Where Is Balingup?

Question: Where Is Balingup?

• The Balingup Medieval Carnivale takes place this year, 2012, on the weekend of August 25-26.

Answer: Balingup lies along Western Australia's South Western Highway roughly equidistant from Perth, the state capital, and Albany on the southern coast.

A pleasant 240-kilometre, three-hour drive from the state capital, Perth, the community of Balingup lies in a region of timber forests, dairy, potato and fruit farms, and is home to a large arts and craft centre, an award-winning winery, antique shops, master craftsman jeweler, tea gardens and lavender farms.

Festivals

Balingup holds two colorful festivals each year: the community's Small Farm Field Day with a scarecrow mascot and scarecrow competition; and the Medieval Carnivale during August when tulips are in full flower.

Visitors to the Carnivale come to witness medieval parades and medieval fights with the townspeople attired in medieval costume.

Walking track

The Bibbulmun Track, Western Australia's long-distance walking trail, passes through Balingup. The 963.1-kilometre track runs from Kalamunda to Albany with campsites north and south of Balingup.

No bikes, horses or vehicles are allowed on the Bibbulmun Track.

Cheese and mushrooms

Balingup's Old Cheese Factory has been converted into a popular arts and crafts centre and is one of the town's attractions.

Magic mushrooms can also be found at certain times in the paddocks and forests around Balingup. These mushrooms are said to contain the hallucinogenic drug psylocybin, and people who pick them can be fined, if caught.