estimated population of 400. Milestones in the town's early history include: 1900 – The town's first building was opened, a school, with 15 students. 1909 – A railway line from Donnybrook reached Boyup Brook. 1910 – The Agricultural Hall was opened. 1911 – A permanent policeman was assigned to the town. The hotel was opened. The railway line was extended from Boyup Brook to Kojonup and Katanning. 1912 – An official post office was established. (An unofficial post office had existed for three years prior to that.) 1914 – Land in the town site was opened for leasing. 1924 – The Upper Blackwood Soldiers' Memorial Hospital was opened. – Electricity was generated and distributed within the town site. 1936 – The town hall was opened. Name of the town The town was originally gazetted as Boyup by an Executive Council minute dated 31 January 1900. However the name Boyup Brook was in common use by the locals, the Progress Committee and the Upper Blackwood Road Board. In 1908 residents suggested that the town be renamed to Boyup Brook, to avoid confusion with the similarly named Boyanup. Lee Steere, by now the Speaker of the Assembly and member for Nelson, which included the area, strongly supported the use of the name over that of "Throssell", which had been advocated by some at the time. The name was ultimately changed to Boyup Brook on 5 February 1909 to match the railway station that was built in 1908–1909. Even after the change, there was still confusion about the name within the government, as can be seen in the name and text of the Boyup-Kojonup Railway Act 1909, assented some 10 months after the official change of name. Country music festival The town hosts the Boyup Brook Country Music Festival, an annual event, held in February each year. The festival has been held since 1986 and the attendance at the event has increased from 500 at the first festival to over 13,000 in recent years. It was originally held on the town's football oval, but in 2007 the purpose-built "Music Park", with a permanent stage and sound shell, was officially opened and the festival has been held there each year since. Sport Boyup Brook has many sporting teams within the community. In summer, cricket, tennis, swimming and lawn bowls are prominent, while in winter, Australian rules football, field hockey, netball and golf are played.