November 25-27, 2023
Leaving Busselton after the Saturday morning Parkrun we headed towards Albany, being booked in from Monday, and had decided to spend the 2 weekend nights at Quinninup which is a little less than halfway.
Prior to the timber industry the area was very much farming and dairy being part of the general area of what is now the Shire of Manjimup; then the demand for timber came along – Quoted here from the History of Quinninup:
The 1930‘s and 40‘s witnessed a high demand for local Karri and Jarrah hardwood timber and in 1944 under private ownership the town was bought “lock stock and barrel” by Millars Timber and Trading Company.
Construction of a steam-powered timber mill began along with locomotive sheds, office buildings, cottages to house workers, a worker’s club (now the Quinninup Tavern but since rebuilt) and community buildings together with a school by 1949.
The first log was pulled out in 1946….in its timber milling heyday the Quinninup township grew to over 250 people and the timber mill was said to be the biggest in the state.
By the 1980’s timber milling was in decline and in 1982 Millars Timber and Trading closed the mill and it was sold to a private developer.
Some structures, including some of the worker’s houses and the hall were dismantled and sold. However, most of the houses, the workers’ club, school and store remain.
The old mill houses and the new houses on the bush-blocks surrounding Karri Lake are now homes to the residents of Quinninup.
The Caravan Park here is community run, and while a little neglected has all the usual facilites of Toilets, Showers, Laundry, Playground, Camp Kitchen and large sites. The entrance driveway is adorned witha large display of Garden Gnomes which relsulted from the early days of the Park being establsished and every visitor was invited to contribute to the purchase of a Gnome.
The entrance road to the park is also part of the Warren Blackwood Stock Route; this horse trail was re-opened in 2019. The Warren Blackwood Stock Route (WBSR) is a 360km bridle trail based on the historic stock droving routes of the original farming families of the South West. The WBSR stretches from the coast at Nannup to Broke Inlet near Walpole and connects a number of towns and camping destinations including Bridgetown, Manjimup, Quinninup, Shannon and Willow Springs.
Here at Quinninup is one of the Campgrounds adjacent to the Caravan Park.
The town has only a Tavern and part time Post Office which is located in the old Primary School complex. These premises have been put to great use by the Community as the P.O., a library, Information Hub and meeting facilites; the School Oval is also available for community events which include an Annual Market Day in October. Display boards depict a history of the area and the School which closed in 2004.
