Heritage site Strawberry Hill at Barmup receives funding to rebuild bush tucker garden and yarning space

Strawberry Hill at Barmup will receive $125,000 in funding through Lotterywest to rehabilitate bushland and rebuild a bush tucker garden and yarning space. The WA Government, through Lotterywest, has provided more than $1.3 million in grant funding to four heritage sites under the National Trust of Western Australia for a two-year program. The funding will be used to develop a cultural landscape management approach and improve visitor interpretation at the heritage sites. Volunteers will also receive cultural awareness engagement training and there will be heritage festival events hosted across the two year program. The National Trust bought two additional blocks of bushland located on the northern side of the lake at Barmup on Beauchamp Street, according to its annual report. The land is an important part of the registered Aboriginal site and contains remnants of a significant pathway between Kincinnup (Albany) and Binalup (Middleton Beach) that was called “Sleeman’s Track” by British colonists. The path was the earliest access to the government farm site. National Trust of WA senior manager asset management Kelly Rippingale said the funding would be used to rehabilitate the two blocks of bushland and rebuild cultural spaces. “This will allow us to fund bushland management and rehabilitation of two bush blocks that we recently purchased, which were part of the original camping ground known to the Menang as Barmup,” she said. “It will also enable us to create better outdoor facilities and interpretation at Strawberry Hill at Barmup including a bush tucker garden and yarning space to replace the stage that was damaged in storms in 2020.” Strawberry Hill at Barmup was an important campsite and place of shelter for Menang Noongar people for tens of thousands of years, according to the National Trust. When British colonists arrived in 1826 at King George Sound, Barmup was the country of Mullett and her brothers Nakinah, Mokare, Tarapan and Mollian. Barmup became the first farm to be established in WA but the house, farm and its fences represented a barrier to the local Menang people’s way of life. Since the property was transferred to the National Trust in 1964 the heritage site has been conserved to reflect its significance and cultural landscape. Ms Rippingale said funding for the cultural landscape management would allow them to expand storytelling at Strawberry Hill at Barmup. “(We can continue) exploring the ongoing Menang connections to the land and help to situate the story of Strawberry Hill within the broader landscape and a longer historical view,” she said. “Visitors will have more opportunities to learn about the importance of Barmup to the Menang people and experience those stories alongside the colonial history of Strawberry Hill. “The outdoor facilities will mean there are more places to relax, reflect and engage with the beautiful grounds.” National Trust of WA chairman Robert Kucera said the funding acknowledged the important conservation work of the National Trust. “As we learn more about the importance of a sense of place and subsequent benefits to wellbeing, it is vital we continue to protect and learn more about our natural and cultural heritage,” he said.