An anonymous handwritten note left at the Visitors Centre c 2008 describes the early days of what became known as Horseyard Hill. All spelling and grammatical errors are as they were written on the note. In 1931 I started to work on Bridge Road, it was then going by the… Continue reading
A children’s fancy dress ball held in Walpole was a story of public interest for the Albany Advertiser on Thursday, October 21, 1948: As a grand wind up to their fine sports day on Friday, a Fancy Dress Ball was conducted for all children from near and far in the… Continue reading
A letter from Walpole to the Western Mail correspondent “Martingale”, February 27, 1941: Dear “Martingale”, At Walpole, as in most pioneering districts, we have seen the departure of some settlers and the arrival of new ones. The call to the colours was heard by a number of our young men… Continue reading
WALPOLE WANDERINGS by “Martingale”. As published in the Western Mail, October 3, 1946: Down in the extreme south of the State among the heavily timbered forests of the karri belt, a number of dairy farmers are battling towards success against cruelly heavy odds—and making headway. When I visited Walpole four… Continue reading
Early in 2014 a member of Walpole’s Tidy Towns group re-erected an old post on the corner of Pier Street and Cooper Lane. The axe cuts on the post sparked his interest. What was the significance of this post? What is its story? In 1927 a “group 138” settler built… Continue reading
What was it like in Walpole before 1934? Life was very difficult for the earliest settlers of Walpole & Districts. They lived in tin shacks surrounded by forest. Many couldn’t cope and walked off their farms hoping to find an easier life elsewhere. 1934 was an important year for those… Continue reading
Mike Murphy has returned to Perth after 16 years living in Crystal Springs. In 1995 the Perth-based journalist bought land at Crystal Springs. He and his wife Penney were regular visitors until 1999 when Mike retired and they moved to the area. With a rammed earth house completed on their… Continue reading
