Going on a road trip down south? Take a quick detour to Gnomesville, a quirky village made up of thousands of gnomes in the scenic Ferguson Valley,
About Gnomesville
Gnomesville is a free attraction open 365 days a year, located in South West’s Ferguson Valley, an unspoiled seemingly infinite landscape of rolling green hills, cows and thick bushland that can be found between Bunbury and Collie. It is in this valley (on the corner of Wellington Mill, Wellington Lowden and Ferguson Roads at the roundabout) where the legendary Gnomesville resides. Around 4000+ gnomes (and increasing) populate the dirt roadside area, merging back into the forest. Pathways have been put in place to see the gnomes, as well as picnic tables for those needing a quick break.
Legend has it Gnomesville began in the 1990’s after a local resident placed a single garden gnome in the hollow of a tree. Since then, thousands of gnomes have been placed in the area by locals and tourists.
There’s no place like gnome, there’s no place like gnome.
Be Respectful of Private Properties & Environment When You Visit
While you could say this big attraction is quite ‘phe-gnome-nal’ success (that word was phenomenal for those who don’t speak Gnomish), that success can also be a hindrance when tourists unknowingly or intentionally trespass on private properties with their gnomes. This is a serious security and environmental concern for locals in the area. Please be mindful that people own land right around Gnomesville’s village, so stick to the village and the pathways, and do not cross over fences. This issue even made it onto the news, see ABC’s article “Gnomesville a Victim of its Own Success“, detailing a local woman created a tongue-in-check Gnome Detention Centre to politely say if your gnome ends up on private property, they’ll end up in here! And as you can see below, it’s getting bigger and bigger. Also don’t steal any gnomes – because bad luck will follow you and stealing is bad, mmkay? Let’s keep this little attraction going for as long as we can!
Gnomesville’s Detention Centre – your gnome will end up in this heap if you put your gnome on someones private property!
My experience
My boyfriend and I decided to check out Gnomesville while on a road trip to Margaret River a few weekends ago, venturing “where gnome man has gnomed before” you could say. I heard alot about Gnomesville (I do like to keep up with whats quirky in WA after all) and decided we should do a quick detour to see what all the hype is about. When we arrived, I was blown away by how big the Gnomesville Village actually was – it’s not just a hundred gnomes, oh no, we’re talking thousands and thousands of them – some weird looking, some pretty looking, but yeh, mostly all of them are weird looking. For those who have secret gnome fetishes, they will really enjoy this place. We had such a great time here and were both so amused by what we were seeing, that I just had to take pics and put it on Perth Girl for you all to see.
I apologise in advance for all the puns you’ll come across in this article. Gnome sayin’? Cool. Otherwise, when it comes to gnome jokes, I’m a little short on them. Huzzah! My gnome game is strong. Check out my pictures below:
Here’s a snap taken outside the car on our way to Gnome man’s land, aka, Gnomesville. While driving on Ferguson Rd, we passed scenic landscapes that made our detour off the main highway all the more worthwhile.
As soon as we arrived at Gnomesville, we instantly were overwhelmed by just how many gnomes there were (there’s ALOT). We felt like we were in a TV show titled Better Gnomes and Gardens.
Here, we have a map that shows where the historic gnoman empire sits in the region of Ferguson Valley, down
Total Gnomination. Here, my boyfriend is slowly metamorphosing into a gnome himself.
Central area of Gnomesville, with a picnic area.
Here we have what appears to be a gnome-cat…. wait a minute…
Oh we see now. Family pets. We were like why is there a random cat hanging out near the gnomes.
Don’t worry, we discovered this wasn’t a wild cat because there’s a sign saying it’s a resident of the area. But still… you fool, do not touch it!
Because make gnome mistake, this cat will hiss at you if touch it.
Let’s take a look at some gnomes I came across. Oh look, some wholesome, happy stereotypical gnomes right here.
And here we have a more creepy gnome with mysterious intentions.
And a naked gnome that’s showing his bits to the world! Even the cow’s impressed!
There’s a gorgeous water stream through Gnomesville that gives breathtaking scenery.
Here I see others gnoming the countryside.
People leave all sorts of gnomes here to commemorate or celebrate different things. Brooke got gnomed for her birthday. And there’s a Gnome-style Mad Max with a flexible barbie on top. Nice!
A nativity scene, gnomes with baby gnome Jesus doing their blessed thang!
You really feel like you’re in a Gnomesville village here – it’s so quiet and peaceful!
A gnome murder scene. Oh gnomes!
Bring your tinder date here – the perfect romantic getaway!
A headless smurf dancling from the tree branch adds to the impressive gnomesville collection of oddities and custom made additions
Here we have some sort of oriental-style gnome? I’m thinking an ancient style Kung Fu style gnome teacher?
As you can see there are some unique hand painted gnomes found here, not your standard colourful boring gnomes.
We are the Gnomehunters. And we will show you gnomercy.
A motorcycle club with a stripper gnome. Realistic – I like it!
Sport teams leave their gnomes here – Hey Donnybrook Ladies Hockey Team!
Even schools leave their gnomes here. Hey Duncraig Senior High School!
Some charitable gnomes also found here.
Seemingly infinite number of gnomes.
And to finish it off, here’s ET randomly sitting on a tree. Because Gnomesville isn’t complete without its very own Gnome-Extraterrestrial.
HOW TO GET THERE
There are several ways to get to Gnomesville, but the quickest route would be from Bunbury along the Boyanup-Picton Road, through Dardanup and onto Ferguson Road. Stay on that road and you’ll reach Gnomesville in less than half an hour (under 30km). If you’re travelling from Collie, you can take the Collie Preston Road onto Donnybrook-Boyup Brook Road and drive 53km, or if you are after a more scenic route from Collie and don’t mind the extra time, you can go on Mungalup Road. But hey, don’t listen to me – use Google Maps, it really is your best friend.
Address: LOT 4059 Wellington Mill Rd, Wellington Mill WA 6236
(Cnr Wellington Mill Road, Ferguson Road & Wellington Lowden Road) Gnomesville can be seen right at that roundabout.
Explore more of Ferguson Valley
Visit the Ferguson Valley Visitor Centre website to see what’s happening in this beautiful, unspoiled region. Or contact (08) 9728 1551 for more information.
Other Useful Links:
http://www.southwestlife.com.au/articles/gnomesville.html
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I just gnome you’ll have a great time.
2 comments
Hi,
i live on the farm across the road. that cat is my cat. his name is Alex and you may have seen the other one, her name is Stella. i love seeing these photos. i hope you enjoyed Gnomesville.
Hi Hannah,
Oh wow! That’s awesome that you live on a farm across the road from Gnomesville – it’s a very beautiful area!
Your two cats Alex and Stella are very sweet. I like their adventurous spirit! (and Alex has quite the personality!)
Gnomesville puts a smile on everyones faces 🙂
Thanks for reading & commenting,
Tahnee