Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australind is one of the fastest-thriving coastal communities in regional Australia. Boarded by the Brunswick and Collie rivers and Leschenault Estuary, in 1840, the West Australian Land Company bought land in part to build a port and carry farm produce and horses from Australia to India; hence the name Australind—a combination of Australia and India. The venture was failing when Marshall Waller Clifton and his people arrived in four little ships in the 1840s, the Parkfield, Diadem, Island Queen and Trusty.

The Australind Heritage Trail includes St Nicholas church, believed to be the smallest church in Australia. Built in 1840, the jarrah building is 3.8 metres wide and 6.7 metres long. Henton Cottage was originally a hotel for pioneers, and the cottage's two original rooms came on one of the ships. Upton House was built in the 1840s for Elizabeth Fry, the English prison reformer and sister-in-law to the Marshall Waller Clifton. It became the home of the Clifton family when Elizabeth decided not to come to Australia. A descendant of the Clifton family still lives there today. The Clifton family farm, Alverstoke, was signed over to Marshall Waller Clifton in 1842. Alverstoke has been lovingly preserved by John and Mary Clifton and their family. It is like stepping back in time, with the outbuilding sheds and the famous Clifton Area School, which was run by Miss Emily Clifton. There was a reunion of the families who are descendants of the original settlers on those four small boats, and they had a wonderful reunion at Alverstoke. Australind has a rich history and a strong future. (Time expired)