are a number of caravan parks, hotel and motels, bed and breakfast facilities, guesthouses, chalets, cottages and villages as well as backpacker sites. You can stay conveniently in town or absorb the country atmosphere on a farm or in a village.

1 History
2 Forests
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] History

Welcome to Manjimup.

The name Manjimup was derived from the aboriginal word “Manjin” – a special edible reed and “up” meaning meeting place.

The area was first settled in 1856 near the present town site of Manjimup. The area has strong links with the timber industry and other industries include horticulture, agriculture, viticulture, dairying, aquaculture and tourism.

[edit] Forests

The Manjiump region has been the focus of forest issues for over 80 years - initially the development of the Group Settlement Scheme saw forests cleared for settltements, then in the 1970's the Manjimup wood-chip scheme attracted wide-spreadinterest in the concern for the Karri forests of the region. Subsequent to the wood-chip controversies the issue of Old Growth Forests saw considerable interaction between Perth based conservationists - and local forestry defence organisations - the resultant conflicts were in part resolved by government intervention with schemes to re-deploy aggrieved forestry workers.