Population 269 (2011 census) Postcode(s) 6337 State electorate(s) Wagin Postal code 6337 Lga Shire of Jerramungup | Established 1953 Elevation 322 m (1,056 ft) Founded 1953 Local time Saturday 10:45 AM Federal division Division of O'Connor | |
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Location 454 km (282 mi) SE of Perth
84 km (52 mi) E of Gnowangerup
66 km (41 mi) NW of Bremer Bay Weather 18°C, Wind SE at 18 km/h, 51% Humidity | ||
Jerramungup is a Western Australian town located in the Great Southern agricultural region, 454 kilometres (282 mi) southeast of Perth 6 kilometres (4 mi) west of the Gairdner River.
Map of Jerramungup WA 6337, Australia
The area was settled by Europeans prior to 1848, with the first homestead being built by John Hassell in 1848. The property was known as Jarramongup Station and was inherited by his son, Albert Young Hassell, upon John's death in 1885. The station was put up for sale by Edney Hassell and remained on the market for some time until it was acquired by the state government in 1950.
The town of Jerramungup was established in 1953 to support a war service land settlement project that was initiated in 1949. The townsite was gazetted in 1957.
The town hall and the school were both built in 1958 along with two houses, the construction of the Cooperative Bulk Handling grain silo was completed in 1961. The first powerhouse was completed in 1963.
Jerramungup is an Aboriginal word said to mean "place of the tall yate trees". The yate tree (Eucalyptus cornuta) is an evergreen tree that grows to a height of 20 m with a diameter of one metre. It has orange bud caps and greenish yellow flowers, and is common in the southwest of WA. The name was first recorded by Surveyor General John Septimus Roe in 1847, when carrying out exploration of the area, noting that natives referred to the river and its numerous branches as "Jeer-A-Mung-Up". Roe later named the same river near its mouth the Gairdner River, not realising they were the same, and this is the name now used for the river.
The town hall was opened in April 1958 and is known colloquially as the "Root Pickers Hall" as it was paid for by volunteers picking mallee roots.
200 tonnes of Laguna Verde or Laguna Green monzonite from Jerramungup were used to make the Australian War Memorial in London, which was opened in Hyde Park in 2003. The quarry is situated 21 km south of the town, at Wirrup Hill.