Dongara, Western Australia

Dongara is a townsite located 351 km NNW of Perth on the Brand Highway. The town is located on the mouth of the Irwin River. In recent years the area has been marketed as the 'Rock lobster capital of Australia'.

Dongara is the seat of the Shire of Irwin. The shire has a population of around 3500 people, with 2700 of these residing in the towns of Dongara and Port Denison.

History

1851-1901

The place name 'Dongara' is an anglicised rendition of 'Thung-arra', the local Wattandee people's name for the estuary adjacent to the town, meaning 'sea lion place'.

European settlement around the estuary began in 1853 when a harbourmaster, Edward Downes, was stationed there to look out for passing ships. He was employed by the Cattle Company which was establishing large pastoral stations about 15 kilometres inland. By the 1860s, ex-convict small farmers were occupying the local river flats, and a flour mill (the Irwin or Smith's Mill) was operating. A townsite was surveyed, and in 1871 it became the seat of a local council established that year (now the Irwin Shire Council), and site of a police station and public school. The Anglican Church of St. John the Baptist and a Methodist Church were built in the 1880s.

In the 1890s, the larger Royal Steam Roller Flour Mill was built on the flats next to the new railway that connected the district to Perth, and the town was slowly developing, and although it was still a comparatively small village by the time of federation in 1901, it had several churches, municipal offices and hall, a variety of shops, two hotels, a public school and a railway station. The nearby localities were populated by small wheat and sheep farmers, centred around the hamlets of Bookara, Irwin and Strawberry. There was also a small population of fishermen, including several Chinese men, at Port Denison.

Dongara is also the centre for a small oil & gas industry which began with the discovery of the Dongara Gas Field in 1966. Arc Energy

Significant people from or associated with Dongara

• Sir David Brand (1912-1979), Premier of Western Australia
• Carmen Lawrence (1948- ), Premier of Western Australia

Tourist Attractions of Dongara

• The waves at Dongara attract surfers and bodyboarders. The windy summer conditons here also attract windsurfers and kite surfers.

• Explore the Beaches - Seaspray Beach (Town Beach), Surf Beach, Granny's Beach & South Beach.

• Fisherman's Scenic Lookout - Obelisk - One of two obelisks build in 1869. The lookout offers a panoramic view of the Port Denison & the fishing boat harbour. Fisherman's lookout is at the south end of the marina (Port Denison).

• Port Denison Foreshore & Harbour - Grassed areas with bbqs, shaded picnic tables, playground & toilets. As well as a public boat ramp, there is special parking available for caravans & large motor homes.

• Shipwreck Walk - Organised by the Dongara Historical Society, the Shipwreck Walk at the Port Denison foreshore explains about the shipwrecks of the Denison coast with a plaque dedicated to each shipwreck.

• Old Police Station Museum - (visited by Akerz n Snichy) A must for history buffs but don't lose any sleep if you give it a miss and save $5 a head. Further north, the Historic Pioneer Museum in Greenough gets a higher Akerating.

• Wildflowers - The Irwin (Crikey!) Shire has many species of flora with some species viewable all year. Best time to view wildflowers is from late July to October.

• Dongara Sport & Tackle - Hire a set of golf clubs and take them down to the 18 hole Dongara Golf Course.

• Drive in Cinema - Open during the summer months, the Drive-in shows new movies on Saturday nights. Treats available from the Kiosk.

External links

• Shire of Irwin
• Dongara Information

29°15′S 114°56′E