Victoria Park, Western Australia

Victoria Park
Perth, Western Australia
Victoria Park; Perth, Western Australia
	The Broken Hill Hotel on Albany Highway in central Victoria Park
Coordinates	31°58′08″S115°53′46″E / 31.969°S 115.896°E
Population	9,334 (SAL 2021)
Established	1870s
Postcode(s)	6100
Area	2.6 km2 (1.0 sq mi)
Location	3 km (2 mi) from Perth
LGA(s)	Town of Victoria Park
State electorate(s)	Victoria Park
Federal division(s)	Swan
	Suburbs around Victoria Park:

Last updated March 02, 2024

Victoria Park (nicknamed Vic Park) is an inner suburb of Perth, the capital of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is located on the Swan River south-east of East Perth, and is linked to East Perth and the Perth central business district via The Causeway, which crosses Heirisson Island.

History

The suburb of Victoria Park derives its name from "Victoria Park Estate", a development that took place there in the 1890s. It is believed the name was given to the estate because Queen Victoria was still on the throne, although it may be connected with Victoria Park in Melbourne.^[2]

The area was originally the largest portion of a grant of 972 acres (393 ha) to John Butler in 1831. Progress and development was initially very slow, but a few houses were built around coach stops on the Albany Road, initially constructed from hand-sawn wooden logs. The road was rebuilt in the early 1860s by convicts. At this time the entire area from Canning Bridge to Belmont was simply known as "Canning".

In 1886, a settlement started at "2 Mile Spring", opposite the present location of the Broken Hill Hotel, with residential subdivision beginning in 1887. The South Western Railway linking Perth to Pinjarra was finished in 1893 and a population influx from the Western Australian gold rushes saw extensive development commence. The Victoria Park Road District was gazetted in 1894 and granted municipality status in 1897, at which point it had a population of 1,197 residents and 350 dwellings.^[3]

The Victoria Park railway station opened in 1898 following lobbying from the municipal council.^[4] The following year, Broken Hill Hotel and the Town Hall were constructed, serving as both a community centre and as the council office for the municipal council until amalgamation with the City of Perth in 1917. The Town Hall was later demolished, while the Broken Hill Hotel is listed by the National Trust.

A tram service commenced in 1905, and by 1917 the population had reached 5,000 residents, and had at their disposal electric lighting, a public library (1903), police station (1906), Victoria Park Post Office (1912), bowling club (1913) and two hotels, as well as several banks and numerous commercial enterprises and factories. After World War I, Albany Highway was bitumenised, and the commercial centre on either side of the road grew to rival centres in more established areas.^[5]

While by 1937 considered a "working man's district", by the mid-1970s the area had a higher-than-average elderly population according to ABS statistics, and the development of townhouses in place of some of the original dwellings saw increasing gentrification as city workers settled in areas closer to the Perth central business district.^{[ citation needed ]}

The Causeway

The Causeway bridge was the first major bridge engineering project in or about Perth, and involved augmenting the Heirisson mudflats into a proper island. The mudflats were at that time an important resource for the Noongar people.

The current bridge is the third in that location. It was originally opened in 1843, then largely rebuilt after disastrous floods in 1862, and reopened in 1867. It was improved several times in 1899, 1903, 1933 and 1943, then completely rebuilt from 1947 and reopened in 1952.

Geography

Victoria Park is bounded by the Swan River to the northwest, Shepperton Road, Harper Street and the Armadale railway line to the northeast, Miller and Kent Streets to the southeast and a line 61 metres (200 ft) southwest of Berwick Street to the southwest. The suburb is mostly residential, although Albany Highway is a commercial "high street" and a number of parks can be found - most notably McCallum Park on the river, Raphael Park and the smaller Read Park and Hawthorne Park.^[6]

Demographics

At the 2001 Australian census, Victoria Park had a population of 6,980 people living in 3,998 dwellings. Over a quarter of Victoria Park's residents live in unit or apartment blocks. The ABS identified property and business services and retail as the primary occupations, followed by health, manufacturing, hospitality and education. 15.2% of those surveyed were from East or South-East Asia, while sizable Italian and South Asian minorities were reported.

Transport

Victoria Park is a major transit route, being the intersection point of Canning Highway to South Perth, Applecross and Fremantle; Great Eastern Highway to Belmont and Perth Airport; Albany Highway to Cannington and Armadale; and the Causeway to Perth's CBD. Albany Highway runs through the suburb as a main shopping street.

Victoria Park is home to Victoria Park railway station and is served by both the Armadale and Thornlie lines. The station is located about 6km from the CBD. The current Victoria Park Station was rebuilt in 2008 and the old station has since been demolished. During the Shutdown in 2023 as part of Metronet works along the line, Victoria Park railway station will be the terminus of the line between November 23rd 2023 and mid 2025. The construction of new turnback siding will make this possible and that trains won't have to run bidirectional during the shutdown. The turnback sidings will be built between November 20th and November 22nd 2023. The station is served by bus route 907 which acts as a Rail replacement bus service.

Politics

Victoria Park's only booth, Homestead Seniors Centre, is marginal at federal level, and supports the Australian Labor Party at state elections. Nearby booths in East Victoria Park consistently support the Australian Labor Party at both levels of government.

Notable people

Pat Hawkins - world-record breaking cyclist

Related Research Articles

The Swan River is a major river in the southwest of Western Australia. The river runs through the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia's capital and largest city.

Heirisson Island is an island in the Swan River in Western Australia at the eastern end of Perth Water, between the suburbs of East Perth and Victoria Park. It occupies an area of 285600 m², and is connected to the two foreshores by The Causeway. The next upstream island is Kuljak Island, then Ron Courtney Island, with no islands in the Swan River downstream between Heirisson Island and the Indian Ocean other than the artificial islet in Elizabeth Quay.

Armadale is a suburb of Perth within the City of Armadale, located on the south-eastern edge of the Perth metropolitan region. The major junction of the South Western and Albany Highways, which connect Perth with the South West and Great Southern regions of Western Australia respectively, is located within the suburb. It is also the terminus of the Armadale railway line, one of five major railway lines to service Perth.

The Town of Victoria Park is a local government area of Western Australia. It covers an area of 17.62 km² in metropolitan Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It had a population of approximately 35,000 as at the 2016 census.

Albany Highway links Western Australia's capital city Perth with its oldest settlement, Albany, on the state's south coast. The 405-kilometre-long (252 mi) highway travels through the southern Wheatbelt and Great Southern regions, and is designated State Route 30 for most of its length. Outside of Perth the highway is predominately a sealed, single carriageway with regular overtaking lanes in some undulating areas. Albany Highway commences at The Causeway, a river crossing that connects to Perth's central business district. The highway heads south-east through Perth's metropolitan region, bypassed in part by Shepperton Road and Kenwick Link, and continues south-eastwards through to Albany. It intersects several major roads in Perth, including the Leach, Tonkin, Brookton, and South Western highways. The rural section of Albany Highway connects to important regional roads at the few towns and roadhouses along the route, including Coalfields Highway at Arthur River, Great Southern Highway at Cranbrook, and Muirs Highway at Mount Barker.

Welshpool was a railway station on the Transperth network. It was located on the Armadale and Thornlie lines, 9.5 kilometres from Perth Station serving the suburbs of Welshpool and Bentley, Western Australia.

Cannington is a temporarily closed railway station on the Armadale and Thornlie lines, serving the suburb of Cannington south of Perth, Western Australia. It is located 12.2 kilometres (7.6 mi) from Perth Station, and is part of the Transperth commuter rail network. It temporarily closed on 20 November 2023 as part of the Victoria Park-Canning Level Crossing Removal Project.

Victoria Park railway station is a suburban railway station on the Transperth network in Western Australia. The station is in the Perth suburbs of Lathlain and Victoria Park. Since November 2023, the station has been the terminus of the Armadale and Thornlie lines due to the Victoria Park-Canning Level Crossing Removal Project. The whole of each line is expected to reopen in mid-2025.

Burswood is an inner southeastern suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located immediately across the Swan River from Perth's central business district (CBD). Its local government area is the Town of Victoria Park. Burswood is the location of the State Tennis Centre, Perth Stadium, Belmont Park Racecourse, and the Crown Perth casino and hotel complex.

Carlisle is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its local government area is the Town of Victoria Park.

Kelmscott is a southeastern suburb of Perth, Western Australian within the local government area of the City of Armadale. It is 23 kilometres (14 mi) southeast of Perth along the Albany Highway.

Canning Vale is a southern suburb of Perth, 22 km (13.7 mi) from the central business district. Its local government areas are the City of Canning and the City of Gosnells.

Bentley is a southern suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) southeast of Perth's central business district. Its local government areas are the City of Canning and the Town of Victoria Park. Bentley is home to the main campus of Curtin University and Technology Park.

Cannington is a southern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its local government area is the City of Canning.

East Victoria Park is an inner south-eastern suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Town of Victoria Park.

Lathlain is an inner south eastern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its local government area is the Town of Victoria Park.

The Causeway is an arterial traffic crossing in Perth, Western Australia, linking the inner-city suburbs of East Perth and Victoria Park. It is carried over the Swan River at the eastern end of Perth Water by two bridges on either side of Heirisson Island. The current Causeway is the third structure to have been built across the river at this point.

Canning Highway is an arterial road in Perth, Western Australia, linking the inner Perth suburb of Victoria Park in the north-east, to the port city of Fremantle in the south-west.

Bayswater is a suburb 6 km (4 mi) north-east of the central business district (CBD) of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It is just north of the Swan River, within the City of Bayswater local government area. It is predominantly a low-density residential suburb consisting of single-family detached homes. However, there are several clusters of commercial buildings, most notably in the suburb's town centre, around the intersection of Whatley Crescent and King William Street and a light industrial area in the suburb's east.

Transport in Perth, Western Australia, is served by various means, among them an extensive highway/freeway network and a substantial system of commuter rail lines and bus routes. Public transport is managed by the Transperth agency.

References

↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Victoria Park (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
↑ "History of metropolitan suburb names – V". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2007.
↑ "Town of Victoria Park Local History Collection - Timeline". Town of Victoria Park Library. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
↑ "History of Stations on the Armadale Train Line" (PDF). Right Track. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2008.
↑ Dr Geoff Gallop. "From The Swan To The Canning - Historical Notes on Victoria Park and Surrounding Districts", December 1989. Originally published in Southern Gazette, 21 November 1989, p.6. Accessed at Battye Library, Perth.
↑ Department of Land Information. StreetSmart Perth Street Directory (54th ed.). West Australian Newspapers Ltd. pp. Map 373. ISBN 978-0-909439-67-5.

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[1] Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Victoria Park (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.

[2] "History of metropolitan suburb names – V". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2007.

[3] "Town of Victoria Park Local History Collection - Timeline". Town of Victoria Park Library. Retrieved 26 January 2020.

[4] "History of Stations on the Armadale Train Line" (PDF). Right Track. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2008.

[5] Dr Geoff Gallop. "From The Swan To The Canning - Historical Notes on Victoria Park and Surrounding Districts", December 1989. Originally published in Southern Gazette, 21 November 1989, p.6. Accessed at Battye Library, Perth.

[6] Department of Land Information. StreetSmart Perth Street Directory (54th ed.). West Australian Newspapers Ltd. pp. Map 373. ISBN 978-0-909439-67-5.

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