History of Denmark, Western Australia

A brief History of Denmark:

For the full history of Denmark we suggest you visit the Denmark Historical Museum.

Pre European:
The Aboriginal people, the Noognar had been around for 40,000 years.

1624: The Dutch were the first to explore the south coast of Australia around current day Denmark.

1829: A British outpost has been set up in Albany in 1826 and the first European explorer to discover Denmark was Dr. Thomas Braidwood Wilson, a surgeon, and he named the town after his esteemed colleague Alexander Denmark. Wilson reported positively on the area.

Settlement:

1895: The first settlers arrived. The Millar brothers, Edwin and Charles, obtained leases on the timber in the area. They opened several sawmills in Denmark. The town was created to house the families of those working at the sawmills. Wood was used to build workers homes, several stores and the town bridge. A high demand for timber from Europe and around the world and the nearby goldrush kept the sawmills busy. The timber was being used in construction of all types. Denmark was populated at that time by over 1000 timber workers and their families.

School:

1896: The first school opened on the site of what is now the Denmark Arts building and the RSL Hall now stands on the site of the first headmaster's house.

Church:

1899: The first church was built, now known as St. Leonard's Anglican Church, which is now the oldest remaining building in Denmark.

Milling Peak:

1900: Milling was at its peak and Denmark had a thriving population of around 2000. The demand for karri timber was high all around the world and a new railway line was built to aid transportation.Timber was sent along the Nornalup-Albany Railway and was exported by boat. Denmark town was alcohol free, a 'dry town'.

1902: Millars Karri and Jarrah Company was formed from the merging of seven major sawmillers. The forests were harvested at a tremendous rate.

1903: The easily accessed millable trees were soon all cut down leaving the families and workers short of a livelihood. The Millars closed down the Denmark mills and school and the company town of Denmark was no longer 'required'.

Local Hero:

1904: The church was closed and the Millars started to close down the town and were set to demolish the buildings. Only a few millworkers and their families remained. Alfred Randall is the local hero who saved Denmark, he petitioned the Government to protect all that had already been achieved and to pay out the Millars.

1907: The WA Government bought the town (land, buildings, the mills and the railway) for £5,000 from the Millars after a long negotiation period. They made it possible for people to settle again in Denmark but this was slow.

Rebuilding:

1909: The Church re-opened.
1910: The Butter factory opened to assist the Dairy farming industry. Dairy farming had become the major industry in the area.
1913: Denmark's population had re-grown to over 500, the school reopened as the Denmark State School.
1914 - 1918: This time of WW1 saw a virtual cessation of normal life. It brought hardship and loss on all levels.

Group Settlement Scheme:

1922: After WW1, the Group Settlement Scheme, focused on large scale assisted immigration to Australia, brought families to the area. Settlers were to develop a sustainable dairy industry.

Small farms of 100 acres were cleared for cattle, dairy farming and orchards. The cost of setting up each farm was grossly miscalculated and the scheme collapsed with just over one third of the proposed farms were ever developed. The Red Cross Building was used to facilitate the Denmark groups.

First Police Station:

1923: The first Police Station was built, which is now the site of the Historical Museum.

1927: The Denmark Hotel was built by John Clarke (who also commissioned the bandstand on the opposite side of the river which opened in 1964.)

1930's: The great depression saw the town's second mass desertion. Many of the alloted farms from Group Settlement simply could not be sustained and families were forced to move out. Again the population dwindled.

Denmark Today:

TODAY: Today Denmark's is a peaceful town of around 5000. The economy is sustained by a combination of tourism, farming, fishing and the arts.

The people are "a colourful mix of different characters, individualists, followers of natural care, spiritualists, naturalists, artisans, artists and retired people of all ages from all parts of the world." says Wikipedia. (We tend to agree!)