The name "Dandalup", a
Noongar name relating to the rivers in the area, was shown on maps from 1835 onwards, but its meaning is unclear. When the Pinjarra to Picton Junction railway was joined to
Perth in 1894, North Dandalup, near where the river of that name crossed the railway, was noted as a stopping place. Whittaker's timber railway ran from North Dandalup into the
Darling Ranges where they had been granted a forestry concession of . Land for a school was set aside in 1899 and the school commenced operations in April 1900. A
town hall and
recreation ground were built in 1915. The town was gazetted in 1972, a year after work began on the construction of the nearby
South Dandalup Dam. On 28 October 1994, the $50 million
North Dandalup Dam was opened 6 km from the town. ==Present day==