Benger | |
|---|---|
  Benger | |
 Interactive map of Benger | |
| Coordinates:33°10′41″S115°51′43″E / 33.178°S 115.862°E /-33.178; 115.862 | |
| Country | Australia |
| State | Western Australia |
| LGA | |
| Location | |
| Established | 1885 |
| Government | |
| • State electorate | |
| • Federal division | |
| Area | |
• Total | 70.8 km2 (27.3 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 159 (SAL2021)[2] |
| Postcode | 6223 |
Benger is a locality just north ofBrunswick Junction in theSouth West ofWestern Australia.
TheSouth Western Highway runs through the region. It is also acrossing loop on the south-west railway betweenArmadale andBunbury.
Before European settlement, the region was inhabited by thePindjarup people, in whose language "Benger" may have meant "swamp" according to some sources (the word Pijar was also used).[3] The explorersThomas Peel and Stephen Henty travelled through the district in 1835. The area was known as the "flats of Mornington", and some years later, Mornington Siding was established with a hall, school and shop/post office.Sandalwood from the area was used in theSwan River Colony. In 1887, John Partridge founded a dairy in the area, which is still open today as the White Rocks Museum and Dairy. The town was renamed from Mornington to Benger in 1902, although many geographic names in the area (including the creek near the school) bear the original name.[4][5]
Abushfire broke out in the Benger swamp near the town in January 2013, burning out 300 hectares (741 acres) of farmland.[6]
