Kirup, originally named Upper Capel, then Kirupp, is situated between Donnybrook and Balingup on the

South Western Highway South Western Highway is a highway in the South West region of Western Australia connecting Perth's southeast with Walpole. It is a part of the Highway 1 network for most of its length. It is about long. Route description Perth to Bunbury ...

, south of

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

, Western Australia in the upper reaches of the

Capel River The Capel River is a river in the South West region of Western Australia that rises in the Darling Range east of Mullalyup, and flows into the Indian Ocean at Peppermint Grove Beach. The Capel River is the largest in the Geographe catchment. I ...

valley. Kirup is one of the three main town sites within the Shire of Donnybrook-Balingup.

History

Settlement at Upper Capel began in the 1870s with Joseph Cookworthy's ''Rockfield'' cattle station, managed by John Moore. At that time all supplies were transported from Bunbury by bullock wagon, or horseback. By 1890 Upper Capel could field a cricket team, which played teams from Ferguson, Upper Preston and Greenbushes. In 1897 gold was discovered 12 miles to the north at Donnybrook, and by 1898 prospecting had extended to the Upper Capel, where three Prospecting Areas were staked. The Upper Capel railway siding was constructed in late 1897 as part of the new Donnybrook to

Bridgetown Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael. Bridgetown is sometimes locally referred to as "The Ci ...

railway line. The new line allowed George Baxter to develop a 15,000 acres timber concession. Baxter established Preston Jarrah Sawmills, with a long woodline spur into his concession from Upper Capel siding. The mill produced timber for export through Bunbury, sleepers for the Menzies-Leonora railway, the New Zealand government and for the South African and New South Wales railways, and timber for new harbour works at Fremantle. In 1901 a townsite was surveyed and gazetted, adjacent to the Upper Capel railway station. The Upper Capel Roads Board (headquartered at Balingup) proposed that the town be called "Keerup", the aboriginal Noongar name for the area, thought to mean "place of the summer flies". Following World War 1 Kirup and East Kirup (now called Grimwade) were part of the

Soldier Settlement Scheme Soldier settlement was the settlement of land throughout parts of Australia by returning discharged soldiers under soldier settlement schemes administered by state governments after World War I and World War II. The post-World War II settlement ...

, in which larger historical landholdings such as the Ravenscliffe Estate (2,311 acres), Brazier Estate (1,350 acres) and Ryall Estate (900 acres) were repurchased by the government and subdivided for settlement by returned servicemen.

Economy

Kirup's major industries are organic horticulture, apple, pear and cherry orcharding, fruit packing and cattle breeding. It is famed for Kirup Syrup, a red wine originally made by Alberto Vinci at his local vineyard.

Notable residents

*Lieutenant Colonel Noel Brazier (1866–1947), second owner of ''Rockfield'', founder and Commanding Officer of the 10th Light Horse Regiment

References

{{authority control Timber towns in Western Australia Towns in Western Australia South West (Western Australia)