Marbelup

The townsite of Marbelup is situated near the south coast, about 15 kilometres west of Albany. The W.A. Land Company, which built the Great Southern Railway in the period 1886-1889, established a station named Marbellup here when the line was opened in 1889. The Company surveyed a small subdivision, but very little land had been sold when the government purchased the railway in 1896. Land was reserved for the townsite of Marbelup with the gazettal of Reserve 6926 on 17th November 1899. This reserve was officially gazetted as "Marbelup Townsite " on 24th August 1900. Only one lot was ever sold, and the townsite is now a nature reserve (Stack, 2002).

"Marbelup" is an Aboriginal name, first recorded in 1868 as "Marblup", and then as "Marbellup Creek" and "Marbelup Brook" in 1888-1890. The meaning of the word is not known. When referring to the locality or the townsite, the correct spelling is Marbelup. Within the same area there is also Marbelup Road, Marbelup Brook, Marbelup Nature Reserve and Marbelup Road North. "Marbellup" is merely a common alternative spelling. Within the Shire of Esperance there is Marbellup Creek and Marbellup Hill (Stack, 2002).

Marbellup Farm was the name given to a farm developed by David Young (1825-1918) and wife Margaret nee Muir (1832-1885). They purchased the land overlooking Wilson's Inlet from Henry Tully. Young had migrated from Scotland at the age of nine, with his family, in 1834, and worked in the service of Patrick Taylor (Candyup, Lower Kalgan), before starting a haulage business with a bullock team. He carted stone for the construction of St John's church, Albany (Johnson, 2001).

Various public plans of the locality use an assortment of spellings and terms: Marblup River, Marbelup / Marbellup Brook, Marbellup Creek, Marbelup / Marbellup Townsite, Marbelup Road. "Marbellup Station" was included in the Great Southern Railway Timetable of June 1889. Current public plans use the spelling Marbellup for the townsite and brook (Stack, 2002).