Kendenup, Western Australia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids KendenupWestern Australia |
|
|---|---|
Ridge Brothers general store, Hassell Avenue, Kendenup
|
|
 Kendenup
Location in Western Australia
|
|
| Established | 1840 |
| Postcode(s) | 6323 |
| Area | [convert: needs a number] |
| Location |
|
| LGA(s) | Shire of Plantagenet |
| State electorate(s) | Blackwood-Stirling |
| Federal Division(s) | O'Connor |
Kendenup is a small town in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. It's part of the Shire of Plantagenet. This town is famous for its amazing views of the Porongurup Range and the Stirling Range.
Kendenup is about 345 kilometres (214 mi) south-east of Perth. It's also 22 kilometres (14 mi) north of Mount Barker. The Great Southern Railway, built in 1889, runs through the town. Kendenup was one of the first stations on this railway line. In 2006, about 1,290 people lived in Kendenup.
Long ago, Kendenup was a huge sheep station. It was one of the biggest farms in Western Australia when the colony was first starting. The local Aboriginal people knew this area as "Moor-ilup." "Kendenup" is another local Aboriginal word for the area. The upper part of the Kalgan River flows nearby.
Contents
Discovering Kendenup's Past
Early Explorers and Settlers
In April and May 1831, an explorer named Alexander Collie led a trip from King George's Sound (now Albany). He was joined by a Noongar man named Mokare. They traveled up the Kalgan River and then overland to the Porongorups mountains. Collie was very impressed with the land for farming. He was given about 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) of land in the Kendenup area.
Other early settlers also received large areas of land. One important person was Captain John Hassell. In 1838, he sailed from England. He stopped in Albany and decided to buy land there instead of his original plan. In 1840, Captain Hassell arrived back in Albany with 800 sheep, 12 cattle, and 10 horses. He walked them overland to start his farm, which he named "Kendenup."
Captain Hassell bought more land over time. By 1850, his farm had grown to 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) of land he owned and 15,000 hectares (38,000 acres) that he leased. He mostly lived in Albany and managed an import/export business. He often visited Kendenup to check on the farm. The wool from Kendenup won many awards!
In 1856, Captain Hassell and his family moved to Kendenup. His two oldest sons, John Frederick Tasman Hassell and Albert Young Hassell, took over running the farm. They built more homes for their families. Some of these old buildings are still standing today. By the early 1870s, the farm had 30,000 sheep!
Kendenup's Gold Rush
In 1869, the government of Western Australia offered a reward of £5,000 to anyone who found a good amount of gold. In 1872, Captain Hassell sent some rock samples from Kendenup. They contained gold! A five-ton shipment of rocks was sent to Victoria to be crushed. It produced four ounces of gold.
This discovery led to the creation of the Standard Gold Mining Company in 1874. They built a mine about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south of the town. They also built a "five-stamp battery" nearby. This machine was used to crush the gold ore. This was the first gold mining operation to start in Western Australia.
However, the mine didn't produce as much gold as everyone hoped. The battery only crushed ten tons of ore before the company closed in 1876. Even though it was short-lived, it was an important part of Kendenup's history. You can still see the remains of the mine and the battery today, though they are quite old.
The De Garis Settlement of 1920
In 1920, a businessman named Jack De Garis bought the large Kendenup property from the Hassell family. He had a big plan to divide the land into smaller farms, about 60-acre (24 ha) each. He wanted to sell these plots to new settlers. His idea was to create a "closer settlement" where many families could live and farm close together.
De Garis also planned a new town center for Kendenup. It would have offices, public parks, recreation areas, and places for factories, schools, and churches. He even set up a factory called the Kendenup Fruit Packing Company to help pack the produce grown by the community.
He promoted his plan all over Australia. Many settlers started to arrive in late 1920. They bought small farm blocks to grow fruit, vegetables, and other crops. However, the project didn't have enough money, and the farm plots were often too small to make a good living. After about 350 families settled, sales of the plots slowed down.
By 1923, the settlement plan had mostly failed because the company ran out of money. About 30 families decided to stay. The government held special investigations, called Royal Commissions, to understand the problems and help the settlers. Even with these difficulties, the De Garis settlement helped build much of the town's basic services and buildings that Kendenup has today.
Kendenup During World War II
During World War II, Kendenup was home to an internment camp. This camp held about 200 Italian prisoners of war. The camp was open from November 1943 to May 1946. The prisoners worked as laborers on farms in the area.
Kendenup Today
Town Facilities
Kendenup has a primary school, which was established in 1921. You can find several businesses in and around the town. These include the Ridge Brothers store, which sells drinks, baked goods, gifts, and general items. There's also a local post office. For visitors, there are wineries and places to stay like a lodge and several bed and breakfast spots.
The old homestead buildings from Captain Hassell's time are still there. However, they are on private property, so you can't visit them. The old gold mine and its crushing machine are about 2 km south of the town. You can find them on Jellicoe Road, just off Albany Highway.
-
Timber slab and shingle farmhouse built by John Hassell
-
Hassell family homestead
-
Kendenup Primary School
Kendenup's Climate
Kendenup has a mild climate. Summers are warm to hot, with average temperatures around 26 °C (79 °F), but they can sometimes go over 40 °C (104 °F). Winters are mild to cold. Overnight temperatures can drop below 0 °C (32 °F), but daytime winter temperatures usually average between 10–13 °C (50–55 °F).
The town gets rain throughout the year. On average, it rains about 24 millimetres (1 in) in January and over 100 millimetres (4 in) in July. Kendenup once had a lot of rain in a short time. On April 2, 2005, it recorded 125.8 millimetres (4.95 in) of rainfall in just 24 hours!
Famous People from Kendenup
- Rica Erickson: A well-known naturalist and author who lived in Kendenup.
