BALINGUP

HEMA Map reference 74/G3

33° 47' 1' S 115° 58' 8' E

Statistics

Services

Attractions

Old Cheese Factory, Golden Valley Tree Park, Bird Wood Fruit Winery, Ellendale Gallery, Forrest Antiques, Tinder Box, Ridgewood Deer Farm, Shannondale Donkey Park,  The Village Pedlar, Racecourse flora reserve.

Buildings of note

Old cheese factory.

Calendar of events

March: Dinner under the stars. April: Small farm field day. August: Medieval Carnival. November: Classic concert.

Description

Parties of explorers journeyed through this area from the 1840s and the first settler (Walter Padbury) arrived in 1859. Other settlers soon followed and a small settlement developed at Balingup Brook.

The poet Adam Lindsay Gordon ran sheep in the area in the 1860s.

The town site was gazetted in 1898 after the proposed town site was purchased from a private owner in 1896 and then subdivided in 1897. The name is thought to have originated form an Aboriginal warrior called Baliongan.

A rail link to Donnybrook was completed in 1893. Today the local industries include timber, fruit, sheep and dairy cattle.

Fred and Mary Robinson established the Universal Brotherhood commune in 1975 on the Brooklands property.

Old Cheese Factory
This has been converted into and arts and crafts centre and is one of the main tourist attractions in the area.

Golden Valley Tree Park.

This park was established in 1981 and covers 60 hectares. There are over 5,000 trees from all round the world in the park and a walk trail leads you on a 40 minute walk. The park is divided into two sections with the eastern portion housing the exotic species and the western section housing the Australian species. Originally used as farm land, there had been a proposal to establish a pine plantation here but local opposition to this saw an arboretum established instead. Toilets, picnic tables and BBQ are available in the park for visitors to enjoy.

The walk is part of the Bibbulmun Trail and is marked with yellow trail markers.
 

Balingup - Grimwade walk trail

This is a 4 kilometre (one way) long trail starting at the general store north to Grimwade. The walk is also part of the Bibbulmun Track and is signposted with a black waugal on a yellow triangle background. What is a waugal? A waugal is an Aboriginal totem and is symbolised by a snake. (Waugal is pronounced woggle.)

Medieval Carnivale (4th weekend each August)