The Balingup renaissance

By Kim Murray
Balingup is the smallest of the three towns, boasting a population combined with nearby Mullalyup of just over 800.

While once home to thriving dairy and orchard industries the town fell on hard times when both of those industries faltered in the 1960-70s.

But the drift back to rural living, which began in the 1980s when people sought alternative ways to live, brought a revitalisation to Balingup and it now has a real buzz about it.

There is an unmistakable ‘gourmet’ quality to the main street with several shops selling local gourmet produce, a shop specialising in local cheeses, and several really good cafes.

Balingup is also home to the famous herbalists, Tinderbox, who have a retail outlet for their many products in the main street. Adding to the eclectic nature of the main drag is an icecream shop, several selling bric-a-brac, and a shop selling alpaca goods both locally made and imported.

A truly unique shop combines a café, art gallery and giftshop all in one. It’s a fascinating spot and the food’s good too.

Right behind this café-gift-art gallery is the French restaurant and patisserie mentioned on the front of the site. The two Parisiennes who run it are lovely people, she the chef and he the baker. On Saturday mornings you can get real baguettes!

On the town's outskirts is the old cheese factory that has been turned into a craft market just crammed with stuff, and the old tavern that was burnt down over a decade ago has been rebuilt in stone and is a great oasis.

But for me one of the really incredible things about Balingup is the Golden Valley Tree Park, a 60ha park planted with a unique collection of exotic and local trees. It’s about 2km from town and it’s a must see.

It is run as a co-operative venture between townspeople and the Department of Conservation and Land Management.

You can take a picnic to the park as there are good facilities and it’s all free. There are some truly wondrous trees growing in the park and more are being added using a sponsorship arrangement.

My favourite are the two huge oak trees that were planted by the children of a couple of early settlers who stopped beside the creek that runs through the park and decided to make their home there. Sitting under these huge trees is a spiritual experience.

Tourism is also rapidly becoming an important industry for Balingup and the town and surrounds offer a range of accommodation from high-class self contained to bed and breakfast establishments and cosy chalets and apartment, some with awesome views of the rolling countryside.

Add to this a quirky collection of festivals and events, that include a Mediaeval Carnivale, a concert that rivals the famous one over in Margaret River, and a small farm field day, and you have a really interesting place to visit.