Walpole is a town in the
south-western 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 approximately south southeast 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 is ...
, and west of
Denmark
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, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
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...
.
Location and description
Walpole lies very close to the northern point of the
Walpole Inlet, from which it takes its name.
The inlet in turn is named for the
Walpole River
The Walpole River is a river in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. The river was seen by Captain Thomas Bannister in 1831 and named by Governor James Stirling after Captain W Walpole.
The catchment of the Walpole River also provid ...
, discovered in 1831 by Captain
Thomas Bannister
Thomas Bannister (1799–1874) was a soldier and explorer in Western Australia. He was born in Steyning, Sussex in 1799, and arrived in Western Australia in 1829, age 30, with the rank of Captain aboard the ''Atwick'' with 3 servants from Londo ...
, and named by
Governor Stirling
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
for Captain W. Walpole, with whom he had served aboard
HMS Warspite in 1808.
The first European
settler
A settler is a person who has human migration, migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area.
A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a ...
s to arrive in the area were Pierre Bellanger and his family in 1909. They travelled aboard the ''Grace Darling'' from
Albany to take up of land.
Land in the Walpole area was reserved for a national park in 1910, and the area subsequently became a popular holiday destination. Major development began to occur in the 1930s as part of the land settlement scheme. The railway reached
Nornalup
Nornalup is a small town located in the Shire of Denmark in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. The town is located along the South Coast Highway
South Coast Highway is a Western Australian highway. It is a part of the Highway ...
in 1929, and the Walpole town site was gazetted in 1933.
The local electricity grid is remote and fragile, and a 1.5 MW / 30 MWh (15 hours)
pumped-storage hydroelectricity
Pumped-storage hydroelectricity (PSH), or pumped hydroelectric energy storage (PHES), is a type of hydroelectric energy storage used by electric power systems for load balancing. The method stores energy in the form of gravitational potential ...
facility is being built to stabilize power for Walpole.
Name
Walpole was always the preferred name, but it was believed this was already in use in
Tasmania
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. So the newly gazetted township was officially named Nornalup, but this caused confusion with the railway terminus east. Eventually the Post Office advised that there was no Walpole in Tasmania, and in 1934 the town reverted to its original name of Walpole.
Walpole is one of the few towns through which the
Bibbulmun Track
The Bibbulmun Track is a long-distance walk trail in Western Australia. It runs from Kalamunda in the east of Perth to Albany, and is long.
It is managed by government agencies, and has a foundation.
It traverses the Darling Range and has i ...
passes.
The area is famous for the giant
tingle and
karri
''Eucalyptus diversicolor'', commonly known as karri, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is Endemism, endemic to the Southwest Australia, south-west of Western Australia. It is a tall tree with smooth light grey to cre ...
trees of
old growth forest
An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...
. Another attraction is the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk in the
Walpole-Nornalup National Park
Walpole-Nornalup National Park is a national park in the South West (Western Australia), South West region of Western Australia, south of Perth. It is famous for its towering karri and tingle trees. Eucalyptus jacksonii, Red tingle trees are un ...
.
See also
*
List of towns in Western Australia
References
{{authority control
South West (Western Australia)
Coastal towns in Western Australia