Wildflowers in the Ongerup area

Ongerup
Typical small and sleepy wheatbelt town.
Ongerup is a typical wheat and sheep town located on the south easterly edge of the wheatbelt 388 km from Perth and 153 km north of Albany.

It was named 'Ongerup' after a local Aboriginal word which was said to mean 'place of the male kangaroo'.

The area was explored during the 1840s and 1850s but it wasn't until 1870 that the Moir family moved to the area and began grazing sheep.

In the early years of this century land in the Ongerup area was surveyed and divided in 405 ha lots. This denser settlement combined with the arrival of the railway in 1913 resulted in the development of the town to service the surrounding area.

Uncharacteristically the railway closed down in 1957 and grain from the area is now taken by road to the terminal in Albany.

Today Ongerup is a typical, sleepy rural service centre. Intelligent planning and considerable natural appeal have given the town an interesting tourist base.

Things to see:  

Ongerup and Needilup District Museum
The major attraction is the Ongerup and Needilup District Museum which is located in the Old Railway Barracks in the main street. It is an interesting local folk museum with good displays of domestic memorabilia, an extensive collection of farm equipment, and a focus on the natural history of the area.

Wildflower Display
Each year in the grounds of the Museum a remarkable Wildflower Display is held in late September - early October. Like so much of southern Western Australia, Ongerup is inordinately proud of its wildflower displays with all the promotion material declaring that the area has at least 1300 different species ranging from salmon gums to tiny trigger plants. The Wildflower Display actually boasts 300-400 species all labelled with their botanical names. It has been held each year since 1978.

Ongerup Shears
Another well attended local event is the annual Ongerup Shears which is held on the Queens Birthday long weekend. This event, first held in 1983, has become the premier shearing competition in the Western Australian sheep/wheat belt.

	Motels
	Ongerup Motel/Hotel Cnr Jakael & Eldridge Sts Ongerup WA 6336 Telephone: (08) 9828 2001
	Caravan Parks
	Ongerup Caravan Park Lamont St P.O. Box 132 Ongerup WA 6336 Telephone: (08) 9828 2090
	Restaurants
	Ongerup Motel/Hotel Cnr Jakael & Eldridge Sts Ongerup WA 6336 Telephone: (08) 9828 2001