S is for SERPENTINE (town, falls, dam and park)

I have chosen Serpentine for my "S" town as we have spent some wonderful times over past years picnicking here with our family.  It is a very beautiful place so I thought I'd share it with you.

Serpentine is located 55 kilometres (34 miles) SSE of Perth, Western Australia and 7 km south of Mundijong.  Serpentine is located on the South Western Railway between Perth and Bunbury, and was one of the original stations when the line was opened in 1893.  These days it serves as a stop on the Australind passenger train line from Perth to Bunbury.

The Serpentine River was first discovered by Europeans in 1829, just months after the first settlers arrived.  The name "Serpentine" appears on maps from 1832.  Settlement of the area started from about 1850 and timber cutting became one of the major industries.  Mining for gold and silver was also tried but records of any successful finds have not been located.

At the 2006 census, the town had a population of 763.  I feel the population has grown somewhat in the past 7 years.

In 1891 the Western Australian government had opened up land in the area by declaring the Serpentine Agricultural Area, and in 1893 decided there was sufficient demand for town lots by gazetting the Townsite of Serpentine in December, 1893.  The townsite derives its name from the nearby *Serpentine River.  The name is descriptive, derived from the "serpentine" nature of the river in its lower reaches where it was discovered and named in the early 1830s.  The population of the town was 128 (80 males and 48 females) in 1898.

At the 2006 census, the town had a population of 763.  If feel the population has grown somewhat in the past 7 years as people move out of the city into more semi-rural areas.

There are beautiful waterfalls, bushwalking trails and an abundance of wildlife which makes Serpentine National park an idyllic day trip from Perth.  The park covers 4,300 hectares of land and there are barbecues and picnic areas through the park.  Here are pictures I've found of the falls, the dam and picnic areas in the Serpentine National Park:  (I found them on various websites and there are far too many to name so my thanks to all of them).

The Bureau of Meterology has moved its weather radar station to Serpentine and it is also the location of the Bodhinyaya Buddhist Monastery which was built in the 1980s.

 *(We once owned a half acre block of land in Mandurah a very short distance from the Serpentine River.  We decided not to build because of very complex building regulations....100 year flood plan etc... and also the large mosquito population in that area).