Dardanup is the pretty settlement that leads you into the charming Ferguson Valley. With beautiful scenery, forests and also a part of Perth’s Geographe Wine Region this unspoilt area, south west of the city of Bunbury, has much to offer as we found out last week (see here).
En route home we had a brief interlude walking round the old town centre. Full of old world character, Dardanup has many charming buildings harking back to the early European settlement days of the 19th century. The name is derived from the indigenous word, “Dudingup” meaning “a place of swamp reed”. The bus shelter proved to be a wealth of information!
The town has a strong Irish Catholic heritage dating back to early European settlement times and there is still a little church adjacent to Our Lady Of Lourdes School.
The former state school, Dardanup Primary, has now relocated away from the historical centre to the outskirts of town where newer housing has been built. However the heritage listed old school building has been revived as the town visitor centre surrounded with a beautiful memorial rose garden.
The Ferguson Valley Visitor Centre was officially opened in 2008 and you can read up more about the interesting history of the project here. It is named the Don Hewison Centre after one of the craftsmen who worked on the original building restoration in 1988 and who died in a tragic accident 3 years later.
Dardanup – Visitor Centre and Memorial Rose Gardens
Sleepily basking in the sun, the town was a delightful place for a late afternoon stroll and the sort of place that tourists often bypass – a hidden gem indeed!
Copyright © 2017 Rosemary Thomas Le Chic En Rose. All rights reserved
Le Chic En Rose 
I do so love a bit of balmy sunshine, Rosemay! 🙂 The wind can be chill here in the Algarve at this time of year but if you find the right spot it’s bliss 🙂 Happy weekend!
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The day out in the Ferguson Valley was perfect weather Jo – not too hot just pleasant! Hope you’re enjoying the Algarve and getting plenty of opportunities to relax! Happy weekend too 🙂
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I love to come across places like this, where it is not full of tourists and you can wander quietly and meaningfully. I am reminded of a school house in Victoria, Vancouver Island. I suppose a similar time. And the roses look beautiful.
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It was just a quick interlude Jude but so charming and we seemed to be only folks around! The roses were wonderful – obviously very well cared for! 🙂
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It’s so nice to see these sunny pictures on this gloomy day !
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Thanks Gin – glad you like them! Sounds rather cold and grey in Yorkshire from what my dad was saying yesterday!
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Looks gorgeous Rosemary – love the name and its origins!! Those blue skies too…. can’t remember what that looks like right now, our skies are grey and dismal!
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The light here is very bright and clear Joy – we are very lucky. It wasn’t that hot (maybe high 20s) when the photos were taken. The last 2 days we haven’t had the sea breeze in and it has been mid 30s, which I find a bit too hot so it’s been mainly an indoors day. I mustn’t complain though as it’s not too bad and the breeze will be back this week. We had quite a few grey dismal days last winter, which reminded me of the Uk so I realise how gloomy it can be. Dardanup is an interesting little place and the origins of the name are fascinating! Hope you keep warm and enjoy the rest of the weekend! 🙂
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Beautiful photos, Rosemary.
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Thanks Cynthia! We had a couple of lovely walks round here 🙂
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The two-storey brick house in the last photo used to be in my family.
Lovely photos from a lovely part of the world.
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Amazing coincidence – it is certainly a lovely part of the world and we enjoyed our visit very much! 😃
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