DESCRIPTION
The town of Ongerup isn't one that immediately springs to mind when I hear the words 'tourist destination'.
It is primarily a service centre for the surrounding farms where wheat and sheep are the main produce.
An item of interest for 'birders' is the Yongergnow Malleefowl Centre.
The main attraction in the area is the Stirling Range National Park.
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.
HISTORY
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 Septimus 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 the rail line 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.
On February 7th 1955 heavy rainfall totalling almost 120mm in one day caused flooding in the town.
Until 2003 a local newspaper called the 'The Gnowangerup Star and Tambellup-Ongerup Gazette' was published in the town. It had started in 1915
but falling local population led to its final demise.
In 2009 Ronin Films created a film series about the town and the local football
team that was in danger of folding due to lack of interest.
TALL TALES AND TRUE
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VIDEO
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OTHER INFORMATION
ATTRACTIONS
Museum, Animal park, Cowalellup Reserve, Ongerup Shearer sculpture.
BUILDINGS OF NOTE
Museum railway barracks.
ELECTORAL ZONES
State : Wagin
Federal : O'Connor
OTHER INFO.
Postcode : 6335
Local Government : Shire of Gnowangerup
PHOTOS
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