Ongerup, Western Australia
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Ongerup is a town located 410 km south east of Perth in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. The townsite was gazetted in 1912.
Wheat, barley, canola and wool are it's main products, while lesser quantities of lupins, oats, lucerne and other crops are also grown. Beef cattle, fat lambs, and pigs are sideline industries. Uncleared areas of mallee and heath give way to yate country along creeklines and the occasional stand of stately salmon gums or bushy moort trees, supporting a rich and varied birdlife.
The name Ongerup means ' Place of the male kangaroo 'in the local Nyoongar language. The town has a population of about 400 people and is home to a pub, general store, museum, tyre service,primary school, kindergarten, telecentre, caravan park, police station, ambulance service, 18 hole golf course, sports oval and pavilion and roadhouse. Grain silos belonging to Cooperative Bulk Handling are located at Ongerup and during harvest time these store grain from surrounding farms before it is transported to Albany for export.
Australian Rules Football, Hockey and Netball are played in winter and Cricket, Tennis and Basketball are played in summer.
The town is also home to the Malleefowl Preservation Group and in 2007 the Yongergnow Australian Malleefowl centre was opened.[1]
The Ongerup Wildflower Show is held in September and October each year. Ongerup and the wider area is known to be home to some 1,300 species of wildflowers.
A railway line from Tambellup - Ongerup was opened in 1913 to serve the growing agriculture industry and closed in 1957. Ongerup is on the Perth - Esperance bus link and has one bus per week in each direction.
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