A service town located in the centre of a rich agricultural district which predominantly raising beef cattle and grows oranges. This picturesque village is one of the oldest in the state.

Today it retains much of its antiquity being an absolutely delightful and quaint township with a substantial number of historical buildings, a excellent old pub, and the lazy, tree-lined Gingin Brook running through the heart of the settlement. Nestled into the valleys to the north of Perth, it is the ideal distance from the capital for a pleasant day trip.

Gingin Walkabout Trail

The Gingin Walkabout Trail, a pleasant 45 minute wander around the town, includes Jones Shop (1854), St Luke's Anglican Church (1861) which is an attractive Gothic Revival church made out of local casuarina rock and with a shingle roof, the Uniting Church (1870) which was the local Wesleyan Church - it is built from bricks which were dug and baked in the village, Gingin Post Office (1886) and Philbey's Cottage (1903), a charming gabled cottage made from casuarina rock. Philbey was the Town Clerk of the Gingin Municipality at this time.

In the village there is the remarkable Dewar's House in Weld Street. This National Trust listed building was built of Flemish bond bricks. It is a good example of an early large dwelling in rural Western Australia. Detached from the house is the original Gingin Store which was, for most of the surrounding settlers, the centre of the tiny township.

Gingin Observatory

Co-located with the Gravity Discovery Centre, visitors can experience the wonders of space by viewing through telescopes, engaging with astronomers and by interacting during a big screen presentation that highlights our Universe.

Gravity Discovery Centre

A not for profit science education facility, which aims to inspire interest in science and technology. It is the home of the Leaning Tower of Gingin.

Bindoon Boys Town

(29 km east): Now a Catholic Agricultural College, Bidoon Boys Town was little more than a slave camp for orphaned British children in the post World War II days. It was run by the Christian Brothers under the tyrant Brother Francis Paul Keaney. An inquiry by the Australian Senate in 2001 heard many stories of rape, abuse and cruelty.

Bindoon

A small community at the heart of the Shire of Chittering, located on the Great Northern Highway, north of Midland and some 84 kms from Perth. The village has a number of picturesque stone buildings and a museum filled with mainly agricultural machinery.

Nambung National Park

Nambung National Park contains one of Australia's most fascinating landscapes - The Pinnacles Desert. Out of the shifting yellow sands rise thousands of huge limestone pillars, standing in stark contrast to the surrounding low heathlands typical of this coast.

Brief history

Gingin was gazetted a townsite in 1871, but before this, in 1869, another townsite named Granville was gazetted about 3 5 km to the westward. Granville was never fully developed.

The Gingin area was first explored by George Fletcher Moore in 1836, who recorded the Aboriginal name "Jinjin". Later when a property was surveyed here for W L Brockman in 1843 the name was shown as "Gingin Station". The major stream in the area was also recorded as Gingin Brook in 1848. Gingin is an Aboriginal name, the meaning of which is uncertain, but has been said to mean "footprint". Another source suggests the name is derived from Ginginnup, said to be "the place where native pear trees grow".