DESCRIPTION
Nannup is the centre of one of the most picturesque regions in the whole of the south west with 85 percent of the shire
being covered by forest. The road between Nannup and Bridgetown winds its way over a series of hills and is best seen at the end of winter.
Another picturesque drive runs from Nannup to Balingup.
The area is very popular with visitors and there is a wide range of accommodation available.
Much of the area is still heavily forested and nature based activities such as bushwalking, camping, bike riding, bird watching
etc. are just some of the reasons people are drawn to the area.
With the completion of a road to Margaret River, the area's popularity with visitors has
only increased.
The Blackwood River has been subject to floods in the past but as the last event that impacted the town occurred in 1982, visitors
don't have too much to worry about.
The 1982 event was a very significant one and the flood tree near the Foreshore Park shows just how high the water rose.
Something to contemplate as you stand on the bridge and realise that you would have been well under water at the time.
There are a multitude of different walks and scenic drives in the area including The Golden Triangle drive between Nannup,
Balingup and Bridgetown and the Gold Gully Drive along East Nannup and Gold Gully roads.
The Bibbulmun Track and Munda Biddy trail also pass through the shire.
The Nannup clock was a short lived but popular attraction in the heart of the town.
Clock maker Peter Bird created the world's largest wooden pendulum clock and it was installed in a purpose built tower in
the town's main street. It took 6 weeks to move and install the clock but after just three months, there was a falling out
between the building's owners and Mr. Bird.
He was given 1 week to remove the clock in what has to be seen as one of the worst decisions for tourism that has ever been
made in the town.
This has similar overtones to the debacle in Denmark where the Bert Bolle Barometer closed down
due to the greed of the local tourist centre trying to charge entry fees for what Bert had wanted to be a free attraction.
The cost to both towns in terms of lost tourism would be difficult to estimate but it would certainly be significant.
If you weren't able to visit in time to see the clock you can see some images of it at
ABC News.
It is impossible to visit Nannup without seeing references to the Nannup Tiger.
The thylacine has been extinct on the Australian mainland for thousands of years and have been extinct in Tasmania since
the 1930s.
True believers still insist that a population of thylacines still manages to survive deep in the karri forests that surround
Nannup but despite sightings over the years, there has never been and hard evidence to back them up.
This has, of course, developed into a local industry and rumour has it that there are even life sized replicas of the
'Nannup tiger' located deep in the forests that keep the legend alive.
Over the years there have been many reported sightings of the Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger) around the town. Fossils found in
caves to the west actually do show that these dog like creatures did once inhabit the area, but all attempts to confirm
living specimens have failed.
Video footage claiming to be of the 'Nannup tiger' is posted on the internet from time to time but all that we have seen are
clearly foxes not thylacines.
Considering the sophisticated infra red trail cameras available today, we consider the lack of any real evidence to be proof
enough that the Nannup tiger is only alive in people's imaginations.
Of course we would love to be proven wrong.
HISTORY
European exploration began in 1834 when Thomas Turner led a party north from Augusta to trace the source of the Blackwood River.
The first land was taken up at Dudinalup in 1851.
Times for the first settlers were tough as they cleared huge stands of karri to provide grazing lands for their cattle. Most of the clearing had to be done with little more than a cross cut saw and axes.
Today timber, dairy and fruit are the area's main agricultural activities.
A bridge was built across the Blackwood River in 1866 and soon afterwards a police station and post office were constructed nearby. The area was first referred to as Lower Blackwood.
In 1885 George Layman (MP) asked for land for a townsite to be reserved near the bridge and the town was surveyed in 1889.
The town site was gazetted the following year and the first school in the district was established in 1903.
The name is said to be Aboriginal in origin and may mean 'meeting place by the water' or 'place to rest by the water' or even 'place of parrots'. Perhaps we should go with, 'meeting place of parrots by water'?
In 1909 a railway link to Jarrahwood and to the South Western Railway was completed but as with many towns in the south west, once road transport took over, the railway was closed down in 1984.
The timber industry was once the major employer in the area and mills were developed at Barrabup and Ellis Creek between 1908 and 1913.
The operations eventually moved closer to Nannup and the old mills closed down in 1925.
With modern day concerns about the sustainability of timber reserves, the timber industry has seen a period of decline. Although it still operates in the region, these days tourism, agriculture, viticulture and aquaculture have all started to make an impact in the local economy.
Fires in the area are quite frequent and many of the original buildings have been destroyed over the years. The Bunnings timber mill which has occupied the same site since 1926 was destroyed by fire in 1954.
In a park by the side of Vasse Highway there is a memorial to Marinko Tomas, a local man who was the first West Australian national serviceman to be killed in the Vietnam War. To make his story even worse, he was killed by artillery friendly fire.
During the 1970s a number of people moved to Nannup seeking an alternate lifestyle. Many were conscientious objectors who were opposed to the Vietnam War and left main stream society to look for a better way of life.
Building mud brick stone and timer homes they sought to become self-sufficient and banded together to help each other.
These hippies were not regarded well by the old guard in town and it took some time for them to be accepted.
At that time the town was in serious decline. Shops opened for half a day, there was little or no tourism and even the school was threatened with closure.
Gradually the new residents developed new businesses and produced items not usually available such as sesame oil and tahini. Artists were attracted to the area and soon a small arts and crafts industry developed.
The area that had once relied mostly on the timer industry was starting to diversify and this in turn started to attract tourism.
A small music festival started in 1989 and this has grown to be a very significant event held each March long weekend.
TALL TALES AND TRUE
Nannup Tiger.
Sightings of a strange creature dubbed the Nannup tiger have been reported for many years and range from Esperance
to Geraldton. The sightings started in the 1960s and have persisted despite the lack of any conclusive evidence.
Some people describe it a dog like others as cat like. There is a possibility that large feral cats may be mistaken for something much bigger and
another theory is that a carnivorous marsupial such as Thylacinus Cynocephalus has managed to survive in the more uninhabited regions of the
south west. Without any conclusive proof of the existence of these creatures, this remains a creature firmly rooted in myth.
One of my own nephews swears that he saw a very large panther like cat cross the Bibbulmun Track in front of him one
evening. The experience certainly un-nerved him and he made quick time to the nearest camp site.
VIDEO
PROBLEM PLAYING THESE ON FIREFOX?
Turn off Enhanced Tracking Protection
Click the shield icon left of the URL near the top left
Slide Advanced Tracking Protection to OFF
OTHER INFORMATION
ATTRACTIONS
Clock tower (World's largest wooden tower clock), Blackwood River, Donnelly River, Old police station, Scott National Park,
Barrabup Pool,
Workers Pool, Heritage Trail, Timberline Trail, River Walk Trail, Kondil Park
Wildflower Walk, Karri Gully Walk Trail, Sidings Trail, Kealley's Gem Museum, The Old Gaol, The Historical Society in the Main Roads Building, Fortnightly markets
at the Anglican church, Tank 7 Lookout, Donnelly River Holiday Village.
BUILDINGS OF NOTE
Old police station 1922, Hotel, Church, Town hall 1903, Former Road Board office 1923, Jalbarragup bridge 1900.
ELECTORAL ZONES
State : Blackwood-Stirling
Federal : Forrest
OTHER INFO.
Postcode : 6275
Local Government : Shire of Nannup
PHOTOS
Click on a thumbnail to see full sized picture.
