Overview of the History of
Jarrahdale.
In the 1830s,
a route was marked and cleared
from the Kelmscott region south
east to King George Sound, (now
Albany) and was to be known in
time as the Albany Highway. At
the same time, a road was taken
from Kelmscott south to
Pinjarra, and later Bunbury.
The Bunbury Road was to become
the South West Highway.
Sandalwood was discovered east
of the jarrah forests and a
thriving trade was established
to Asian countries was
established. The sandalwood
cutters laid down a trail from
east of the King George Sound
track, along the Cooralong
Brook through what is now
Jarrahdale, then across to the
coast for export.
From the 1830s to the 1850s,
settlers holdings were
established north, east and
south of the present Jarrahdale
townsite, and the settlers
produced wheat, sheep and
vegetables. John Giblett
purchased Co Sd Location 58 on
the Gooralong Brook and
employed Joseph Batt to build a
flourmill, which became known
as Batt’s mill. Local settlers
brought their wheat there and
the sandalwood cutters left
wheat there on their way to the
coast, and picked up their
flour on the journey
back.
Batt purchased Co Sd Location
105 by auction in 1858, which
he named The Chestnuts. (See
Neil Coy’s The
Serpentine.)
In 1862 the South West of
Western Australia, including
the Gooralong Valley, received
torrential rains, in what was
known as the Great Flood. It is
calculated that the present
site of Jarrahdale would have
received about 650 mm of rain
(about 26 inches) over four
weeks.
Early interest in the timber
industry had not been
commercially viable because of
the limitations imposed by
short term timber licenses.
However, Governor Weld in the
late 1860s was to stimulate the
establishment and growth of an
important timber industry in
this state by granting long
term leases or concessions. A
group of investors in Victoria,
including the Wanliss brothers,
William and Thomas, were to be
granted a 100,000 ha timber
concession in June 1871. The
Jarrahdale Station Syndicate
thus came into being with a
land lease stretching from
Byford in the north, almost to
North Dandelup in the south and
east to include most of the
Canning River watershed.
The new company was soon in
financial difficulties and was
taken over by the Rockingham.
Jarrah Timber Company, although
William Wanliss was to be
manager until 1876.
From 1870 to 1997 ownership of
the timber mills changed 10
times with 11 name changes
including a reversal to Millars
Australia Pty Ltd.
The first
timber mill, a 2 storey
structure, was erected on the
banks of the Gooralong Creek in
Jarrahdale by May 1872, and by
the terms of the lease a wooden
railway was built between
Jarrahdale and Rockingham, a
distance of 23 miles, ( about
38 Ks) and the first of three
jetties constructed soon after.
Then, as soon as the 80 metre
long, deep sea jetty was
completed, the first ship, the
'Northern Star'.) berthed to
take on timber for Melbourne.
Thus the timber industry was
born in Jarrahdale and port
facilities established at
Rockingham.
The first heavy duty mechanical
device, the Thompson Road
Steamer, was imported to assist
in hauling the heavy mill
equipment to the site at
Jarrahdale, and was then to
become the first loco on the
line. Soon after, a true
locomotive , the Governor Weld
, was used to haul the timber
trains, and in time, new
locomotives, Pioneer (with a
tall funnel) and Samson No 1
(with a balloon chimney) and
Samson No 2 and Jarrahdale were
purchased.
In the early days, most of the
log hauling was done by horse
or bullock teams supplied by
settlers from farming areas.
The logs were brought to the
log landings where they were
placed onto the trains which
took them to the mills for
processing and from there the
cut timber was taken to
Rockingham. for export or north
by lighter to Fremantle for the
local market. The wooden rails
of the railway (or, more
correctly, tramway) caused a
great deal of difficulty
because they were unable to
take the weight of the heavy
locos, so they were replaced by
new iron rails over a period of
years commencing in 1878.
The forest was an impressive
sight with its huge jarrah
trees and watching the mill in
operation was an awesome
experience. Eighteen timber
mills were built over 120 years
and up to four mills operated
simultaneously; many were
destroyed by fire and rebuilt.
During that period, there were
four upgrades to mechanization
in the mills.
 Initially the
location was known as
'Jarrahdale Station, The
Serpentine' and to the locals
as Jarrahdale Village.
Jarrahdale developed steadily
and by the mid 1870s, fifty
houses had been built as well
as a materials store and
workshop supporting the mill,
plus a school for the town.
Some recreational facilities
were established including a
library.
The company gave workers timber
cuts to build their houses
which were usually roofed with
shingles. They built on the
company's land and no rent was
charged until early in the
twentieth century. Workers
resented it, as they could not
buy the land. Working
conditions were demanding,
twelve hour days and six day
weeks with unpaid leave at
Christmas.
There were some financial
difficulties with the Company
which again changed ownership
in 1876 but increased demand
for timber in the late 1870s
developed into boom conditions
in the early 1880s. A telegraph
office was established north of
Jarrahdale Road, a second mill,
the Number 2, was built on
Wongong Brook, the loco,
Pioneer, was purchased and
later Samson no 1, a second
jetty was constructed at
Rockingham and 130 men were now
employed, earning from 6
shillings to 16 shillings a day
according to skill.
The Rockingham Jarrah Timber
Company in this decade, made
various approaches to the
Colonial Secretary, Malcolm
Fraser, to have constructed a
through railway line from
Rockingham to the 36 mile
Police Post on the Albany Road.
This proposal, plus another to
extend the link even further
east to connect it with the
Beverley - Albany line, was
rejected.
Jarrahdale continued to
flourish, population by the mid
1880s being about 400 people,
180 being employed by the
Company. A Mechanics Institute
was built, as was Crock's Hall,
named after Mr Crock who built
it. Sporting competitions such
as log chops and dances were
organised by the community.
Musical entertainment was well
established and the annual
picnic to Rockingham the annual
picnic to Rockingham had become
an institution. An excursion by
train of mill workers and their
families to Rockingham is
recorded as early as Foundation
Day on the 2nd June 1879 which
marked 50 years since
settlement.
In 1886 the Murray Arms Hotel
was opened in a building owned
by The Rockingham Jarrah Timber
Company that is thought to have
been a boarding house at the
time and prior to that the mill
manager’s residence. The
company who had previously
opposed the sale of alcohol,
applied for a licence when
local resident, Peter Lewis,
unsuccessfully tried to get
one.
1884-85 were difficult
years; the mill was briefly
closed in 1885 although 36
ships were still loaded with
timber at the Rockingham
jetties and a resumption of
business saw 200 men employed.
In 1887 the original No 1 Mill
was burnt down. It was quickly
rebuilt as a single storey
building, and during this time,
as an upgrade of machinery took
place, all but 40 men were
retrenched. In 1888 a petition
by the timber workers to
William Paterson JP stated that
they had been only partially
employed for 15 months and many
men were unemployed.
In the 1890s, conditions were
extremely favourable. Boom
years commenced with the
discovery of gold, population
increased dramatically and
timber for housing was in great
demand, over 7,000 tons being
shipped from Jarrahdale in 1890
alone. In addition, much timber
from Jarrahdale was used as
paving blocks for the streets
of London, Glasgow, Paris,
Melbourne and other cities. In
1892 the timber company was
again reorganised and renamed
the Rockingham. Railways and
Jarrahdale Forests Company
while in 1893, the government
Bunbury - Perth railway was
completed, and intersected the
Jarrahdale - Rockingham Company
line at what is now Mundijong,
but was then known as
Jarrahdale Junction. At
Jarrahdale Junction, a huge
timber stockyard was developed,
a stockpile for timber railed
to the coast at Rockingham or
north to the fast developing
metropolitan area. Because of a
shortage of government rolling
stock in this period of high
demand, the Company trains
were, at times, to take timber
to Perth on the government
line.
 During the
1890s, more mills were built to
cope with the demand; No 3 Mill
(the 39) built on 39 Brook, and
the No 4 Mill on the Serpentine
River, No 5 Mill (Chandlers)
built to the north east of
Jarrahdale. The latter was to
be rebuilt at Big Brook at the
end of the decade, followed
shortly after by the building
of the No 6 Mill at Big Brook.
Note, too, that by 1899 more
than 300 men were employed at
the mills plus many more
employed at the bush landings
throughout the forest, outside
Jarrahdale. There were 60 miles
of railway constructed and
utilized for the timber
company, lines to haul the logs
to the mills and to take feed
to bullock and horse teams
working on the bush landings.
The Company, too had undergone
a change of ownership and was
after 1897, known as the
Jarrahdale Jarrah Forests and
Railways Ltd.
The town itself had responded
quickly to a growing
population; Jarrahdale was in
the late 1890s the fourth
largest community in the state
after Perth, Bunbury and
Kalgoorlie. It now had a
Wesleyan Methodist church, a
new school at Cousens Street, a
police presence in the town
with police quarters, court
ouse and goal, a hospital for
the mill workers which was
financed by them, a resident
doctor (Dr Rommies), a post
offlice (now the museum) St
Paul's Church of England built
in 1895. Most buildings
including the small public
hall, a large hall with a
stage, the library, were, with
the exception of one house, all
under the control of the
Company. Note, too, there were
post receiving offices and bush
schools at outlying saw
mills.
By the 1900s, Jarrahdale had a
town population of about 1200
people while 800 more were
housed in surrounding bush
landings and remote sites.
Workers' wages varied according
to skill; they worked a 54 hour
week and this decade saw the
great whims, used for log
hauling, now in common
use.
However at this time, hardship
developed because of a
proliferation of mills in other
areas and competition between
companies. The whole industry
was to experience a major
overhaul in 1902 with the
amalgamation of eight major saw
milling companies under the one
name of Millars Karri and
Jarrah Company (1902)
Limited.
At this time, other important
developments took place and
included a decision ( following
a request by the company to the
Fremantle Harbour Trust to
deepen the channel at Mangles
Bay, a request which was
denied) to scale down shipments
of timber via the rail route to
Rockingham. Consequently there
were reduced shipments from
Rockingham until by 1907 and
1908, only one ship per year
had operated. Bunbury was to
become the state's major timber
export port. Jarrahdale
Junction was renamed Mundijong
and the depot became an j
important consolidation point
for the forwarding of timber to
Perth for the local
market.
The mill at Jarrahdale was
burnt down in 1901 and not
rebuilt until 1912-13.
Jarrahdale lost some of its
importance as the two large
mills at Big Brook, Numbers 5
and 6, took prominence from the
turn of the century until 1912
- 1913, being enlarged in 1902.
Big Brook, which housed the
mill workers and the bush
workers grew quickly to
maintain a sizeable workforce
and an overall population of
about 1,000 people.
At Big Brook there was a
village green a sports ground,
a cricket ground, tennis
courts, hall for entertainment,
shops and a school, which in
1908 had 118 children on the
roll, two pools in Big Brook
were used for swimming (one for
men and one for women).
Circuses and troupes traveled
to Big Brook.
The wages in 1907 were recorded
as being seven shillings and
sixpence minimum per day, but
grievances held by the men over
hours, wages and working
conditions led to what was
termed the Timber Workers
Strike in1907. The strike
spread over all the mill towns,
lasted 14 weeks and caused much
hardship before the matter was
resolved. The No 5 Mill was
operated by management using
office and staff from various
locations; these 'blacklegs'
aroused a mixture of anger or
amused tolerance and on one
occasion were attacked by a few
umbrella wielding wives of the
strikers.
In 1910 the No 6 Mill was
destroyed by fire, then
rebuilt, while at this time the
powerful Steam Haulers were
introduced - highly effective
machines for log hauling - but
so expensive that only the big
mills could afford them.
However, the days of the
settlement at Big Brook were
numbered; two new large mills
were built back in Jarrahdale,
the big Number 1 (a huge mill
with 28 benches) and a new No
2, built end to end with No 1.
The Company planned and
constructed a new town, named
New Town, east of where the
original settlement took place
and moved the workers, their
families and many of their
houses by rail, back to
Jarrahdale, employing the Big
Brook workers in the new
mills.
The greatest output was
prior to World War I when
timber was the ‘glamour
industry’ of Western Australia.
Jarrah was exported to many
countries including India,
South Africa, China, America,
New Zealand, England, Egypt,
and Europe. Millars' Karri and
Jarrah Company (1902) Limited
produced 10 million cubic feet
of hardwood every year. Timber
was used for underground
mining, cable poles, harbour
and dock works, pier and bridge
construction, sleepers, street
paving and many fine buildings
throughout the world.
The
outbreak of World War 1, 1914 -
1918, saw about 200 men from
Jarrahdale enlisting; 41 died
and their names are inscribed
on the town War Memorial.
However, more than that number
died on service. If they did
not enlist at Jarrahdale their
names were not permited to go
on the memorial; it is a
reguation that exists
today.
The output from the mills was
much reduced during this period
but increased activity took
place after the war when there
was a demand for railway
sleepers, paving blocks and
building timber, occasioned in
part by the visit of a French
trade mission under General
Pau. At this time, also, there
was a large number of Italian
families who came to live in
Jarrahdale. Only a few were
employed in the mill, most
became railway gangers. The
Mechanics Institute built in
1914, was used by the community
until 1982 when the Bruno
Gianatti Memorial Hall replaced
it.
The 1920s saw the destruction
by fire of the No 2 Mill, the
closure of the Roman Catholic
school in 1929 and the recently
opened Bush Landing School
while the Jarrahdale State
School numbered 150 children on
the roll. With the onset of the
Great Depression became the lot
of the mill workers. Both mills
were closed and many men were
unemployed and in December the
timber lease or concession
expired so the Company was hit
by extra charges, mainly in the
form of timber royalties plus
higher costs as trade dropped.
The Millbrook Hotel closed
during the Great Depression,
reopened in 1936 and closed for
good in 1938. Many families
left the town looking for work
elsewhere. In 1932 Jarrahdale
hospital became a public
hospital and also had a
maternity ward.
Conditions started to improve
by 1935 as the Depression
lifted, the No 2 Mill was re
opened and by that time
mechanisation took place in the
bush. The 'Crawler' logging
tractor was introduced, 30 hp
'Holts', then Caterpillars and
tractors replaced the horse
teams, and log hauling trucks
became important.
During World War II, 1939 to
1945, despite lowered demand
the mill remained opened,
although in 1943 the No 2 Mill
was burnt down and another mill
built on the site of the old No
1 Mill while soon after the old
railway was replaced by heavy
log hauling trucks. The railway
line from Mundijong to
Rockingharn would be pulled up
in 1950.
 Disaster struck
again in 1949 when the Number 1
Mill was destroyed by fire but
quickly rebuilt, thus making
the new mill the fifth No 1
Mill! By the late 1940s, the
first power saws, mobile
circular and cross cut saws
(petrol driven) were operating.
The machinery at the mills
before this had been steam
driven.
From 1950 until
the present day Jarrahdale has
been witness to the building of
the Serpentine Dam, opened in
1961, which drowned the site of
the old Numbers 5 and 6 Mills
and the settlement of Big
Brook, the closure of the town
hospital, the destruction of
the school by fire and its
rebuilding in Wanliss Street,
the commencement of bauxite
mining in Jarrahdale at its
number 1 site, now
rehabilitated as Langford Park,
the building of a new all
electric mill to replace the
old No 1 Mill, the closing down
of bauxite mining in 1997 and
the closing of the last timber
mill in 1997.
The Company had become Millars
Australia Pty. Ltd. in 1970 and
were finally to sell out to
Bunning Bros in 1993.
The National Trust (WA)
classified Jarrahdale as a
Heritage Town in 1997.
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