Dardanup, Western Australia
| Dardanup Western Australia | |
|---|---|
  Dardanup | |
| Coordinates | 33°24′S 115°45′E / 33.400°S 115.750°ECoordinates: 33°24′S 115°45′E / 33.400°S 115.750°E |
| Population | 370 (2006 Census)[1] |
| Established | 1923 |
| Postcode(s) | 6236 |
| Elevation | 30 m (98 ft) |
| Location | |
| LGA(s) | Shire of Dardanup |
| State electorate(s) | Collie-Preston |
| Federal Division(s) | Forrest |
Dardanup is a small town in the South West region of Western Australia. The town is in the fertile Ferguson valley and is near the Ferguson River.
The area was first settled in 1852 by Thomas Little who named his property Dardanup Park. The word Dardanup is believed to be a variation of the Indigenous Australian word Dudingup the meaning of which is unknown.[2]
Construction of the local Agricultural Hall commenced in 1893 by J. and H. Gibbs who had submitted the lowest tender.[3] The Hall, constructed of Jarrah and weatherboard, was opened in 1894 by the Hon. H. W. Venn.[4]
The population of the area was 118 (81 males and 37 females) in 1898.[5]
Little later gave land to the Catholic Church and a community was soon established in the locale. The government acquired land in the area in the 1920s and the townsite was gazetted in 1923.[2]
Just outside Dardanup is the tourist attraction called "Gnomesville." Gnomesville is a collection of hundreds of Garden Gnomes left by visitors in a wooded area at the intersection of Ferguson Road and Wellington Lowdon Road. The collection started as a protest over the construction of a traffic circle at the intersection. Gnomes were left by anonymous protestors and over 20 years the collection has grown. Visitors from all over the world as well as local school groups and organizations now add to the collection every year.
References
- ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Dardanup(State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
- 1 2 Western Australian Land Information Authority. "History of country town names – D". Retrieved 2008-10-17.
- ↑ "General News". The Daily News (Perth, Western Australia: National Library of Australia). 10 November 1893. p. 2. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
- ↑ "Opening of the Dardanup Agricultural Hall". Bunbury Herald (Western Australia: National Library of Australia). 21 March 1894. p. 3. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
- ↑ "Population of Western Australia". Western Mail (Perth, Western Australia: National Library of Australia). 22 April 1898. p. 23. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
| ||||||||||