Founded | June 26, 1841 |
---|---|
Defunct | March 1927 |
Fate | Acquired by and absorbed into Bank of New South Wales |
Headquarters | , Australia |
The Western Australian Bank was a bank operating in Western Australia from 1841 to 1927.
It was formed amidst the aftermath of the sale of the first Bank of Western Australia (1837-1841), which had sold out to the Bank of Australasia, as prominent colonists dissatisfied with the sale of the local bank to an English institution immediately responded by establishing a new rival banking operation. [1] [2] [3] It was ultimately established on 26 June 1841 with a subscribed capital of £2,000. [3] Its prospectus referred to the earlier bank as having "resolved (by a majority of six votes only) to commit an act of unnecessary and gratuitous suicide." [4]
It engaged in a period of fierce competition with the Bank of Western Australia, which saw the earlier bank close entirely in 1845. It began operating regional branches from the 1850s, beginning with York (1855), and was the first bank to open on the Western Australian goldfields when it opened at Coolgardie in 1894. [3] It was one of the few Australian banks to not close its doors during the 1893 banking crisis. [5]
The bank's first premises were located in an adapted house on the corner of Pier Street and St George's Terrace, Perth (later the location of St Andrew's Church). [3] It moved to new premises further west along St George's Terrace in 1846 and in 1886 built a permanent headquarters on the corner of William Street and St George's Terrace, being based there until the bank's closure. [6] [3] [7]
The Western Australian Bank was purchased by the Bank of New South Wales in March 1927 for £2,012,500. This was the first merger or absorption by that establishment. [8] [9] [10] It had a network of eighty branches across Western Australia at the time of the amalgamation. [11]
A number of former bank branches are now heritage-listed: [12]
The Bank of New South Wales (BNSW), also known commonly as The Wales, was the first bank in Australia, being established in Sydney in 1817 and situated on Broadway. During the 19th century, the bank opened branches throughout Australia and New Zealand, expanding into Oceania in the 20th century. It merged with many other financial institutions, finally merging with the Commercial Bank of Australia in 1982 and being renamed to the Westpac Banking Corporation on 4 May that year under the Bank of New South Wales Act 1982.
Beverley is a town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, 133 kilometres (83 mi) south-east of the state capital, Perth, between York and Brookton on the Great Southern Highway. It is on the Great Southern railway line.
The Bank of Australasia was an Australian bank in operation from 1835 to 1951.
The Colonial Bank of Australasia was a bank operating primarily in the Australian colony and then state of Victoria from 1856 to 1918.
The Palace Hotel in Perth, Western Australia is a landmark three-storey heritage listed building located in the city's central business district. Originally built in 1897 as a hotel during the gold rush period of Western Australia's history, it was converted to banking chambers and offices in the 1980s and now accommodates the Perth headquarters of Woods Bagot, Adapptor and Hatchd. The building is located on the most prominent intersection in the financial district of the city, at the corner of St Georges Terrace and William Street.
The Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited was a bank based in Sydney, Australia. It was established in 1834, and in 1982 merged with the National Bank of Australasia to form National Australia Bank.
The Karrakatta Club is a women's club in Perth, Western Australia. Established in 1894, it was the first women's club in Australia.
The Union Bank of Australia was an Australian bank in operation from 1837 to 1951.
Trinity Church is one of the oldest church buildings in the City of Perth, and one of the few remaining 19th-century colonial buildings in the city. It is located at 72 St Georges Terrace in Perth, Western Australia.
The National Hotel is on the corner of High and Market Streets Fremantle. Originally built as a shop in 1868, it was occupied by the National Bank in the early 1880s. When the bank relocated in 1886, the building became the National Hotel.
The Toodyay Garage on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, Western Australia was built in 1926 for Charles Henry Doust, and opened in February 1927.
Stirling Terrace is the main street of Toodyay, Western Australia, originally called New Road until 1905.
Albany House is a heritage listed building located on the corner of Stirling Terrace and York Street overlooking Princess Royal Harbour in Albany in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.
The Federal Hotel is located at 23-25 William Street in Fremantle, Western Australia, opposite the Fremantle Town Hall.
The Fremantle Synagogue is a heritage listed building located on South Terrace on the corner of Parry Street in Fremantle, Western Australia. It was the first synagogue built in Western Australia and was associated with Jewish community leaders and merchants in Fremantle at the end of the 19th century. The building is also known as Beers building.
The former Union Bank of Australia Building, also known as the ANZ Bank Building, is a heritage listed building located at 86 High Street in the Fremantle West End Heritage area. It was one of many commercial buildings constructed in Fremantle during the interwar period.
The former Westpac Building, also known as the Challenge Bank Building and the Western Australian Bank Building, is a heritage listed building located at 22 High Street on the corner with Mouat Street in the Fremantle West End Heritage area. It was one of many commercial buildings constructed in Fremantle during the gold boom period in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
Padbury Buildings is the name for a range of existing and former structures found in various localities in Western Australia. The Padbury family, mainly Walter Padbury, had a range of buildings, some of which now are heritage listed.
The Ballarat Banking Company was a long-lasting regional bank based in the city of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, operating from 1865 to 1955.
The London Chartered Bank of Australia was an English-run Australian bank which operated from 1852 to 1921.