Boyup Brook, Western Australia

Boyup Brook is a town in the south-west of Western Australia, south-southeast of Perth and northeast of Bridgetown. The town lies on Kaniyang land within the Noongar nation.

The name ''Boyup'' is derived from the name of a nearby pool called ''Booyup'', an Aboriginal term meaning (that is, large granite outcrops common in the area) or (from burning the many surrounding grass trees).

The town's economy is primarily agricultural. It is a Cooperative Bulk Handling receival site.

History

About 1839, John Hassell brought sheep and cattle from the eastern states of Australia via Albany, and acquired a lease of land along what would later become Scotts Brook, south of the current town site. Although he grazed this stock in the area, the leases did not become permanent, and Hassell later moved to Kendenup.

In 1845, Augustus Gregory followed the Blackwood River from the junction of the Arthur and Beaufort Rivers downstream for about .
He carved his initials and the date into a jarrah tree, approximately north-east of where the town now lies.
That tree is now dead, but the stump and the markings remain. The stumpnow known as ''Gregory Tree''has been covered for preservation.

The first permanent settlement in the area was a lease, south of the current town site, along what became known as ''Scotts Brook''. This lease was granted to William Scott and his wife Mary ( Keane). William arrived in Fremantle as a single passenger on ''Napoleon'' in 1841, and Mary on ''Travancore'' in 1853. They settled at Scotts Brook in 1854, having travelled from Albany following their wedding in the same year. Their marriage certificate shows William's occupation as bailiff for Peter Belches and his residence as ''Kindenup Farm'', Albany.

Initially they named the property ''Rutherglen'' after Scott's family farm in Scotland. Scott later questioned the local Indigenous population about the original name of the area and was told it was , meaning , due to the trees surrounding freshwater pools. Inspired by this Scott decided to rename the farm. In about 1872 Scott built a new house that remains to this day (albeit with more recent extensions and renovations), and is now listed as ''Norlup Homestead'' on the Heritage Council of Western Australia's register.

In 1861 James George Lee Steere, in partnership with Mr Monger, took up a lease near the Blackwood River. Shortly afterwards, his wife Catherine and their baby son travelled from Bunbury to join him.

In 1871 William Forrest moved into the area, to a farm called ''Dwalganup''.

By 1882 there were nineteen families in the area. In 1896 land was set aside for a future town and the Upper Blackwood Road Board district (which became the Shire of Boyup Brook in 1961) was created as a separate local government area.

Boyup Brook was declared a town on 9 February 1900. The district had an area of , and in December 1900 an estimated population of 400. Milestones in the town's early history include:

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Name of the town

The town was originally gazetted as ''Boyup'' by an Executive Council minute dated 31 January 1900.

However the name ''Boyup Brook'' was in common use by the locals, the Progress Committee and the Upper Blackwood Road Board. In 1908 residents suggested that the town be renamed to Boyup Brook, to avoid confusion with the similarly named Boyanup. Lee Steere, by now the Speaker of the Assembly and member for Nelson, which included the area, strongly supported the use of the name over that of ''Throssell'', which had been advocated by some at the time.

The name was ultimately changed to Boyup Brook on 5 February 1909 to match the railway station that was built in 1908–1909. Even after the change, there was still confusion about the name within the government, as can be seen in the name and text of the ''Boyup-Kojonup Railway Act 1909'', assented some 10 months after the official change of name.

Country music festival

The town hosts the Boyup Brook Country Music Festival, an annual event, held in February each year. The festival has been held since 1986 and the attendance at the event has increased from 500 at the first festival to over 13,000 in recent years. It was originally held on the town's football oval, but in 2007 the purpose-built ''Music Park'', with a permanent stage and sound shell, was officially opened and the festival has been held there each year since.

Sport

Boyup Brook has many sporting teams within the community. In summer, cricket, tennis, swimming, basketball and lawn bowls are prominent, while in winter, Australian rules football, field hockey, netball and golf are played.

In cricket, Boyup Brook currently participates in the Warren Blackwood Association, having competed in the now disbanded Donnybrook Blackwood Cricket association. They have won five premierships, in 2001, 2006, 2008, 2012 and 2013.

The Boyup Roos football team participates in the Lower South West Football League. The Roos have won four premierships, in 1981, 2012, 2022 and 2024. The tennis and netball clubs run both juniors and seniors. The hockey club has its own junior club, as well as a ladies team that participates in the Bunbury competition. Golf is played during the winter weeks.

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References

Sources

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Further reading

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External links

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Boyup Brook Tourism Association

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Towns in Western Australia
Shire of Boyup Brook
Grain receival points of Western Australia