altMount Barker is a town of about 1,700 people on the Albany Hwy and is the administrative centre of the Shire of Planatagenet in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. The shire has a population of around 4,300 people.

The town was named after the nearby hill, which it is believed was named by Dr TB Wilson RN, in honour of Captain Collect Barker

 

 

 

 

 

Location

Mount Barker is situated on Albany Highway 360 kilometres (224 mi) south of Perth and 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of the city of Albany. The coastal town of Denmark is around 50 kilometres (31 mi) by road to the south-west via the Denmark Mount Barker Road(locally referred to as "Denbarker Road"). The timber town of Manjimup is 162 kilometres (101 mi) west of Mount Barker, via Muir's Highway. The Hay River, which flows into Wilson Inlet at Denmark, begins its journey just west of Mount Barker.

History

Prior to European settlement, small groups of Aboriginal people, called the Bibbleman ( a clan of Noogyar) people, inhabited the area.These were a nomadic people who followed seasonal food supplies. The Aboriginal name for Mount Barker Hill is 'Pwakkenbak'. European settlement of the Hay River area commenced around the 1830s and the opening of the Perth/Albany Railway  in 1889 helped ensure the town's future with the first store opening in 1890.Population growth continued through the 1890s and the first school and the town hall were opened in 1893.

Industry

Apple orchards were once one of the major industries in the region and thrived until the mid 1960s. Today, viticulture, wheat, canola, plantation timber, sheep and cattle are some of the main agricultural activities still carried out around Mount Barker. The area has been described as 'the birth place of the Great Southern wine region' and has won numerous awards for a variety of wines. Plantagenet Wines was the first winery in the region and is located within the town boundary.

Mount Barker is also home to The Banksia Farm which boasts one of every known species of Banskia and most species of Dryanda. There is also a cafe, shop and tours of the Banksia and wildflower gardens.

The Stirling and Porongorup National Parks are located within the Plantagenet Shire and these, together with the local premium wine industry, have contributed to the growth of tourism in and around Mount Barker.

Available accommodation includes motels, caravan park and a number of bed& breakfasts and farm-stays in the surrounding area.

There has been a steady growth of hobby farming around the town and throughout the shire as people abandon city-life for a 'tree-change'. This has seen a corresponding increase in cottage industries offering a range of art and craft products.

Features

Mount Barker Hill, just 5 km from the town centre, reaches 404 metres above sea level.  A sealed road leads to the base of a 168 metre high TV tower - the tallest free-standing tower in the southern hemisphere - on the summit of the hill. There there is an agingin formation sign which states that the steel TV tower weighs 218 tonnes. There is also a lookout and a granite cairn with a bronze directional plate. Views extend north to the Stirling Range and east to the Porongurup Range. An elevated concrete lookout offers views South to Albany and south-west toward Denmark. On a clear day, the Albany Wind farm is easily visible some 50 km away. In the summer months, many locals use the hill lookout to assess any risk posed by nearby fires.

Mount Barker is also home to numerous historic buildings, such as:

  • The old police station,opened in 1868, is now a museum.
  • St Werburghs Chapel was built in 1872 with walls made from chopped straw and clay and woodwork formed from local jarrah. A small cemetery doubles as a historical reference for the region. The chapel is now a tourist draw card and still operates a regular service.
  • The Mount Barker Post Office and Telegraph Station, built in 1892, ceased operation in the1960s. Today it is named 'Mitchell House' and houses the local art society and gallery.
  • Plantagenet Hotel was built between 1912 and 1914. The verandah includes apple motifs, in celebration of the flourishing apple industry. The hotel is still open for business.
  • The town railway building,built in 1923, was restored in 1997 and today houses the Mount Barker Visitor Centre that offers local tourism information and acts as a booking agency for bus travel from Mount Barker.
  • Sometime from the late1950s to the early 1960s, Dutch immigrant and engineer Hubertus JohannesVan der Kolk built a circular house at the northern end of Mount Barker,beside Albany Highway. This unique structure, which could be rotated through 180 degrees to exploit seasonal changes, was labelled "The Round House". Though the home has fallen into disrepair, it was heritage listed in 2005 and Heritage Minister Francis Logan said "It was an energy-efficient concept ahead of its time."The home was hidden from passers-by for many years by trees and shrubs but clearing for major roadworks which commenced in December 2006 resulted in it once again being exposed to public view. The Heritage Council has published a detailed history of this "rare"building in a Register of Heritage Places - Assessment Document.
  • The farming areas surrounding the town are also rich with old farmhouses, sheds and machinery.

The Stiring Ranges lies approximately 40 km to the north-east of the town by road, via Kendenup. The Porongurup Range is a 15-minute drive to the east of the town. The two ranges have vastly different appearances and display different flora and geology. Both parks have gazetted walk trails that are especially popular during the spring wildflower season, from August to November.

 Climate

Mount Barker has a temperate climate with warm to hot summers and mild to cold winters. While summer temperatures can exceed 40 degrees Celsius, the average is around 26 degrees. Overnight temperatures can drop below zero degrees in winter but daytime winter temperatures average 10-13 degrees Celsius.

Rainfall averages from around 24 millimetres (1 in) per month inJanuary to over 100 millimetres (4 in) in July.