The inlet in turn is named for the Walpole River, discovered in 1831 by
Captain Thomas Bannister, and named by Governor Stirling for Captain W.
Walpole, with whom he had served aboard HMS Warspite in 1808.
The
first European settlers to arrive in the area were Pierre Bellanger and
his family in 1909. They travelled aboard the Grace Darling from Albany
to take up 4,000 acres (16 km) of land.
Land in the Walpole area was
reserved for a national park in 1910, and the area subsequently became a
popular holiday destination. Major development began to occur in the
1930s as part of the land settlement scheme. The railway reached
Nornalup in 1929, and the Walpole town site was gazetted in 1933.
Walpole
was always the preferred name, but it was believed this was already in
use in Tasmania. So the newly-gazetted township was officially named
Nornalup, but this caused confusion with the railway terminus 13
kilometres east. Eventually the Post Office advised that there was no
Walpole in Tasmania, and in 1934 the town reverted to its original name
of Walpole.
Walpole is one of the few towns through which the Bibbulmun Track passes.
The
area is famous for the giant tingle and karri trees of old growth
forest. Another attraction is the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk in
the Walpole-Nornalup National Park
