Click here to play a video about Myalup. Myalup Map Early records of Myalup or Myarlup as it was known in 1846, refer to land around Myalup Swamp east of the Old Coast Road and farmed principally by the Crampton and later the Manning families. Over the years not only the farm but the whole district became known as Myalup. The aboriginal word "mya" means bark of a paperbark. This could have given rise to the name Myalup possibly meaning the place of the paperbark tree, which is a common tree in the Myalup Swamp area. 
During the summer months before European settlement, the Noongar Ganeang Tribe wandered on the eastern shores of freshwater Lake Josephine on the south end of Lake Preston. Rumour has it that the western side of the Lake was taboo. More likely they preferred the fertile accessible areas around the estuary and the hills of Harvey. The native pasture of the early days on the coastal land was quite poor so farmers had a large acreage for their stock to wander and graze. The minimum acreage for farmers in the district during the late 1800's was about 4,000 acres. About 1890 the soil in the whole district was found to be deficient in phosphate therefore superphosphate was introduced to the pastures. It wasn't until about 1940 the coastal land was found to be lacking in trace elements such as copper, cobalt and zinc. The use of these improved farm land as it was also found the flats of the region improved when lime was added. (Shire of Harvey 1895-1995: Proud to be 100 p.80)
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