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

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

government has placed sanctuary zones and nature reserves where minimal human life and impact can occur. Western grey kangaroos

References

External links

Yallingup at MargaretRiver.com
{{authority control Coastal towns in Western Australia Surfing locations in South West Western Australia