Shield trees Jarrahdale, Western Australia, Australia
By jinta29 on 21-Jan-18. Waypoint GA11837

These virtual caches will take you on a short walk along an old logging track through some magnificent forest. The trail is well formed and now forms part of the Munda Biddi cycling trail. I have often seen these types of trees in this area and not really known the history of them, until now. Please answer the following question to be able to log your find.

What are the letters shown in the shield tree on the display board?

DX

CT

BV

HR

Logging in Jarrahdale

The logging industry in Jarrahdale started sometime in the 1830's when Sandalwood was discovered in the area and Asian countries started being supplied with the wood. The momentum really started when Govenor Weld began to issue long term timber licences in an attempt to boost the industry. A 100,000ha timber concession was provided to the Jarrahdale Station Syndicate(owned by William and Thomas Wanliss) in 1871, this was a massive tract of land between Byford in the north and North Dandelup in the south and stretched east to cover most of the Canning River watershed area. This company had many financial woes and was soon taken over by the Rockingham Jarrah Timber Company, they retained William Wanliss as manager though.

It is estimated that 450km of rail lines were laid in this concession area (and then removed) prior to the 1940's (when motorised transport became the favoured option).

The first timber mill was built beside the Gooralong Creek in May 1872 which was soon followed by a rail line between Jarrahdale and Rockingham. There were three jetties constructed at Rockingham to accommodate the logging trade. Eighteen timber mills were built over 120 years in the area; however, there were only ever 4 operating at any one time. 

Boom years in the 1890's, due to the discovery of gold, saw a huge demand for housing timber and Jarrahdale supplied over 7,000 tons was shipped from Jarrahdale in 1890 alone. The timber was being sent to London, Glasgow, Paris, Melbourne and was used for many things, including paving blocks. Given this increase in demand, more mills were built in the area and in 1899 it is thought that 300 men were employed in the mills (plus many more at the bush landings). During this time Jarrahdale was the fourth largest community in Western Australia.

It was a golden period of the timber industry through to the outbreak of WW1 in 1914 and the output from the mills declined through to the end of the Great Depression in aroung 1935. While the logging industry never again reached it's previous heights it continued on in a diminishing capacity until the closure of the final mill in 1997.

Some information regarding the history of the POW camp.

During 1943 and 1944, Italians from North Africa were shipped to Australia and sent to POW camps, Balmoral being one selected. The camp was originally set up for the army at the commencement of the Second World War, then converted to a POW camp, holding up to 200 prisoners. There remains remnant foundations of a pump house and washhouse/ablution block, remnants of a drainage system and a fireplace chimney of the former mess hall.