(C) Don Copley

ONGERUP

HEMA Map reference 74/H7

33° 57' 36" S 118° 28' 48" E

Statistics

Caravan Parks

Ongerup                 08 9828 2090

Services

Attractions

Museum, Animal park, Cowalellup Reserve, Ongerup Shearer sculpture.

Buildings of note

Unknown

Calendar of events

September: Wildflower display. October: Ongerup shears, Gathering of the guns.

Description

The name is derived from an Aboriginal word 'yongerup' meaning place of the male kangaroo. It originated from a rock formation about 10 kilometres north west of the current townsite. John S. Roe led an expedition through the area in 1848 and the area was first settled in the 1870s by the Moir family who settled at Warperup Creek.

The townsite was gazetted in 1912 and the railway arrived in 1913 but unlike other centres it closed down in 1957 and produce is now hauled to market by road.

The first wave of settlers faced severe hardship and many found the going too tough. World War One saw many men leave to fight and settlement in the area decreased. The Great Depression saw mallet bark strippers and kangaroo hunters roaming the area. World War Two saw another difficult time for the region and it was not until the late 1950s and early 1960s when farming practises changed that the area was to see significant improvement.

The town's major attraction is the Ongerup and Needilup District Museum which is located in the Old Railway Barracks in the main street. It is an interesting local folk museum with good displays of domestic memorabilia, an extensive collection of farm equipment, and a focus on the natural history of the area.

A well attended local event is the annual Ongerup Shears which is held on the Queens Birthday long weekend. This event, first held in 1983, has become the premier shearing competition in the Western Australian sheep/wheat belt.