Yallingup is a town in 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 ...
, 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 is ...
. Yallingup is a popular tourist destination because of its beaches and
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
caves, and proximity to
Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park
Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park is a national park in the South West region of Western Australia, south of Perth.
It is named after the two locations at either end of the park which have lighthouses, Cape Leeuwin and Cape Naturaliste.
It is l ...
.
History and industry
Yallingup's name means "Place of caves" in the local Aboriginal
Wardandi
The Wadandi, also spelt Wardandi and other variants, are an Aboriginal people of south-western Western Australia, one of fourteen language groups of the Noongar peoples.
Name
There are at least three theories about the meaning of the tribal eth ...
dialect, with "yal" meaning "large hole"; the name has been rumoured to mean "place of love" due to the popularity of weddings and honeymoons in the town.
After its caves were discovered by European settlers in 1899, Yallingup became popular with tourists,
and its early infrastructure was photographed by
Coyarre.
There was a state primary school in Yallingup from 1905 to 1963; the site now contains a
Steiner school
Waldorf education, also known as Steiner education, is based on the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy. Its educational style is holistic, intended to develop pupils' intellectual, artistic, and practical skil ...
. Around 1920, the Yallingup Hall, which was previously a school building in
Karridale, was moved to the townsite and reassembled. Tourism and viticulture are Yallingup's primary industries.
[
]
Geography and climate
Yallingup is located south of Perth and west of Busselton in Western Australia's 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. Yallingup experiences a Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
(Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
''Csa''/''Csb''). Residents and visitors experience moderate temperatures, with an average maximum temperature of and a minimum of .
Tourist attractions
The beaches of Yallingup, such as Three Bears, Yallingup, Smiths Beach (including Supertubes), and Injidup, are well known surfing locations, and are also suitable for fishing.[
The Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park houses ]Canal Rocks
Canal Rocks is a series of granite rocks in the Indian Ocean just off the coast situated approximately south of Yallingup in the South West region of Western Australia. The Noongar name for this place is Winjee Sam.
The rock formation take ...
, a coastal rock formation, and limestone caves, such as Ngilgi Cave
Ngilgi Cave, previously known as Yallingup Cave, is a karst cave to the northeast of Yallingup, in the southwest of Western Australia.
In many sections of the cave a red layer of soil can be seen; this is called paleosol.
Discovery
The loc ...
(formerly called Yallingup Cave).
The Cape to Cape Track
The Cape to Cape Walk Track is a long-distance walk trail located in the far south-west corner of Western Australia, south of Perth. It meanders along the whole length of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge, which forms the backbone of the Leeuwin ...
runs across the beach to the west of the town and Yallingup is one of the few towns located along the track.
Injidup Beach contains Injidup Natural Spa, also known as Wyadup Spa, a natural rock pool.
Smiths Beach
Smiths Beach has been the site of extended proposals for development that have eventuated in political events and various scandals over the years.
Flora and fauna
Flora
Yallingup is home to many different types of bushland and wildlife. The surrounding area is made up of wet sclerophyllous
Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaves, short internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem) and leaf orientation which is parallel or oblique to direct ...
forest. Yallingup is a biodiversity hotspot
A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human habitation. Norman Myers wrote about the concept in two articles in ''The Environmentalist'' in 1988 and 1990, after which the co ...
that includes the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub
Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub is a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The biome is generally characterized by dry summers and rainy winters, although in some areas rainfall may be uniform. Summers are typically hot in ...
ecoregions of Western Australia.
Fauna
The Yallingup region is home to a diverse range of species including the western grey kangaroo
The western grey kangaroo (''Macropus fuliginosus''), also referred to as a western grey giant kangaroo, black-faced kangaroo, mallee kangaroo, sooty kangaroo and (when referring to the Kangaroo Island subspecies) Kangaroo Island grey kangaroo, is ...
and over 70 types of birds, creating a healthy ecosystem for the many mammals, reptiles and aviaries. To maintain wildlife population the 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 ...
government has placed sanctuary zones and nature reserves where minimal human life and impact can occur.
See also
* Margaret River (wine region)
Margaret River is the major geographical indication wine region in southwest Western Australia, with 5,017 hectares under vine and 215 wineries as at 2012. Margaret River wine region is made up predominantly of boutique size wine producers; alt ...
* Flora of Australia
The flora of Australia comprises a vast assemblage of plant species estimated to over 30,000 vascular and 14,000 non-vascular plants, 250,000 species of fungi and over 3,000 lichens. The flora has strong affinities with the flora of Gondwana, ...
References
External links
Yallingup at MargaretRiver.com
{{authority control
Coastal towns in Western Australia
Surfing locations in South West Western Australia