History of Yangebup

The suburb we now know as Yangebup was not officially named and marked until 1977.

The name, however, has been in use throughout Cockburn’s history. Believed to originate from the Nyungar word yanget, a name for a local bullrush, it was first recorded in 1841 and went on to become the name of a lake and a major rural road in the area. Settlers around Yangebup Lake came to think of themselves as Yangebup residents, building a community of farmers and gardeners in an area known statewide for its natural beauty.

Unfortunately, Yangebup Lake’s beauty became a prime target for game hunters, with many local men spending their summer weekends shooting native birds. It was eventually declared a Native Game Reserve in the late 1920s, and anyone caught killing its wildlife faced hefty fines. In 1924 a local scientist discovered a new species of prehistoric crustacean living in the lake, supporting the new theory of a southern ‘supercontinent’.

Yangebup Road was an important link between Fremantle and Jandakot.

It joined Forrest Road at Yangebup to connect everything with Armadale and beyond. Pioneer farmers fought long and hard for electricity and a railway to be run along it, but without success. Yangebup Road was realigned in the early 1990s and effectively became Beeliar Road.

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This article can also be seen on the Cockburn Libraries’ Local History blog and first appeared in the December 2013 edition of Cockburn Soundings