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Porongurup is located in the Great Southern: Access from Albany is via Albany Highway or Chester Pass Rd. What is Porongurup like? Porongurup is a small settlement of approximately 100 persons whose main employment is in the agriculture, viticulture, silviculture and tourism industries. At the heart of our appeal remains the ancient Porongurup Range National Park which boasts the most easterly spread of karri country in the State and abundant and unique flora/ fauna. Porongurup provides a pristine and peaceful environment for both visitors and residents. The Porongurup area has provided accommodation and walking trails to visitors for over 100 years. More recently, award-winning wineries, a famous Thai restaurant, and art galleries have been added. Services are limited. There is a general store which provides groceries, light meals and fuel. See our Porongurup Fast Facts for details. A little bit of history The Porongurup Range was formed over 1400 million years ago, and is recognized as one of the oldest range of hills in the world. The Range takes its name from the Noongar word ‘Purrengorep’ meaning a ‘meeting place near water’. Noongar groups lived in the plains around the Range for tens of thousands of years before European settlement, but it is believed that they never or very rarely moved above the plains, largely because of the often inhospitable weather and the absence of useful resources in the forests of the region or on the often bare peaks. The Porongurup Range was first sighted by Europeans in 1802 but farming in the surrounding districts did not start until around 1859 when vegetables were grown on the southern slopes of the range. The giant karri and jarrah trees of the range were first harvested for timber in the 1880s and timber leases did not begin to be withdrawn until 1925. The Porongurup Range National Park was not gazetted until 1971. Porongurup Links: |
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