Karridale is a small township in the south-west of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. It is located just north of Augusta and south of

Margaret River The Margaret River is a river in southwest Australia, southwest Western Australia. In a small catchment, it is the eponym of the town and tourist region of Margaret River, Western Australia, Margaret River. The river arises from a catchment ...

between Caves Road and

Bussell Highway Bussell Highway is a generally north–south highway in the South West (Western Australia), South West region of Western Australia. The highway links the city of Bunbury, Western Australia, Bunbury with the town of Augusta, Western Australia, A ...

. A newer township was built a short distance north east of the original Old Karridale following fires that destroyed the town in 1961. At the 2006 census, Karridale had a population of 285. Although settled for many years through its milling operations, the townsite was not officially gazetted until 1979.

History

Karridale was established as a timber mill in 1884 by M. C. Davies who saw the potential from large virgin forests of Karri trees (''

Eucalyptus diversicolor ''Eucalyptus diversicolor'', commonly known as karri, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tall tree with smooth light grey to cream-coloured, often mottled bar ...

'') in the area. The Karridale School opened in 1888. At its peak the town was home to 300 men and their families who worked in the forest and at the M.C.Davies Karri and Jarrah Timber Company mill. Timber from the mill was transported by rail to nearby

Hamelin Bay Hamelin Bay is a bay and a locality on the southwest coast of Western Australia between Cape Leeuwin and Cape Naturaliste. It is named after French explorer Jacques Félix Emmanuel Hamelin, who sailed through the area in about 1801. It is ...

where Davies had built a jetty to support his milling operations. A second jetty at

Flinders Bay Flinders Bay is a bay in western Australia, immediately south of the townsite of Augusta, Western Australia, Augusta, and close to the mouth of the Blackwood River. The bay lies to the north east of Cape Leeuwin which is the most south-westerly ...

to the south supported the shipping operations when the weather was unsuited for loading on the west facing coastline. A major storm in 1900 which destroyed the Hamelin Bay jetty as well as a downturn in demand for timber in the early 1900s meant that the industry went into decline and the last mill was closed in 1913. Karridale was a stopping place on the Busselton to

Flinders Bay branch railway The Flinders Bay branch railway, also known as the Boyanup to Flinders Bay section ran between Boyanup and Flinders Bay, in South Western Western Australia. The section from Flinders Bay to Busselton has now been converted into a rail trai ...

, which was government run from the 1920s to the 1950s. Other timber mills in the area included Kudardup,

Boranup Boranup is a locality in the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River in the South West region of Western Australia. It is the site of a large coastal dune blow out known as the "Boranup sand patch" as part of the Boranup beach, and the site of a fo ...

and Jarrahdene. Between 1900 and 1914 approximately 17 million railway sleepers were cut from timber milled in the region. During the 1920s, Premier James Mitchell established the

Group Settlement Scheme The Group Settlement Scheme was an assisted migration scheme which operated in Western Australia from the early 1920s. It was engineered by Premier James Mitchell and followed on from the Soldier Settlement Scheme immediately after World W ...

, which brought British settlers out to Western Australia with the aim of settling some of the underdeveloped areas of the state. Group 4 were sent to Karridale, and consisted of about 20 families who received a block and a grant of £10 for the purchase of necessities plus an allowance of 10 shillings per day. Like those in many other areas in which the scheme operated, the participants endured severe hardship and isolation and many walked off the land, particularly after the onset of the 1929 Depression. The scheme was officially abandoned in 1930. In 1961, the south west of the state suffered from a series of devastating bushfires that destroyed Dwellingup and totally destroyed the townsite of Karridale and 100,000 acres of farms, forest and bushland south of Margaret River.Matthews, H (2011) ''Karridale Bush Fires 1961'': Karridale Progress Association inc, WA : In Karridale, the historic homestead of M.C. Davies was destroyed also.

References

{{authority control Bushfire affected towns in Western Australia Timber towns in Western Australia Capes region of South West Western Australia Shire of Augusta–Margaret River M. C. Davies Karri and Jarrah company

History

See also

References