Jarrahdale

History

When sandalwood was discovered in the area in the 1830s, a trail was established from the King George Sound track (future Albany highway) along Gooralong Brook through modern day Jarrahdale to the Bunbury road (future South Western highway) in order to export sandalwood. From the 1830s to the 1850s, the area north, south and east of Jarrahdale were settled by white settlers. Here they farmed vegetables and sheep, while the wheat grown was turned into flour at Batt's mill established by Joseph Batt. During the Great Flood in 1862, the South West received torrential rains. In the Gooralong Valley, which Jarrahdale is located in, the region received over four weeks 650mm of rain. The company was formed of working on land granted to William Wanliss, who was one of the Victorian investors. Wanliss would serve in the company as a manager. Headquartered in Melbourne, they exported jarrah to South Africa, Mauritius, New Zealand and South Australia through Rockingham. Formative access to the locality took shape when Jarrahdale Timber Coy, another timbering company, constructed a railway line for the transport of timber from Jarrahdale to Rockingham through Mundijong. Following the growth of the timber industry, Jarrahdale had by the mid-1870s fifty houses along with a school, material store, workshop and a library. These houses were built on land owned by the Rockingham Jarrah Timber company, and were owned by workers and their families, who were charged with no rent until the early-1900s. By the mid-1880s, the population grew to 400, with 180 being employed in the company. In the community, log chops and dances were organised, while excursions to Rockingham for workers and their families became common, with the first one being on Western Australia day on 2 June 1879. In…