Yallingup is a town in the South West region 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 ...

, south of Perth. Yallingup is a popular tourist destination because of its beaches and

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

caves, and proximity to Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park.

History and industry

Yallingup's name means "Place of caves" in the local Aboriginal Wardandi 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. 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 region. Yallingup experiences a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''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, a coastal rock formation, and limestone caves, such as Ngilgi Cave (formerly called Yallingup Cave). The Cape to Cape Track 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 multiple extended proposals for development that have eventuated in political scandals. A Smiths Beach development project was a subject of a Corruption and Crime Commission investigation in 2007, investigating former WA Premier Brian Burke and lobbyists Julian Grill and Noel Crichton-Browne, who lobbied the state government on behalf of developers. The Corruption and Crime Commission report concluded the Canal Rocks developer secretly paid more than $47,000 to candidates including Shire of Busselton Councillors Anne Ryan, Phillippa Reid, and John Triplett, in the Shire Council election and by-election in 2005. Funds were channelled to candidates via a local action group, in an attempt to delay revision to the town planning scheme so the development could be assessed under less strict conditions.

Flora and fauna

Flora

Yallingup is home to many different types of bushland and wildlife. The surrounding area is made up of wet sclerophyllous forest. Yallingup is a

biodiversity hotspot A biodiversity hotspot is a ecoregion, 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 ...

that includes the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub 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, i ...

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 City of Busselton