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This is the place to find out all you need to know to make the most of your visit to the Ferguson Valley region. Our friendly volunteers will be happy to talk with you and point you in the right direction.
If you are going to visit Gnomesville, don't forget to buy a souvenir gnome to leave at Gnomesville (from $3.50-$7) or you may care to purchase a gnome to take home (up to $30). Don't forget to pick up a copy of the History of Gnomesville. Products from 5th Element Pottery and Glass Studio, Lyndendale Gallery and Erindale Lavender Farm are also available for purchase at the centre, as well as other souvenirs and a small collection of local books. The Visitor Centre is managed by Volunteers. Opening hours may vary. |
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History
Opened in 1897 as the State School, this charming Heritage building was home to up to twenty primary age school children up until 1971. Seven grades operated in the one room with only one teacher. There was a small change room on each end of the verandah, one for boys and one for girls. There was a shelter shed for lunchtime, some “long drop” toilets down the back yard and a wonderful open space under shady trees for games and sport. A small cottage also existed at one time in the northeast corner of the grounds as the headmaster’s residence.
With the coming of consolidation in the early 1970’s, the Education Department built a larger primary school on the south east perimeter of the Dardanup townsite, capable of accommodating some 100 pupils. Children from outlying primary schools such as Ferguson and Wellington Mills came in by school bus to join their Dardanup counterparts. With the opening up of West Dardanup for housing of young families, numbers grew rapidly, until there are over 300 students today.
Once vacant, the lovely old building began to decline, although it was still used for many years as a meeting hall for the Brownies, and other groups. Safety concerns were raised about the building, so several local trades people decided to repair it as a Bi-Centennial project in 1988. In 1993 it was opened as the Don Hewison Centre to commemorate one of these craftsmen who had been tragically killed a couple of years earlier.
In 2005 the Dardanup Shire applied to have the building Heritage listed and were given a grant by Lottery West to restore the building to its current magnificent state. No sooner was the paint dry than the Tourism Committee applied to lease the property to establish the Ferguson Valley Visitor Centre.
The South West Rose Growers Group also applied to the Shire for grounds to establish a display garden, and it was decided that these two groups would be mutually advantaged by being at the same location. Thus, the Visitor Centre and Memorial Rose Gardens were officially opened in 2008, with a dedicated storage shed being built in the grounds exactly twelve months later. This will allow the Visitor Centre to turn the erstwhile storage room into a small display library of historical information, of interest to visitors and locals alike.
With the coming of consolidation in the early 1970’s, the Education Department built a larger primary school on the south east perimeter of the Dardanup townsite, capable of accommodating some 100 pupils. Children from outlying primary schools such as Ferguson and Wellington Mills came in by school bus to join their Dardanup counterparts. With the opening up of West Dardanup for housing of young families, numbers grew rapidly, until there are over 300 students today.
Once vacant, the lovely old building began to decline, although it was still used for many years as a meeting hall for the Brownies, and other groups. Safety concerns were raised about the building, so several local trades people decided to repair it as a Bi-Centennial project in 1988. In 1993 it was opened as the Don Hewison Centre to commemorate one of these craftsmen who had been tragically killed a couple of years earlier.
In 2005 the Dardanup Shire applied to have the building Heritage listed and were given a grant by Lottery West to restore the building to its current magnificent state. No sooner was the paint dry than the Tourism Committee applied to lease the property to establish the Ferguson Valley Visitor Centre.
The South West Rose Growers Group also applied to the Shire for grounds to establish a display garden, and it was decided that these two groups would be mutually advantaged by being at the same location. Thus, the Visitor Centre and Memorial Rose Gardens were officially opened in 2008, with a dedicated storage shed being built in the grounds exactly twelve months later. This will allow the Visitor Centre to turn the erstwhile storage room into a small display library of historical information, of interest to visitors and locals alike.
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Address: 5 Ferguson Road, Dardanup WA 6236
Open: Daily from 10am to 4pm. Closed Good Friday & Xmas Day Contact: Volunteer on duty Telephone: (08) 9728 1551 Email: marketing@fergusonvalley.net.au |
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