Mount Barker is a town and locality on Albany Highway, and the administrative centre of the Shire of Plantagenet in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. At the 2021 census, Mount Barker had a population of 2,855.

The town was named after the nearby hill, which in turn was named in 1829 by Thomas Braidwood Wilson in honour of Captain Collet Barker, who was in command of Western Australia's original British settlement at King George's Sound from 1829 to 1831.

Location Mount Barker is situated on Albany Highway, southeast of Perth and north of the city of Albany. The coastal town of Denmark is around by road to the southwest via the Denmark to Mount Barker Road. The timber town of Manjimup is west of Mount Barker, via Muir Highway. The Hay River, which flows into Wilson Inlet at Denmark, begins its journey just west of Mount Barker.

History Prior to European settlement, small groups of Aboriginal people, the Bibulman, followed seasonal movement patterns through the region. The Aboriginal name for Mount Barker Hill is Pwakkenbak.

In December 1829, Mount Barker was named after Captain Collet Barker, commandant of the garrison at King George Sound, by naval ship's surgeon Thomas Braidwood Wilson. Wilson explored the area in company with the Noongar man Mokare from King George Sound, John Kent (officer in charge of the Commissariat at Frederick Town, King George Sound), two convicts and Private William Gough of the 39th Regiment, while his ship Governor Phillip was being repaired.

European settlement of the Hay River area commenced around the 1830s and the opening of the Perth/Albany Railway in 1889 helped to ensure the town's future; the first store opened in 1890. Population growth continued through the 1890s and the first school and the town hall were opened in 1893. The population of the town was 326 (183 males and 143 females) in 1898.

Industry Apple orchards were once one of the major industries in the region and thrived until the mid-1960s. Today, viticulture, wheat, canola, plantation timber, sheep and cattle are some of the main agricultural activities still carried out around Mount Barker.

The Plantagenet Shire owns and operates the Great Southern Regional Cattle Saleyards that provide services to cattle producers from within and outside the shire.

Mount Barker is also home to The Banksia Farm which boasts one of every known species of Banksia and most species of Dryandra.

The Stirling and Porongurup Range National Parks are located within the Plantagenet Shire and these, together with the local premium wine industry, have contributed to the growth of tourism in and around Mount Barker.

Available accommodation includes motels, a caravan park and a number of bed and breakfast establishments and farm-stays in the surrounding area.

There has been a steady growth of hobby farming around the town and throughout the shire as people abandon city-life for a "tree change". This has seen a corresponding increase in cottage industries offering a range of art and craft products.

A quarry to the east of the town is one of two major sources of spongolite, also called "Mount Barker Stone". While spongolite is commercially exploited for its absorbent qualities, it is also cut into bricks to use as a building material. Examples of white Mount Barker Stone are the Plantagenet Players Theatre, Marmion Street, Mount Barker and Hillside House, Albany. An example of the red variety is the Aquinas College Chapel in Salter Point, Perth.

In 2011, a wind farm was installed north of Mount Barker, comprising three 800 kW wind turbines, providing power to the town and surrounding area.

Wine region Mount Barker is one of the five nominated subregions of the Great Southern wine region in Western Australia, which is Australia's largest wine region, with a rectangle 200 kilometres from east to west and over 100 kilometres from north to south. The area has been described as "the birthplace of the Great Southern wine region" and has won numerous awards for a variety of wines.Great Southern - Australian wine regions - Wine Diva Australia Situated as it is in the middle of the Great Southern, the continental aspects of the climate make this ideal country for Riesling and Shiraz. While, as with the rest of the region, rainfall is winter-spring dominant, late vintage rains can create problems. Mount Barker's continentality also means greater diurnal temperature fluctuations and the occasional spring frost. The Plantagenet Plateau, with Mount Barker its centre point, is marked by its marri soils, lateritic gravelly/sandy loams coming directly from granite rock protrusions. Plantagenet Wines, established in 1968, was one of the first wineries in the region and is located within the town boundary.Great Southern wine region history

Features

The peak of Mount Barker lies southwest of the town centre, and reaches an elevation of above sea level. A sealed road leads to the base of a radio and television tower on the summit of the hill. The tower was constructed to a height of in 1966, and extended to in 2001. Views extend north to the Stirling Range and east to the Porongurup Range. An elevated concrete lookout provides views south to Albany and southwest toward Denmark. On clear days the Albany Wind Farm is visible away to the south. In summer months the hill lookout is used to monitor risk posed by any nearby bushfires.

Mount Barker is also home to numerous historical buildings: St Werburghs Chapel was built in 1872 with walls made from chopped straw, clay and woodwork formed from local jarrah. A small cemetery doubles as a historical reference for the region. It is currently maintained only by local volunteers, and funded by donations. The chapel is a tourist drawcard and still operates regular services once a month, along with special Christmas "Carols By Candlelight" events. The old police station, opened in 1868, is now a museum. The Mount Barker Post Office and Telegraph Station, built in 1892, ceased operation in the 1960s. Today it is named "Mitchell House" and houses the local art society and gallery. Plantagenet Hotel was built between 1912 and 1914. The verandah includes apple motifs, in celebration of the flourishing apple industry. The hotel is still open for business. The town railway building, built in 1923, was restored in 1997 and today houses the Mount Barker Visitor Centre, offering local tourism information.

Sometime from the late 1950s to the early 1960s, Dutch immigrant and engineer Hubertus Johannes Van der Kolk built a circular house at the northern end of Mount Barker, beside Albany Highway. This unique structure, which could be rotated through 180 degrees to exploit seasonal changes, was labelled "The Round House". Though the home has fallen into disrepair, it was heritage listed in 2005 and Heritage Minister Fran Logan said: "It was an energy-efficient concept ahead of its time."Heritage Council of WA Media release; September 2005 The home was hidden from passers-by for many years by trees and shrubs but clearing for major roadworks, which commenced in December 2006, resulted in it once again being exposed to public view. Restoration works have been completed on "The Round House", however, engineers have stated that the damage is too extensive to the turning mechanism and the building will not be able to turn. The Heritage Council has published a detailed history of this "rare" building in a Register of Heritage Places - Assessment Document.Register of Heritage Places - Assessment Document. September 2005. Round House, Mount Barker The farming areas surrounding the town are also rich with old farmhouses, sheds and machinery.

The Stirling Range lies approximately 40 km to the northeast of the town by road, via Kendenup. The Porongurup Range is a 15-minute drive to the east of the town. The two ranges have vastly different appearances and display different flora and geology. Both parks have gazetted walk trails that are especially popular during the spring wildflower season, from August to November. The Porongurup Range has a "Granite Skywalk" access from the Castle Rock walk trail. The upper skywalk encompasses nearly 360-degree views, whilst the lower skywalk gives visitors views across the valley to the Stirling Range.

Schools Mount Barker Community College is an independent school that include both primary and secondary schools on the same campus. The college is located off Albany Highway on Woogenellup Road.

Mount Barker Community College opened in 2015; however, the college was previously known as Mount Barker Senior High School when it was still a state school.

Media Mount Barker radio stations include 783 Triple M (formerly 6VA and RadioWest), Vision FM, HitFM (formerly Hot FM), ABC South Coast, ABC NewsRadio, ABC Radio National, ABC Classic & Triple J.

+ Radio service frequencies Service Broadcast frequency ABC Local Radio 630 kHz AM 783 Triple M 783 kHz AM ABC News 92.1 MHz FM Triple J 92.9 MHz FM Vision Christian Radio 93.7 MHz FM ABC Classic 94.5 MHz FM HitFM 95.3 MHz FM ABC Radio National 96.9 MHz FM

Localised television stations available in Mount Barker include Seven Network, WIN Television Western Australia, West Digital Television, SBS and ABC Television Western Australia. Seven (formerly GWN7) broadcasts a half-hour news program for regional WA, Seven News Regional WA (formerly GWN7 News), at 5:30pm on weeknights with a district newsroom covering Albany, Mount Barker and surrounding areas, based in Albany.

Services are broadcast from the Southern Agricultural site at Mount Barker Hill and cover the majority of the geographic area, with some residents relying on receiving these services via satellite using the Viewer Access Satellite Television system. The transmission site employs vertical polarisation.

+ Television service frequencies LCN Channel name Broadcast ch. no. Broadcast frequency 2 ABC TV VHF 11 219.5 MHz 3 SBS VHF 10 212.5 MHz 5 10 HD VHF 12 226.5 MHz 6 7HD Regional WA VHF 6 177.5 MHz 8 9HD VHF 8 191.5 MHz 20 ABC HD VHF 11 219.5 MHz 21 ABC TV VHF 11 219.5 MHz 22 ABC Family/Kids VHF 11 219.5 MHz 23 ABC Entertains VHF 11 219.5 MHz 24 ABC News VHF 11 219.5 MHz 30 SBS HD VHF 10 212.5 MHz 31 SBS2 VHF 10 212.5 MHz 32 SBS World Movies VHF 10 212.5 MHz 33 SBS Food VHF 10 212.5 MHz 34 NITV HD VHF 10 212.5 MHz 35 SBS WorldWatch VHF 10 212.5 MHz36NITVVHF 10212.5 MHz 50 10 Drama VHF 12 226.5 MHz 55 10 Comedy VHF 12 226.5 MHz 62 7two Regional WA VHF 6 177.5 MHz 64 7mateHD Regional WA VHF 6 177.5 MHz 67 TVSN VHF 6 177.5 MHz 68 Racing.com VHF 6 177.5 MHz 80 9HD VHF 8 191.5 MHz 81 9Gem VHF 8 191.5 MHz 82 9Go! VHF 8 191.5 MHz 85 9Life VHF 8 191.5 MHz

Facilities

Mount Barker has a hospital and medical centre, police station, TAFE college, a community college catering for K–12 schooling, childcare facilities plus Scouts and Girl Guides. New shire offices were opened in the town centre in 2006.

In 2004, the state government announced preliminary funding for construction of the Mount Barker Community College. This "One Community, One College" project will ultimately see all public schooling, from kindergarten to TAFE, located on the existing Mount Barker Senior High School site. Work commenced on the integrated facility in January 2007 with the aim of catering for years 4 to 12 by 2008.Learning City – Learning Region Audit and Study "GROWING THE GREAT SOUTHERN" In December 2007, funding for Stage Two, for Kindergarten to year 3, was confirmed. Construction of all stages is now complete, as is the new Trade Training Centre.