Brewing Hops
The box proudly proclaims “Bunn’s Hops are grown on the famous Waterfall Hop Gardens of Pemberton”. These Hop Gardens are where Karri Valley Resort now stands. The hop farm was started here in the 1950s, and had the advantage of reliable irrigation from Beedelup Brook, a permanent stream which ran through the property. The Swan Brewery helped to construct Lake Beedelup, giving even more reliability to the water supply. Irrigation was essential for this thirsty crop. The Waterfall Hop Gardens were not the first hops grown in the area. In 1929 John Bunn planted hops, and sold them to the Swan Brewery and interstate. The Swan Brewery continued to be the main customer for the Pemberton growers until 1978 when it changed its brewing process at its new brewery. This saw the end of the hop industry in Western Australia.