Northbridge, Western Australia

Northbridge Perth,  Western Australia
William Street, Northbridge
Coordinates	31°56′46″S115°51′14″E / 31.946°S 115.854°E / -31.946; 115.854
Population	1,420 (SAL 2021) [1]
Postcode(s)	6003
Area	0.5 km2 (0.2 sq mi) [2]
Location	1 km (1 mi) N of the Perth CBD
LGA(s)	City of Perth
State electorate(s)	Perth
Federal division(s)	Perth
Suburbs around Northbridge: West Perth North Perth Highgate West Perth Northbridge East Perth West Perth Perth CBD Perth CBD

Northbridge is an inner city suburb of Perth, Western Australia, historically separated from Perth's central business district by the Fremantle and Joondalup railway lines. It is part of the City of Perth local government area.

Location

Located immediately north of the CBD, Northbridge is officially bounded by William Street, Roe Street, Newcastle Street and the Mitchell Freeway.

The name Northbridge is often misapplied to areas and landmarks east of William Street and/or north of Newcastle Street,^{[ citation needed ]} such as the Perth Cultural Centre, which are technically still part of the suburb of Perth.

The area is accessible by foot from Perth railway station and Perth Busport. It is served by a free Central Area Transit bus and also has a significant number of public car parks, both open and high rise.

The area is largely a mix of commercial, public and residential properties.

History

The area now known as Northbridge originally hosted freshwater swamps where the current railway station and railway lines are. ^[3]

Draining of the swamps commenced in the 1860s, by convict labour, facilitating the construction of more permanent buildings. ^[3] The gold boom of the 1890s saw the construction of many hotels for the accommodation of prospectors, including The Great Western Hotel (built 1896, now the Brass Monkey Hotel). ^{[3] [4]} The 1890s saw the area home to the state attorney-general and many other wealthy or influential people. ^[3]

Several private schools were also established in the late colonial area, such as Scotch College (1897) and Presbyterian Ladies' College (1915). ^[3] These schools have since relocated. Around the time of World War I, the area became a hub of European immigration, especially Greek and Macedonian. ^[3]

In the 1950s and 60s post-war European migration changed the culture of the city, creating an al-fresco lifestyle of restaurants, cafes and bars that people enjoy today. ^[3]

The area was once a part of the Perth central business district, and was known by informal names such as "North of the Bridge" and "North of the [railway] Line". It was split from Perth and officially gazetted as a suburb in 1982. ^[5]

Culture

Northbridge Piazza

Northbridge presently is a multicultural precinct, and contains a wide array of cuisine, including Asian and Mediterranean cuisine, and contains Perth's main nightlife district, which is centred on James Street and Lake Street. Northbridge's restaurant, cafe and bar scene varies from laneway bars and hole in the wall eateries, to prominent multi storey venues such as the Brass Monkey and Metro City concert club. Northbridge also hosts Perth's main Chinatown area centred around Chung Wah Lane. ^[6]

The area has a historical connection to the Greek and Italian communities, with Perth's first Orthodox Church located on Parker Street. ^{[7] [8]}

The main public open space area in the suburb is at Russell Square. The Northbridge Piazza also serves as an open air communal space, which has been used as a venue to show free movies, live music performances, and broadcasts of popular sporting events. ^[9]

In March 2018, Yagan Square was officially opened, a new public space between the CBD and Northbridge. The Digital Tower, the Marketplace and recreational areas are now available for tourists and residents.

Northbridge History Project

Old Tower House, Northbridge

In the early 2000s the Northbridge History Project was supported by the Government of Western Australia, on the recommendation of a report to the Premier Richard Court. The project finished in 2010.

Northbridge History Study Days were conducted in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. ^[10]

During the project duration publications were produced, and an archive of the project was made, with publications and reports available on the project website. ^{[11] [12]}

The book published in 2009 compiling the Study Days papers ^[13] had the following items from two years:

Papers from 2007

• Felicity Morel-EdnieBrown The swamp stealers : topography and change in Northbridge
• Jenny Gregory Northbridge and Carlton : ethnoscapes of consumption?
• Susanna Iuliano Espresso bar lifestyle : Italian migrants and cafe culture in Northbridge, Western Australia
• Nonja Peters On the street where you live : inner city immigrant enterprise
• John N. Yiannakis 'The chicken of the egg', Greek settlement in Northbridge : Greeks in metropolitan Western Australia

Papers from 2008

The Northbridge sign on William Street

• Emma Benichou Northbridge through the eyes of a 'Flaneur'
• Geoffrey Bolton Northbridge as microcosm
• Richard Offen Northbridge heritage : friend or foe
• Peter Conole The Northbridge era in Western Australian policing
• Bobbie Oliver 'Be workmen true, to workmen still', labor history and heritage in Northbridge
• Keith B. Shilkin Jewish Northbridge
• Christine Choo Socially and economically disadvantaged in Northbridge : a recent history (1960s-2007)
• Kirrily Jordan and Jock Collins Cosmopolitan Northbridge : a changing inner-city ethnic landscape

Transport

Bus

•    Blue CAT Perth Busport to Kings Park (free service) – serves Fitzgerald Street and Aberdeen Street ^[14]

Bus routes serving Fitzgerald Street:

•    19 Perth Busport to Flinders Square ^[15]
•    360 and 361 Perth Busport to Alexander Heights Shopping Centre (limited stops) ^{[16] [17]}
•    362 Perth Busport to Ballajura (limited stops) ^[18]
•    960 Curtin University Bus Station to Mirrabooka Bus Station (high frequency) ^[19]

Perth City Link

The former separation of the Perth CBD and Northbridge has been changed through the Perth City Link project - which saw the former railway yard that was just to the west of the Perth railway station changed to an urban development project. Northbridge now connects through to the Perth CBD through Yagan Square and Manatj Park. ^[20]

Notable people

Notable people from or who have lived in Northbridge include:

• Gum Yuen (1875 – 1943), Chinese Australian furniture maker and restaurateur

Gallery

• 
  The Northbridge sign and the Rechabite
• 
  View of the North Metropolitan TAFE buildings
• 
  Russell Square
• 
  Arch, Northbridge
• 
  St Brigid's Church with St Brigid's School
• 
  Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helene

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Northbridge (WA) (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022. 
2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "2021 Community Profiles: Northbridge (WA) (Suburbs and Localities)". 2021 Census of Population and Housing. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
3. Matthew Perkins (14 August 2008). "The swampy history of Northbridge". Australian Broadcasting Corporation .
4. "Brass Monkey". Heritage Perth. City of Perth. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
5. "History of metropolitan suburb names – N". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2008.
6. "MRA - making great places in Perth". www.mra.wa.gov.au. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014.
7. Morel-EdnieBrown, Felicity (January 2011). "Community engagement, heritage and rediscovering a sense of place in Northbridge, Perth, Australia" (PDF). International Journal of Asia-Pacific Studies. 7 (1): 1–25. ISSN   1823-6243.
8. Jordan, Kirrily; Collins, Jock (2009). "Cosmopolitan Northbridge: A changing inner-city ethnic landscape". Northbridge Studies Day Papers. Network Books: 249–275. ISBN   978-1-920845-51-3.
9. "Northbridge Piazza | City of Perth". Archived from the original on 17 March 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
10. "Northbridge History Project - Northbridge History Studies Day". www.northbridgehistory.wa.gov.au. Archived from the original on 26 January 2014.
11. "Northbridge History Project - Publications". www.northbridgehistory.wa.gov.au. Archived from the original on 26 January 2014.
12. Newport, Tanya; Morel-EdnieBrown, Felicity; Western Australia. Dept. of the Premier and Cabinet (2006), Northbridge : guide to sources 2006, Dept. of the Premier and Cabinet, retrieved 24 March 2013
13. Yiannakis, John N; Morel-EdnieBrown, Felicity; Nile, Richard, 1958- (2009), Northbridge studies day papers, Network Books, ISBN   978-1-920845-51-3
14. Perth CAT Timetable 203 (PDF) (Perth CAT). Transperth. 25 June 2024 [effective from 3 March 2024].
15. "Route 19". Bus Timetable 71 (PDF). Transperth. 12 June 2024 [effective from 15 July 2024].
16. "Route 360". Bus Timetable 76 (PDF). Transperth. 4 August 2023 [effective from 10 September 2023].
17. "Route 361". Bus Timetable 76 (PDF). Transperth. 4 August 2023 [effective from 10 September 2023].
18. "Route 362". Bus Timetable 76 (PDF). Transperth. 4 August 2023 [effective from 10 September 2023].
19. "Route 960". Bus Timetable 210 (PDF). Transperth. 18 January 2024 [effective from 11 February 2024].
20. "Perth City Link - Overview". DevelopmentWA - Shaping our State's future. Retrieved 9 April 2022.

Further reading

• Christ, Con (28 August 2018). "Three Boys Living in Lake Street: 1941-1967" (PDF). City of Vincent. Retrieved 28 January 2021.

External links

• Northbridge, Western Australia travel guide from Wikivoyage
• The Northbridge History Project