Binningup is a town on the coast of the
South West
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
region of
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
between
Mandurah
Mandurah () is a coastal city in the Australian state of Western Australia, situated approximately south of the state capital, Perth. It is the state's second most populous city, with a population of 107,641 as of the 2021 Australian census, 2 ...
and
Bunbury. At the
2016 census, Binningup had a population of 1,227.
History
Binningup takes its name from "Binningup Beach Estate", a name used by a syndicate of Harvey people who subdivided the area in 1953.
It is apparently an Aboriginal name, but not necessarily traditional. The name was in use as early as 1849, and in the early 20th century, residents of the nearby Springhill area walked to the area to swim at the rocks. The area was used as a lookout point by the Voluntary Defence Corps during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, many of whom were associated with the Uduc Progress Association.
In 1950, Ted Holthouse and Gordon Goodson were delegated to approach the then Harvey Road Board (now Shire Council) for an opinion. Two years of debate and assessment passed between the two parties before the Association members obtained permission to begin. A syndicate then purchased farmland and subdivided the area in the early 1950s.
By 1962 there was only one resident in the area, but many homes were built in the following few years, and a road was cleared and constructed from Old Coast Road to the area by community members. At the request of the
Shire of Harvey
The Shire of Harvey is a local government area of Western Australia. Harvey is located in the state's South West region, approximately 140 km south of Perth, and includes some of Bunbury's northern suburbs. The shire covers an area of 1, ...
, Binningup was gazetted a townsite in 1963.
An
H5-class
meteorite fall
A meteorite fall, also called an observed fall, is a meteorite collected after its fall from outer space was observed by people or automated devices. Any other meteorite is called a "find". There are more than 1,100 documented falls listed in w ...
was recorded at Binningup on 30 September 1984.
Present day
A main beach is protected by a reef running parallel to it. The town contains a store, caravan park, skateboard park, recreation centre, youth camp, a public library and a public oval.
Tourism
Binningup is a popular stopover for tourists from Perth. Many homes in the village are for holiday purposes.
The beach and clear, non-polluted water make the town a popular site for swimmers; summer months can draw hundreds of tourists from the north and south. Fishing is also popular; the reef contains a variety of sea life.
Desalination plant
A
desalination plant
Desalination is a process that takes away mineral components from saline water. More generally, desalination refers to the removal of salts and minerals from a target substance, as in soil desalination, which is an issue for agriculture. Saltwa ...
in Binningup provides Perth and surrounding areas including Mandurah, Kalgoorlie and Bunbury with drinking water. The
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
Colin Barnett
Colin James Barnett (born 15 July 1950) is a former Australian politician who was the 29th Premier of Western Australia. He concurrently served as the state's Treasurer at several points during his tenure and had previously held various other po ...
opened the second stage of the plant in 2013; the expansion cost A$450 million and doubled the capacity to .
References
External links
Town map of Binningup(Shire of Harvey)
Lakewood Shores EstateOfficial Binningup Community Website
{{authority control
Shire of Harvey
Coastal towns in Western Australia