GREENOUGH Greenough is an historic village, that this day is intact. Greenough is a place where you have to lose yourself. There are no ghosts but plenty of stories that are ‘on the walls’ to digest and delight in. Greenough is a modern Port Arthur and heritage purists will love this place. Everything about Greenough is over a hundred years old. Young for Australia in relative terms, but certainly ‘old’ in WA terms. You cannot help but learn and enjoy from this heritage icon. The historic buildings are controlled by the Trusts. Another feature popular with tourists are the trees that are bent 90 degrees due to the coastal winds, Augustus Grey surveyed 30,000 acres (120 km²) of land in the region which became known as the Greenough Flats. A series of disasters starting with a major cyclone in 1872 and major flooding in 1888 as well as the discovery of gold in the goldfields caused the gradual decline and abandonment of the settlement so that by 1900 most of the settlers had left the area with many of the small farmlets converted to grazing. The town fell into disrepair until a tourism-based project in the 1980s helped refurbish many of the buildings. Before leaving Greenough, make a point of enjoying the coffee and scones at the café. That indulgence rounds off your visit to Greenough.