Nannup – A Tulip Town
Deep in the South West of W.A., in the heart of the Blackwood River, is a colourful little town called Nannup. Its location makes it easy to access the many other country towns that surround it, Margaret River for one, famous for its growing wine region. The breathtaking scenery as you drive the coastal tourist drives, surrounded by tall jarrah and karri trees that lead to the other towns such as Bridgetown and Balingup to name a few. Its distance from Perth is about 288km, which makes for a very comfortable drive for that quick or extended getaway. 
The Shire of Nannup is the second largest Shire in the South-West, with 149km’s of sealed and 387km’s of unsealed roads. Nannup’s climate is characterised by hot, dry summers and wet, cold winters with the heaviest rainfall peaking in June and July. Timber milling is big business to this day, and its here in Nannup that you’ll find the Bunnings Company’s big jarrah mill which is the largest single employer in Nannup.
Community Events -
Are held in Nannup each year bring this quiet town bursting with excitement, as music, dancing and street theatre roll into town every Labour Day long weekend (March 4th to March 7th) a great music festival for all the family to enjoy. Another great time to enjoy Nannup is in the month of August (13th to 21st) when the town folk and gardeners who have been busy preparing for this all year long, suddenly turn this sleepy town into a bright and vibrant array of colour, as tulips appear on every street corner. This is a definite must see! Appropriately called Flower & Garden month, as market stalls, art and photography exhibits, antique auctions and private gardens open up to the public for viewing, all year in fact! We happen to enjoy a weekend stay in Nannup as the garden month ended, the main street was still flourishing with colour as our pictures will show.
For those who enjoy the thrill and adventure of the Power Dinghy Races, there are two dates to keep in mind. The Nannup Cup – held in early June every year, it is a 92 kilometre one day race, along the Blackwood River from Nannup to Sues Bridges. The Blackwood Classic 250 – Early October, is a three day time trial covering 250 km’s of the Blackwood River. Passing through Nannup, Sues Bridges and finishing in the river mouth of Augusta. It’s the world’s longest power dinghy race.
More things to do and see –
One place to visit with your kids is the Mythic Maze. Just 10 minutes drive out of Nannup, once there you are greeted by the friendly owners who send the parents and kids off through their magical garden to start with. Finding man made games and hidden faces amongst the trees, following paths that lead to the start of the two Mazes. This is where the fun begins! With the kids bustling with excitement to enter and find hidden clues along the way thru the mazes. I thought this looks small enough to do, boy was I wrong! Trying to keep up with them was a task in itself. With lots of twists and turns it sure turned into a lot of fun. Don’t forget a water bottle! In the end and back to greet the owner with the puzzle answers, were just rewards for the kiddies, as the owner literally knighted them a Sir or Lady with a toy sword, of course, and then gave them a lollypop each! 
Next stop on the way back to Nannup, for us grown ups, was this quaint homemade Cheese factory. With the kids left to play in the paddocks, we drifted inside the factory to an amazing arrays of smells, not just cheese but olive oils and the best bit is coming….I look up behind the counter and what do my eyes see but biggest ever homemade ‘hot sausages’ hanging freely, just waiting to be devoured with a cracker or two. But, to our dismay they weren’t for sale, plus the owner had just made and hung them up! I decided to focus on taste testing the cheeses on display to curb my savoury appetite. The owner brought out different olive oils to dip croutons of crusty breads with, I was in heaven! That was until I spotted stuffed olives with feta, soaking in oil inside these cute jars. I didn’t have to beg my hubby to treat ourselves to these delights to take home, we both love our savouries too much!
Another quick visit was the visitor’s centre where we stepped into another time when we discovered the Old Police Station, built in 1922. It forms part of the centre and gave us an eerie feeling walking into these very small cells with the original mattress that was used back then. As well as looking around inside the visitors centre, admiring the touristy things, I picked up a couple of tulip pots for $2 as it was leftover from the garden show, Bargain!!
We only had a full weekend (Fri to Sun) to seek out a few places in Nannup, it’s definitely the place for a week or so to venture out more. We were planned to stay Nannup caravan park, but due to some leaky caravans they suggested we try The Loose Goose Cabins, and at a discounted price for two families. Which worked out perfecto as this place was just magic! Set up on a huge property with wondering geese, goats, peacocks, ducks and friendly dog. Set well away in the bush these log cabins had everything, I know its not true bush camping, but hey, got to have a bit of luxury sometime! A short walk back to the owners residence and we were welcomed to feed the many wandering geese and peacocks, that certainly looked very fed and looked after. Even the stick throwing dog couldn’t get enough of playing with the kids. Our dogs were most welcome here to, another added bonus. It was a very relaxing weekend, even with the kids! The next day, Sunday, was Father’s Day so the kids smothered their daddy with chocolates and socks galore, and we women were left to cook up a hearty breakfast for all. Checkout was a leisurely after lunch time, which worked out great, as we headed to Barrabup Pool for some lunch and a walk along the waters edge to end our time in Nannup.
If you wish to find out more about Nannup and its surrounds check out this link!
http://www.nannup.wa.gov.au/our_town/visitor_information
Kathy Monnery