Porongurup, Western Australia
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Porongurup is the name of a small mountain range in the Shire of Plantagenet in Western Australia (see Porongurup National Park for information about the range itself) and also of a small village on the northern slopes of the range.
The name is derived from the Aboriginal place-name, and consequently arrived with no spelling as such. A common alternate spelling is Porongorup and while some maps still show this spelling, state government signs around the town use "Porongurup", as does the promotion association for the region.
The range includes Castle Rock, a popular climbing destination, and the Devil's Slide, Western Australia.
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[edit] Industry
The main industry in the region is dairying, but there are some vegetable crops grown as well. Tourism based on the Porongurup Range's giant karri forests is limited by the difficulty of access because the nearest public transport is in Albany or Mount Barker.
As with other parts of the Lower Great Southern region of Western Australia, silviculture, specifically plantations of Tasmanian Blue Gums (Eucalyptus globulus), is becoming a notable, and sometimes controversial, industry in Porongurup.[1]
Viticulture is a relatively young but flourishing industry in the region with eleven local wineries listed on the Porongurup Promotion Association web-page at time of writing (March, 2007). A very popular wine festival is held in March, at a different local winery each year.
Another increasingly popular annual event is 'Art in the Park', an outdoor sculpture competition in the picnic area on Castle Rock Road in the national park. The week-long event is held in April and attracts a diverse range of traditional and contemporary works vying for cash prizes.
[edit] Environment
In July and August 2006 eight Noisy Scrub-birds were released in the Porongurup Range by the Department of Environment and Conservation, Western Australia, as part of a trans-location program for the conservation of this endangered species.[2]
[edit] History
On February 11th, 2007, a fire began on private property near the north-west corner of the national park, around eight kilometres west of the Porongurup village. The fire spread along the rear boundaries of several properties and into the national park. Fire crews helped prevent the fire spreading to nearby housing throughout Sunday night but on Monday afternoon (12th February) it jumped Porongurup-Mt Barker Road and spread into private property to the north-east of the village centre. One private residence and a number of farm sheds and buildings were destroyed and other buildings seriously damaged in the fire. Fire crews, including aerial support from six water bomber planes, battled the blaze and by Tuesday morning it was effectively under control. By Wednesday morning (14th February) the fire had burnt through around 95% of the national park and several farms and wineries showed the scars of the fire.[3]
It was reportedly the most devastating fire in the region since the 1960s. In a show of resilience, local wineries still held their annual wine festival a few weeks after the fire broke out and despite the national park remaining closed to visitors, the annual Art in the Park exhibition was allowed to go ahead in early April. A committee was formed less than a week after the fire to take charge of remedial work in the community.
[edit] References
- ^ Letters to Albany and Great Southern Weekender newspaper (February & March) and Plantagenet News newsletter (February) regarding the role of plantation companies in fire control following the fires of February 2007
- ^ Bondin, Anne. (2006). Noisy Scrub-birds in the Porongurups? Western Australian Bird Notes 119: 1.
- ^ Albany & Great Southern Weekender, February 15th, 2007
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