Our People
The First Nation Noongar people are the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which the Shire of Manjimup is located and there are three Noongar language groups that span this area being the Bibbulmun, Minang and Kaniyang.
European settlement in the Shire did not occur until the mid-1800’s. The Shire's district was first included as a part of the Plantagenet Wellington and Sussex Road Districts in 1871 and later in the Nelson Road Board District. The Warren Road District was formed on 3 July 1908 and changed to the Manjimup Road District in June 1925. With the enactment of the Local Government Act 1960, the Manjimup Road District name was changed to Shire of Manjimup on 1 July 1961. The Shire celebrated its Centenary in 2008 having provided over 100 years of service to the district.
The Shire of Manjimup is proud of its natural and cultural heritage and works with the community to protect, enhance and interpret this. Council endorsed the Shires first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in 2021 acknowledging the significant Aboriginal Heritage in this region. The Shire's Planning and Environment Department is responsible for the protection of cultural heritage through the provisions of the Local Planning Scheme. It also is responsible for the operation of the Municipal Heritage Inventory for the Shire. The Community Services Directorate supports the development of heritage interpretation in response to community and tourism needs.
The Manjimup Heritage Park hosts a number of regionally and nationally significant collections. There are a number of museums and historical societies in the Shire of Manjimup. They collect, record, classify and preserve historic records and engage with the local community and visitors in interpretation of the area's history.
