Muradup is a small town in the
Great Southern 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 ...
located between
Kojonup and
Boyup Brook. The town is situated along the
Balgarup River
Balgarup River is a river in Western Australia that has its headwaters south-east of Kojonup just below Byenup Hill.
The river flows is a north-westerly direction crossing Albany Highway south of Kojonup then through the town of Muradup and ...
.
Settlers had appeared in the area in the 1850s but it was not until 1899 that land was set aside for a townsite. The
Shire of Kojonup
The Shire of Kojonup is a local government area in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, about southeast of the state capital, Perth, along Albany Highway. The Shire covers an area of and its seat of government is the town of Ko ...
requested for lots to be surveyed in 1905; this was carried out in 1906 and the town was gazetted in 1907 as Muradupp. More land was opened for
selection
Selection may refer to:
Science
* Selection (biology), also called natural selection, selection in evolution
** Sex selection, in genetics
** Mate selection, in mating
** Sexual selection in humans, in human sexuality
** Human mating strategie ...
in the area in 1909.
A railway siding existed in the town on the
Donnybrook-Katanning railway.
In 1913 the local progress association asked for a school to be erected on a block that had been set aside in the town.
The lands department changed the name of the town from Muradupp to Muradup after deciding the double P at the end of the name was superfluous.
Land was granted in the area to returned soldiers in 1918. The first soldier to receive land was O. Fitzpatrick, who received 1,160 acres of land that had been confiscated from an "alien enemy subject" who had been interned.
The town was named after the nearby Mooradupp pool, which was first recorded in 1846 when the area was surveyed. The name is
Aboriginal in origin but the meaning is not known.
References
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Great Southern (Western Australia)