Crawley, Daglish, Dalkeith, Jolimont, Karrakatta, Nedlands, Shenton Park, Subiaco and parts of Claremont, Floreat, Mt Claremont, Wembley and West Leederville

Brief history of the suburbs in the Nedlands Electorate

The Nedlands electorate has altered greatly since it was first created in 1930.

Sir Norbert Keenan, QC a lawyer, represented the electorate for the first twenty years. Its size and number of constituents has increased greatly since its creation. In the 1930 election the number of voters was 6,174. There were 11 polling booths – three in Claremont, one each in Dalkeith and Hollywood and three each in Nedlands and West Subiaco.

In the last 2008 State election, there were 28,575 voters on the roll with 25,800 votes counted. There were 20 polling booths on the day and several before polling day in certain institutions.

For more information regarding the history of each the suburbs in the Nedlands electorate, read on.

Subiaco
Crawley
The University of Western Australia
Daglish
Jolimont
Shenton Park
Nedlands
Floreat
Karrakatta
Dalkeith

City of Subiaco

(The following information has been obtained and is available from Landgate (http://www.landgate.wa.gov.au) and the City of Subiaco office or online (www.subiaco.wa.gov.au) under “Walking Subiaco – Self Guided Tours”. A more comprehensive history of the area can be found in “Identity Prized: a History of Subiaco” by Ken Spillman and also from the Nyungah Circle of Elders in Guildford, Western Australia”)

Subiaco

The Nyungah people of the Swan River and Swan Coastal Plains inhabited the area now known as the City of Subiaco before and during the early days of white settlement. They are the traditional landowners, keepers of knowledge, custodians and carers of the land and waterways.

The first European residents were a group of Benedictine monks who came to the area in 1851 and established a settlement called New Subiaco north of the present boundary of the City of Subiaco. They named the settlement after the Italian town of Subiaco, founding place of the Benedictine order. By 1881 when the Perth to Fremantle railway opened there were still very few European settlers. In 1883 the first survey was carried out by George Rotton and a map of ‘Suburban Allotments near the City of Perth’ was produced. This map included the areas now comprising Subiaco, Shenton Park and Crawley. Subiaco’s population increased dramatically in the 1890s due to the combination of a depression in the eastern states and the gold rush in the Kalgoorlie area of Western Australia.

Families clustered in makeshift dwellings around water sources near the railway line and the present site of the Subiaco Primary School. Sub-division of the original allotments occurred during the 1890s and early in the new century, encouraging many settlers to purchase land and build a home. Rokeby Road, named after a hero of the Battle of Waterloo, Baron Rokeby of Armagh, rapidly became Subiaco’s focal point, and remains so. Park Street, to the east of Rokeby Road, lies at the heart of the triangular area of early sub-division between Thomas street and Rokeby Road. Park street has a number of iron roofed timber cottages, c1900. The owner/builders of some of these cottages ordered their pre-cut timber from Whittakers of Hay Street in preparation for a weekend of house construction – hence the saying that ‘Subiaco was built on a Sunday’.

Crawley

Pelican Point and the Matilda Bay area were among the traditional homes and hunting grounds of the Nyungah, the Indigenous people of the area. Nyungah groups moved along a chain of wetlands which were created by the Rainbow Serpent through spiritual dreaming. The wetlands are of religious significance to the Nyungah people, the traditional landowners, keepers of knowledge, custodians and carers of the land and waterways.

Henry Charles Sutherland, one of the colony’s first surveyors, acquired some of the land comprising the suburb of Crawley in 1837. Sutherland named his property “Crawley” after his mother Maria’s maiden name. The land was later purchased by Sir George Shenton. On his death, the State Government purchased the property and later granted a portion to The University of Western Australia.

The University of Western Australia

The University of Western Australia, established by an act of Parliament in 1911, was the first free University in the British Commonwealth of Nations. Lectures commenced in 1913 for 184 students in corrugated iron and weatherboard buildings known as “Tin Pan Alley” in Irwin Street, Perth. The University moved in stages to its present location on Matilda Bay, Crawley, the first building being Natural Sciences, Biology and Geology, in Park Avenue (1925), followed on the foreshore by Mining and Engineering (1927). Historic Shenton House, built as a private dwelling circa 1840, is also on the site.

The University was the inspiration of the first Chancellor Sir John Winthrop Hackett who was also the owner and editor of The West Australian newspaper. The Hackett bequest in 1926 provided the means for the creation of the Mediterranean-style Hackett Memorial buildings designed by Victorian architects Rodney Alsop and Conrad Sayce. The buildings are comprised of Winthrop Hall, Hackett Hall and Administration, and were constructed between 1929 and 1932 from Tamala limestone with dressings of Donnybrook sandstone. The gothic-style St George’s College, also funded from the Hackett bequest, was completed in 1931. Subsequent buildings around the campus have, on the whole, maintained the limestone colour and terracotta theme, the main exceptions being several utilitarian Public Works Department constructions (Chemistry, Physics and Civil Engineering) which were built during times of reduced funding.

Daglish

The history of Daglish begins beside the lakes and wetlands of the area. In the tradition of Aboriginal spiritual dreaming these wetlands, connected by underground streams, are of religious significance to the Nyungah people – as are other places of worship to the non-Indigenous community. The Nyungah people of the Swan River and Swan Coastal Plains are the traditional owners, keepers of knowledge, custodians and carers of the land and waterways. The wetlands were a source of water and food for Aboriginal groups who lived in and around this area, moving with seasonal changes along the Swan River and Swan Coastal Plains.

The suburb was named after Henry Daglish who came to Western Australia as a young man in the 1890s following his retrenchment from the Victorian Public Service. This occurred during a period of recession in the eastern states. In his adopted state, its economy buoyant with gold discoveries, Henry Daglish emerged as a leader, serving as Mayor of Subiaco and Premier of Western Australia in the early 20th century. Much of Daglish was built during the 1930s when its solid and distinctively styled Workers Homes Board houses were erected. North-west of the Clifford Sadlier Memorial Park lies an area of newer housing. Daglish is now essentially a residential area.

Jolimont

The history of Jolimont begins beside the lakes and wetlands of the area. In the tradition of Aboriginal spiritual dreaming these wetlands, connected by underground streams, are of religious significance to the Nyungah people – as are other places of worship to the non-Indigenous community. The Nyungah people of the Swan River and Swan Coastal Plains are the traditional owners, keepers of knowledge, custodians and carers of the land and waterways. The wetlands were a source of water and food for Aboriginal groups who lived in and around this area, moving with seasonal changes along the Swan River and Swan Coastal Plains.

In the early days of European settlement the wetland (today known as Mabel Talbot Park) was known as Perry’s Watering Hole. A herdsman, Joseph Perry, grazed cattle at this location and further west at Perry Lakes. It was called Jolimont Swamp after 1891 when the area was subdivided and named ‘Jolimont Estate’ by developer John Maddock. The surveyor, J. Irvine, came to Perth from the suburb of Jolimont in Melbourne.

Jolimont’s well-defined residential area dates back to the late 19th century. It was separated from Subiaco by vacant land to the east, along the railway. This area was later occupied by industrial sites, giving way to redevelopment for housing in the early years of the 21st century. The Jersey Street precinct continues to support a range of business and light industry. Beyond the western boundary of Jolimont lay natural woodland.

Shenton Park

The wetlands were a source of water and food for the Nyungah people who lived in and around this area and moved with seasonal changes along the Swan River and Swan Coastal Plains. Lake Jualbup is also an Aboriginal burial area and is registered with the State Government as an Aboriginal Site. Nyungah people today remain connected to Lake Jualbup through their religion and work closely with the City of Subiaco to protect and maintain the wetlands system.

The area was known as West Subiaco until the 1930s. The name was used by groups such as the local football club and the boy scouts. Well beyond the western boundary of Subiaco, the name was also adopted by the privately owned West Subiaco Aerodrome. The green and shady areas of public open space found in Shenton Park include the tranquil waters of Lake Jualbup, part of the wetlands system of the western suburbs.

Shenton Park, with its quiet streets and interesting shops, differs in atmosphere from the busy centre of the City of Subiaco. Shenton Park has a wide variety of housing styles.

Many of the original homes have been carefully maintained, restored and extended, resulting in precincts of great charm. Combinations of colour, design and architectural detail seen among groups of houses contribute to the unique ambience of this area where workers’ cottages built of timber and iron mingle with larger brick houses.

City of Nedlands

(The following Information has been obtained and is available from Landgate (http://www.landgate.wa.gov.au), the City of Nedlands and celebrated local historian A.E. Williams from his book “Nedlands: From Campsite to City”. For a more detailed history on this area the City of Nedlands Library has a dedicated local history section and historian)

Nedlands

Originally inhabited by the Mororo tribes, Nedlands made up part of the tribe’s vast hunting grounds and covered most of what is now known as the western suburbs. A favorite camping spot in this area was a fresh water spring where Archdeacon Road now stands. In 1854, Colonel John Bruce, Military Commandant of the Colony, brought land in this area, intending the land to be the heritage of his son Edward. He is said to have referred to the estate as “Ned’s Land” in the hope that one day he would be able to pass it down to his eldest son, however it is said he bought the property on impulse and due to Bruce’s commitments in the establishment of the developing city of ‘Perth’, he had little time for the land. The land remained completely under-developed until 1907.

Bruce died in 1870 and his family elected to return to England. The ‘Heir’ Edward Bruce, later Major Edward Bruce of the 19th Bengall Lancers, returned Western Australia for a brief trip in 1883 and on a mortgage dated 29th June in that year, the various locations left to him by his father are described as being the land “known as Nedlands”. This land was then left to be administered and absorbed into the Bruce Estate Trusts. Edward never had any active part in the development of the property. It wasn’t until 1910 that any major subdivision and development took place.

Floreat

The Floreat area was known for many years as the Limekilns Estate. The name of Floreat was the choice of the city of Perth Town Clerk, Mr W E Bold. Floreat in Latin means “let it flourish” and is part of the City’s coat of arms.

A full and detailed history of the area is contained on Cambridge Notes a comprehensive online Local Studies database. The Timeline database holds snippets of information on historical events in the Cambridge area dating back to 1834. These notes have been sourced from resources within the collection and from information provided by local residents. Database entries are added and amended as new information comes to hand.

The Resource database is an index of Local Studies items that are not catalogued in the main Cambridge Library catalogue. It currently holds information on all articles in our newspaper clippings collection and our photograph collection. To view click here: http://library.cambridge.wa.gov.au/localstudies/cambridgenotes

Karrakatta

The termination katta is well known, and is given as the Aboriginal word for a hill, or the top of any height, in the early Aboriginal vocabularies. The karra is more difficult as it may be derived from – Karri – a crab, Karak – the red-tailed black cockatoo, Kara – a spider, Karh-rh – an orchid with an edible root.

The meaning of the combined word could therefore be the hill, or top of the hill, where the orchid with the edible root is found, or the hill frequented by the red-tailed black cockatoo, or the hill where spiders are found and so on. It is not definitely known which is the exact area called by the Aborigines “Karrakatta” but it is generally thought to be been the top of Mount Eliza. Today the majority of Karrakatta taken up by the cemetery, which commenced service in 1899, with the Australian Army ‘Irwin’ barracks making up the Northern section of .

Dalkeith

The Aboriginal name this area is “Katamboordup”, which was originally inhabited by the Mororo tribes. Their hunting grounds were vast and covered most of what is now known as the western suburbs. A favorite camping spot in this area was a fresh water spring where Archdeacon road now stands. The present suburb of Dalkeith was originally Swan Location 85 of 320 acres, which was owned by Adam Armstrong in 1837. Armstrong’s property was known as ‘Dalkeith Farm’ which he named after his birthplace of Dalkeith near Edinburgh near Scotland.

After Armstrong the property was taken up by James Gallop, who also owned the ‘Melville Location’ 504. In 1886 a business syndicate headed by Alexander Forrest made the acquisition of 174 acres off Gallop. Having seen the profits to be made off the sale of land, Gallop then subdivided the rest of the land and by 1897 the first blocks of East Dalkeith were available for sale. After Forrest’s death in 1901 his benefactors decided to subdivide the remaining land and in an effort to attract investors decided to adopt a crescent pattern, they also wanted to avoid sharp corners in the hope that a tram system would eventually be built.

At this time John Forrest had the foresight to acknowledge the importance of retaining the foreshore for public use and declared the area from what is now Jutland Pde back towards UWA as ‘A’ class reserve.