Townsite lots were surveyed at this place by surveyor W.F. Rudall in 1909 after the Lands Department became aware that the site was planned as the terminus of the "Pinjarra-Marrinup Railway". Names suggested for the place by Rudall were "Dwellingerup" or "Marrinup", after nearby brooks, or "McLarty" after a localMLA who had been very active concerning the railway. Surveyor General H.F. Johnston chose "Dwellingupp" after being misinformed regarding the spelling of Dwellingerup Brook. Ignoring a suggestion from the Under Secretary to amend the name to "Dwellingdown", the Minister for Lands approved the name as "Dwellingup" in December 1909. Eventually, the spelling "Dwellingupp" was chosen by order of the Under Secretary for Lands, and the townsite was gazetted as Dwellingupp in February 1910. The spelling was amended to Dwellingup in 1915. Dwellingup is an Aboriginal name said to mean "place of nearby water" or "on and by the whole place there is fog, dew and mist".
Bushfires
In one of Western Australia's worst bushfires, many small surrounding communities in the area were destroyed, including 132 houses in Dwellingup itself, in the fires of 1961. There were no fatalities, but 800 people were left homeless. The town was rebuilt. Dwellingup experienced serious bushfires again over the week starting on 3 February 2007. Sixteen houses were destroyed and thousand of hectares of private property and forest were burnt. There was no loss of life.
Bauxite mining
Dwellingup is near the largest bauxite mine in the world, at Huntly, which supplies ore to the Pinjarra and Kwinana aluminium refineries.
Facilities
Dwellingup is home to Nanga Bush Camp, a popular camp for seniorprimary schools and high schools. Some of the activities at Nanga Bush Camp include water rafting, night watching, a swimming area and bush tracks. Another major attraction in the area is the Hotham Valley Railway. A Dwellingup Forest Ranger Tour operates between May and October, and is steam hauled between Pinjarra and Dwellingup. Dwellingup has a skate park and pump track. It also has the Munda Biddi Bike Trail and the Captain Fawcett 4WD Trail. The Bibbulmun Track, a long-distance walk trail, passes through Dwellingup.
Climate
Dwellingup is one of the wettest inhabited places in Western Australia, with an average annual rainfall of over 1,200 mm. It has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate.
