Bindoon
Postcode: 6502
Bindoon is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Shire of Chittering. Its post code is 6502. Bindoon is also where the majority of training and selection takes place for the Australian Special Air Service Regiment. Some of the facilities include live-firing ranges, the Brigade Special Training Facilities (MOUT)and full scale Boeing 747 mockup to simulate the storming of an airliner.
The first European settler in the area named his property (the ruins of the original homestead can still be seen north of the town – ask at the Chittering Tourist Promotion Centre or at the Bindoon Hotel for directions) Bindoon which is thought to be the local Aboriginal word for ‘a place where yams grow’.
The early pioneers eked a simple living from the land by growing fruit and vegetables and raising a few head of cattle and sheep. There was no real development of the area and transportation between Bindoon and Perth was slow and unreliable.
The development of the village was so slow that even by the 1950s there was really nothing more than a post office, garage and general store.
Bindoon’s proximity to Perth and its location en route between Perth and New Norcia have ensured that in recent times the district has seen a dramatic expansion of tourism.