Balingup, Western Australia
Balingup is a town in the South West of Western Australia, 241 kilometres (150 mi) south of the state capital, Perth, and 31 kilometres (19 mi) southeast of the town of Donnybrook.
| Balingup Western Australia | |
|---|---|
 The state heritage listed Golden Valley Homestead in January 2022 | |
  Balingup | |
| Coordinates | 33°47′13″S 115°58′55″E |
| Population | 280 (UCL 2021)[1] |
| Established | 1898 |
| Postcode(s) | 6253 |
| Elevation | 116 m (381 ft) |
| Area | 88.5 km2 (34.2 sq mi) |
| Location |
|
| LGA(s) | Shire of Donnybrook-Balingup |
| State electorate(s) | Warren-Blackwood |
| Federal division(s) | Forrest |
The town takes its name from Balingup Pool, located on the Balingup Brook which flows through the town. The name was first recorded by a surveyor in 1850, and is said to be derived from the name of Noongar warrior, Balingan.[2] Other research by Noongar academic and researcher Len Collard has shown the name derives from the language, meaning "one that is situated there at this place".[3]
The town is on the South Western Highway. It originally had a station on the Northcliffe Branch railway, opened in 1898, the same year the town was gazetted.
Balingup was known in the twentieth century for fruit and vegetable growing,[4] and more recently for beef cattle and organic produce. There are two long-established religious communities.
Balingup hosts annual rural festivals, primarily the Small Farm Field Day[5] (late April) and Medieval Carnivale[6] (August).
Nearby are found mushroom varieties of interest to both drug users and law enforcement agencies.[7][8] A large mushroom statue pays homage to the regions association with fungi and can be found on the Balingup Nannup road near the old cheese factory.
Balingup is also one of the few towns through which the Bibbulmun Track passes.
A bushfire swept through the area in 2013, reducing the Southampton homestead to ruins.[9]
Notes
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Balingup (Urban Centre and Locality)". Australian Census 2021.
- "History of country town names – B". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2007.
- "Balingup". Boodjar Nyungar Placenames. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- "Notes of Balingup District". Western Mail. Perth, Western Australia: National Library of Australia. 10 December 1910. p. 12. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
- "Balingup Small Farm Field Day | Showcasing the wonders small farming".
- "Home | BMC".
- Vines, Russell & Blake, Paul (1998). Fungimentary the magic mushrooms of Balingup SBS Television, Sydney, NSW
- Local police concerned about tourist consumption of Balingup magic mushrooms Revelation magazine, No. 14, 1995, pp. 18–21.
- Alicia Hanson (14 February 2013). "Historic Southampton Homestead lost in Balingup fire". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
Further reading
- Frost, A. C. Baylya-Balinga : a History of Balingup, W.A. Donnybrook, W.A. : Donnybrook-Balingup Shire Council, 1979. ISBN 0-9597373-1-6