Pinjarra

Town located in the southwest of Western Australia, 87 km/54 mi south of Perth; population (1991) 1,800. Historic buildings include St John's Church, built in 1845 of local mud brick and still in use. Sheep, pig, dairy, cattle, and fruit production have traditionally been the most important industries, although since 1972 bauxite mining and an alumina smelter have also become important industries. Pinjarra is also the base for the Hotham Valley Tourist Railway, which restores steam trains and operates various tourist trips to Western Australian towns.

In 1834, the town was the scene of the Pinjarra Massacre, in which at least 14 Aborigines were shot dead in retaliation for the murder of a police officer. Aborigines claim a much higher death toll.

The name derives from the name of a local Aborigine group, the Pindjarup, also meaning ‘place of a swamp’. The town was known as Pinjarrah until 1898. It was established to service the farms of the region in the 1830s, and a mounted police barracks was set up to help attract more European settlers to the area.