Northcliffe, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Northcliffe is a town located in the lower South West region of Western Australia
, about 28 kilometres (17 mi) south of the town of Pemberton
. At the 2006 census
, Northcliffe had a population of 412.
It is largely surrounded by karri, marri
and jarrah forest and is close to the Warren
, D'Entrecasteaux
and Shannon
national parks
. Primarily a farming area since Group Settlement, both logging and conservation interests are represented in Northcliffe.
The town was the centre of a Group Settlement Scheme
in the 1920s, and was surveyed at the request of the Premier of Western Australia
, James Mitchell
in 1923. It became the terminus of the Bridgetown
-Jarnadup railway, and was gazetted in May 1924. Mitchell named it after Lord Northcliffe
, owner of The Times
and the Daily Mail
in London
, and Director of Propaganda in the British government during World War I
, who had died in 1922.
Contemporary community organisations in Northcliffe include Northcliffe Pioneer Museum, Northcliffe Streetscape, Northcliffe Telecentre, Northcliffe Arts Association, Southern Forest Arts Association, Northcliffe Workers Club, Northcliffe Recreation Association, Northcliffe Visitor Centre and Northcliffe Town Hall.
Locations of great natural beauty close to the town include Mt Chudalup (a granite monolith), Northcliffe Forest Park and the beaches of Windy Harbour. Sites of importance to Aboriginal people include Tookalup.
The town boasts a primary/district high school, a Post Office, cafe, museum, recreation centre, town hall, hotel, gallery, a local supermarket, a public playground with barbecue and gazebo.
A significant and well known local business is the Bannister Downs dairy. The dairy sells milk and related products in biodegradable containers through various local, regional and Perth-based outlets.
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, about 28 kilometres (17 mi) south of the town of Pemberton
Pemberton, Western Australia
Pemberton is a town located in the South West region of Western Australia, named after the early settler Pemberton Walcott. It is the home of the karri tree, the largest tree in Western Australia and the third largest hardwood tree in the world...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Northcliffe had a population of 412.
It is largely surrounded by karri, marri
Corymbia calophylla
Corymbia calophylla is a bloodwood native to Western Australia. Common names include Marri and Port Gregory Gum, and a long standing usage has been Red Gum due to the red gum effusions often found on trunks.It is distinctive among bloodwoods for its very large buds and fruit Corymbia calophylla...
and jarrah forest and is close to the Warren
Warren National Park
Warren National Park is a national park in the South West region of Western Australia , south of Perth and south of Pemberton....
, D'Entrecasteaux
D'Entrecasteaux National Park
D'Entrecasteaux National Park is a national park in Western Australia , south of Perth. The park is named after the French Admiral Bruni D'Entrecasteaux who was the first European to sight the area and name Point D'Entrecasteaux in 1792....
and Shannon
Shannon National Park
Shannon National Park is a national park on the south coast of Western Australia, south of Perth and southeast of Manjimup. It was declared a national park in 1988. The park covers the entire Shannon River basin....
national parks
National Parks of Western Australia
-B:* Badgingarra National Park* Beedelup National Park* Beelu National Park * Boorabbin National Park* Brockman National Park-K:* Kalbarri National Park* Karijini National Park...
. Primarily a farming area since Group Settlement, both logging and conservation interests are represented in Northcliffe.
The town was the centre of a Group Settlement Scheme
Group Settlement Scheme
The Group Settlement Scheme was an assisted migration scheme which operated in Western Australia from the early 1920s. It was engineered by Premier James Mitchell and followed on from the Soldier Settlement Scheme immediately after World War I...
in the 1920s, and was surveyed at the request of the Premier of Western Australia
Premier of Western Australia
The Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive government in the Australian State of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions...
, James Mitchell
James Mitchell (Australian politician)
Sir James Mitchell GCMG was the 13th Premier of Western Australia, serving on two occasions, the Lieutenant-Governor of Western Australia for 15 years and the 22nd Governor of Western Australia....
in 1923. It became the terminus of the Bridgetown
Bridgetown, Western Australia
-Notable people:*Emily Barker, singer-songwriter*Jon Doust, author and comedian*Robyn McSweeney, politician*Tom O'Dwyer, cricketer*David Reid, politician*Deborah Robertson, novelist and poet-External links:* * * * * * * *...
-Jarnadup railway, and was gazetted in May 1924. Mitchell named it after Lord Northcliffe
Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe
Alfred Charles William Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe rose from childhood poverty to become a powerful British newspaper and publishing magnate, famed for buying stolid, unprofitable newspapers and transforming them to make them lively and entertaining for the mass market.His company...
, owner of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
and the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and Director of Propaganda in the British government during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, who had died in 1922.
Contemporary community organisations in Northcliffe include Northcliffe Pioneer Museum, Northcliffe Streetscape, Northcliffe Telecentre, Northcliffe Arts Association, Southern Forest Arts Association, Northcliffe Workers Club, Northcliffe Recreation Association, Northcliffe Visitor Centre and Northcliffe Town Hall.
Locations of great natural beauty close to the town include Mt Chudalup (a granite monolith), Northcliffe Forest Park and the beaches of Windy Harbour. Sites of importance to Aboriginal people include Tookalup.
The town boasts a primary/district high school, a Post Office, cafe, museum, recreation centre, town hall, hotel, gallery, a local supermarket, a public playground with barbecue and gazebo.
A significant and well known local business is the Bannister Downs dairy. The dairy sells milk and related products in biodegradable containers through various local, regional and Perth-based outlets.