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Only
11kms from the Perth City Centre and not a house to be seen
The Swan River from Success
Hill, Bassendean
The bend in the river below
Success Hill Reserve was known to be a haunt of the Waughal,
and was known as an Aboriginal camping site through the early
to mid-twentieth century. Success Hill was probably named
by Lieutenant William Preston, who was a member of James Stirling???s
1827 expedition. The ship which brought them here was HMS
Success. Preston was granted land adjacent in 1829. The area
was included in the boundary of West Guildford when the new
Road Board was formed in 1901. Success Hill Reserve provides
both open grassed areas and tree shaded areas. Right on the
Swan River it is a popular spot in summer where the Heritage
Trail and Cycle Path begins.
The town of Guildford in the Whadjuk
region has always been an important meeting place for Noongar
people. The area contains many campsites and spiritual sites
which have been used by Noongars from pre-contact to the present
day.
One of these spiritual sites is a bend
in the Swan River near Success Hill, where the Waugal lives.
Central to Noongar culture and beliefs, the Waugal is the
serpent that created the Swan and Canning Rivers. It meandered
over the land of the south-west, making curves and contours
of the hills and gullies.
Guildford and the surrounding areas
of Success Hill and Pyrton sit on pivotally important Noongar
country where the Swan meets the Helena River. To Noongar
people it is known as Yellagonga’s country (west of the
Swan River) and Weeip’ country (east of the Swan). The
Helena River was a moort bidi – a main run for Noongar
people going to and from Guildford where coroborrees were
performed.
More on Aboriginal culture of the area
go here: http://www.noongarculture.org.au/guildford/
History of Bassendean
Archaeological evidence has shown that
Aborigines inhabited the Bassendean area for over 30,000 years
before James Stirling and his exploratory expedition arrived
in Western Australia in 1827. The Town has numerous sites
of cultural significance to the Nyungah people, and the importance
of Bassendean for Nyungah hunting and gathering activities,
and as a meeting place for the various tribes, is affirmed
in many documents and personal narratives from the 1830's
to the present-day.
After the colony's foundation in June
1829, the fertile alluvial flats along both sides of the Swan
River, including Bassendean, were chosen as prime agricultural
land. Settlers acquired parcels of land and farms were established.
The name "Bassendean" was
first recorded by Surveyor J.W. Gregory in 1841 as the name
of 1455 acres for Mr. P. Brown, who had his homestead on the
West Bank of Swan River. Peter Brown (or Broun) was WA's first
Colonial Secretary in 1832 and apparently named his property
on the Swan River after a family property in England, Bassendean
in Berwickshire. This area was also previously known as West
Guildford. A competition to choose a new name for the area
was held in 1922, 2 school children nominated the name "Bassendean"
after Peter Brown's property
Across the river is Fishmarket
Reserve, Guildford
Guildford was established
in 1829 on the Swan River, being sited near a permanent fresh
water supply. During Captain Stirling's exploration for a
suitable site to establish a colony on the western side of
the Australian continent in the late 1820s, the exploration
party of boats found a fresh water stream across the river
from the site of Guildford which they called Success Hill.
Guildford was primarily the centre of
the Swan River Colony before Perth succeeded in being the
dominant location on the Swan Coastal Plain.
Guildford was the home of Lew Whiteman
and his family. The Whiteman family were responsible for the
establishment of various industries. The Whiteman family established
Mussel Pool as a picnic area for their employees. This land
and the purchase of surrounding land by the State Government
in 1978 was used to create Whiteman Park. The original home
of the Whiteman family are now Tea rooms; the house is one
of the oldest standing homes in Western Australia.
Alfred's Kitchen is a late night kiosk
on the corner of Meadow and James Streets in Guildford, Western
Australia. It was established in 1946 by its namesake Alfred
Cook. Alfred's main feature is an outdoor fireplace around
which customers can sit. Alfred's is a popular eatery that
attracts a wide array of patrons. It is situated close to
where two major highways, Great Eastern Highway and Great
Northern Highway, enter Perth. When first established, Alfred's
provided a first stop for many weary travellers and truck
drivers, entering from the north and east, during a time when
Perth had few late night eateries.
A walk trail at Success
Hill
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I picked up 750 cans
along the 1,600km Canning Stock Route. Picture Durba Springs,
Canning Stock Route.
On my 24,000km paddle,
walk and cycle around Australia I picked up cans and rubbish
along the desert tracks of the Canning Stock Route and the
track across the Simpson Desert. It's just amazing that some
people who enjoy the outback will rubbish the outback. You
can't get much more remote than the Canning Stock Route and
only 4x4s will use the track.
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