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Pinjarra is a town in the Peel 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 ...
along 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 ...
, from the state capital,
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 is ...
and south-east of the coastal city of
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 census. Mandurah's ...
. Its
local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...
is the
Shire of Murray The Shire of Murray is a local government area of Western Australia. It has an area of and is located in the Peel Region about south of the Perth central business district. The Shire extends across the Peel Inlet and the Swan Coastal Plain ...
. At the 2016 census, Pinjarra had a population of 4910. Pinjarra is an area rich in history, and is the home town of a former State Premier - Sir
Ross McLarty Sir Duncan Ross McLarty, (17 March 1891 – 22 December 1962) was an Australian politician and the 17th Premier of Western Australia. Early life McLarty was born in Pinjarra, Western Australia, the youngest of seven children of Edward McLarty ...
. It is near the site of the Pinjarra massacre, where between 14 and 80
Noongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the so ...
people were killed by British colonists in 1834.


History

The name was often shown spelt "Pinjarrup" on early maps, while the accepted spelling for many years was "Pinjarrah". There are conflicting theories regarding the meaning of the name, and it is usually said to mean "place of a swamp", as a corruption of the Aboriginal word "beenjarrup". However, Pinjarra is more likely to have been named after the
Pindjarup The Bindjareb, Binjareb, Pindjarup or Pinjareb are an Indigenous Noongar people that occupy part of the South West of Western Australia. Name It is not clear if ''Pindjarup'' is the historically correct ethnonym for the tribe. After their dis ...
people who frequented the area. Pinjarra is one of the earliest European settlements to occur in Western Australia; one of the first settlers in the area was
Thomas Peel Thomas Peel (1793 – 22 December 1865)Alexandra Hasluck,, ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Vol. 2, MUP, 1967, pp 320-322. retrieved 2009-11-04 organised and lead a consortium of the first British settlers to Western Australia. He was ...
, who established a settlement at the mouth of the
Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest r ...
in 1830. In 1831, land was reserved for a townsite near a ford over the river. By 1834, word had spread about the rich loamy soils and pastures, bringing more Europeans to the area. In 1834, at the insistence of Thomas Peel, a group was organised and led by Governor James Stirling to do something about the Aboriginals; this group attacked the village consisting of over 20
mia-mia A mia-mia is a temporary shelter made of bark, branches, leaves and grass used by some Indigenous Australians. The word is also used in Australian English to mean "a temporary shelter". Coming from the Wathawurrung language, the term is also use ...
s just after dawn. They approached from both sides of the river, which forced the people into the riveré where they caught the victims, mostly women and children, in a crossfire. Many bodies were left to float downstream. Official reports referred to it as a battle, and it was only over 150 years later that it was recognised as one of many colonial massacres in Australia. Surveys were carried out in 1836 and land allocated to settlers in 1837. By early 1898, the population of the town was 400, 300 males and 100 females. A British child migration scheme run by
Kingsley Fairbridge Kingsley Ogilvie Fairbridge (5 May 1885 – 19 July 1924) was the founder of a child migration, child emigration scheme from Britain to British Empire, its colonies and the Fairbridge Schools. His life work was the founding of the "Society for t ...
established a farm school in the area in the early 1900s. Hundreds of orphaned children were educated at Fairbridge Farm between 1913 and 1981. Fairbridge Chapel was built at Pinjarra, in 1924 to
Herbert Baker Sir Herbert Baker (9 June 1862 – 4 February 1946) was an English architect remembered as the dominant force in South African architecture for two decades, and a major designer of some of New Delhi's most notable government structures. He wa ...
's design. The author Kenneth (Seaforth) McKenzie grew up in Pinjarra, and parts of his experiences as a child living near the Murray River are found in his first novel '' The Young Desire It''. In 1974, an alumina refinery was established by Alcoa Australia Ltd, causing a boost in the population of Pinjarra and nearby
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 census. Mandurah's ...
. Pinjarra is also the site of the world's largest bauxite mine.


Facilities

Pinjarra contains one shopping centre, Pinjarra Junction, which opened in 2008. It contains a K Hub,
Coles Supermarket Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd, trading as Coles, is an Australian supermarket, retail and consumer services chain, headquartered in Melbourne as part of the Coles Group. Founded in 1914 in Collingwood by George Coles, Coles operates ...
,
Best & Less Best & Less is an Australian retailer of clothing and household linens. As of 2020, Best&Less has 246 stores as well as an online platform. History Best & Less was founded by Berel Ginges in January 1965, by occupying part of the ground floor ...
, Subway,
The Reject Shop The Reject Shop Limited () is an Australian discount variety store chain selling a range of goods such as food, snacks, gift cards and party, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, storage, kitchenware, homewares and seasonal items in 356 sto ...
, Chicken Treat,
Muffin Break Muffin Break is a franchise business of Foodco which operates small bakery cafe coffee shops throughout Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. As of 2013, Muffin Break had 275 stores worldwide: 190 in Australia, 37 in New Zealand and 46 in the Unit ...
,
Liquorland LiquorLand (sometimes referred to as Liquorland) and Henry's Beer, Wine & Spirits (sometimes shortened to Henry's) are franchises of independently owned bottle shops around New Zealand, operated by Foodstuffs. The stores sell a range of beer, w ...
and Sports Power.
Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...
closed its store in the centre in early 2021 and was replaced with the new Kmart K Hub format. Pinjarra contains Pinjarra Primary School, Pinjarra Senior High School, and St Joseph's Catholic Primary School.


Future and growth

Because of its close proximity to
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 census. Mandurah's ...
and recent infrastructure and amenities investments, Pinjarra's population is likely to increase significantly through new subdivisions surrounding the original town-site. Armadale Railway Line also planning to extend till Byford in first phase and till Pinjarra in second phase.


Sport

Pinjarra is home to both
Thoroughbred Horse Racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...
and
Harness Racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australi ...
at Pinjarra Park and Pinjarra Paceway, respectively, under the authority of Racing and Wagering Western Australia. The feature race events held at these venues are the Pinjarra Cups, held in April and March of each year at the respective venues. Pinjarra and the Peel Region is also one of the major centres for WA Racing, with a number of trainers and breeders established in the region.


Transport

Pinjarra station is located on the South Western Railway and served by
Transwa Transwa is Western Australia's regional public transport provider, linking 240 destinations, from Kalbarri in the north to Augusta in the south west to Esperance in the south east. The Transwa system provides transport to the major regional ...
's twice daily ''
Australind Australind is a town in Western Australia, located 12 km north-east of Bunbury's central business district. Its local government area is the Shire of Harvey. At the 2016 census, Australind had a population of 14,539. History Prior to Eur ...
'' service from
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 is ...
to Bunbury. In September 2012 a
Transperth Transperth is the brand name of the public transport system serving the city and suburban areas of Perth, the state capital of Western Australia. It is managed by the Public Transport Authority (PTA), a state government organisation. Train op ...
bus service was inaugurated between Murray Hospital in southern Pinjarra and
Mandurah railway station Mandurah Station is the terminus of the Mandurah railway line and a bus station on the Transperth network, serving the satellite city of Mandurah, Western Australia. History The bus station opened prior to the railway station, on 17 Septe ...
, via Mandurah Forum on
Pinjarra Road Pinjarra Road is a major west-east road connecting the two major centres of the Peel Region, Mandurah and Pinjarra. Mostly a dual carriageway, it also forms the termini of both the Kwinana Freeway and Forrest Highway. Major intersections * ...
, and Pinjarra town centre. Pinjarra is also 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 ...
between Armadale and Bunbury, something which has both helped and hindered the town. Traffic through the town during holiday seasons has been known to stretch for kilometres north or south. As a result, there have been calls for the construction of a road bypass of the town.


Tourism

File:Murray River (Pinjarra Bridge).jpg, Murray River at Pinjarra Bridge c.1900-1910 File:Pinjarra 002.jpg, Edenvale, historic cottage File:Pinjarra Post Office 01.jpg, Old post office File:St John's Church, Pinjarra, September 2019 03.jpg, St John's Church, fifth-oldest in the state Pinjarra is the operating base for the Hotham Valley Tourist Railway. Peel Zoo, known for its bird wildlife, is situated near Pinjarra.


Notable people

* Sir Ross McLarty *
John Butler John Butler may refer to: Arts and entertainment *John "Picayune" Butler (died 1864), American performer * John Butler (artist) (1890–1976), American artist *John Butler (author) (born 1937), British author and YouTuber *John Butler (born 1954), ...
*
iOTA Iota (; uppercase: Ι, lowercase: ι; ) is the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Yodh. Letters that arose from this letter include the Latin alphabet, Latin I and J, the Cyrillic І (І, і), Yi (Cy ...
*
Kamdyn McIntosh Kamdyn McIntosh (born 3 April 1994) is a professional Australian rules footballer who plays for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is two time premiership player, having played in grand final victories with ...
-
AFL AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...
footballer *
Harley Bennell Harley Bennell (born Harley Nannup; born 2 October 1992) is a former Australian rules footballer who last played for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was drafted with the second selection in the 2010 A ...
* Peter Dawson * Sabrina Frederick


References


External links


Shire of Murray
{{authority control Populated places established in 1837 Towns in Western Australia Mining towns in Western Australia Shire of Murray 1837 establishments in Australia