Bassendean
Bassendean is delightfully located on a curve of the Swan River, opposite the junction of the Helena River, and has a combination of housing, parks and recreational areas, rural areas, as well as light industry and commercial areas. It also has riverside public open space which are ideal for walks and bike rides and for picnics and BBQs among the seven kilometres of river frontage.
Bassendean has a traditional town centre which includes a main street with retail shops (Old Perth Road), a local shopping centre (Bassendean Village Shopping Centre), and is well serviced by good public transport (both bus and train).
Bassendean is recognised as a cultural satellite of Perth with its full program of annual public and cultural events. The area has also developed a thriving community of renowned writers, actors, artists and dancers who have taken up residence in the Town.
Bassendean is where entertainer Rolf Harris trained as a boy with hopes of becoming an Olympic swimming champion. He would swim across the Swan River and back from his family home at the southern end of Bassendean Parade. The simple cottage has been replaced by a larger home by the property's more recent owners, but the jaccarandah trees planted by Rolf's father remain.
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An important element of the town s history, character and sense of place, Bassendean Oval, is a large premier sporting facility. It is home to the Swan Districts Football Club. Their clubhouse building is a well-recognised landmark on Guildford Road. Past Swans greats Bill Walker, John Cooper, John Todd, Haydn Bunton and Percy Bright are all saluted by having heritage grandstands named in their honour. the site of bassendean oval was set aside for Government Requirements in 1901, and officially became a recreation reserve in 1904. in 1927, the first plans were made for a WAFL football team for Bassendean. The site was upgraded and Bassendean Oval was officially opened in 1929. It has been in continuous use by the swan Districts Football Club since 1934, except during World War II, when it was occupied by the army. The oval comprises the entrance gates (1929), two grandstands (1932 and 1938), change rooms, clubrooms and the oval itself.
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. Success Hill is the location of local events such as carols by candlelight. Success Hill Lodge Located on the banks of the Swan River in West Guildford, the hotel was built as Lockeridge Hotel in 1896. Built specifically to attract picnic boating parties popular on the swan River in the 1890s, rapid changes of ownership suggest that the hotel did not prosper. The building changed roles in 1904 when it was occupied by the Guildford Girls High School. Between 1912-14, the building became Lockridge Private Hospital, and after World War I the Salvation Army took over the building and converted into a men s home. From the 1960s, the building has been used as a private hospital by various organizations. Location: Success Hill Lodge, River Street, Bassendean, WA.
Currently a private residence, this two storey Federation Queen Anne style residence built for John tregerthen short in 1902. Short was Chief traffic Manager of the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) and was based at the Railway Workshops at Midland. He was elected Chairman of the West Midland Road board in 1903, and was a Justice of the peace. Short was Commissioner of Railways from 1906-07, to his retirement in 1919. in the early 1900s, short planted an orchard at earlsferry . The house was sold several times between the 1920s and 1950, when it was purchased by the state and converted to a residential home for intellectually disabled girls. Location: 1A Nurstead Street, Bassendean, WA.
The current Guildford Road bridge was constructed in 1937. the bridge was the third constructed in this location after the first two fell into disrepair. the 1829 plan for Guildford showed a proposed bridge at the end of bridge street. in 1831, a ferry was established across the river at West Guildford, and in 1834 a horse ferry was built adjacent to the Cleikum Inn. The first bridge on the site of Guildford Road bridge was built in 1885/6. this was replaced in 1905. By 1928, the replacement of the bridge was under consideration due to the cost of continuous repairs. The new bridge, of timber construction, was built in 1937, and bituminized in 1945. Proposals to duplicate the bridge in the late 1970s-early 80s were opposed by the City of Swan and the community, and in 1994, the bridge was widened. Recycled timbers were used to preserve the bridge s historical appearance.
Very few people are aware that the Perth suburbs of Bassendean and South Guildford - on the opposite bank of the Swan River to Bassendean - have wineries; even less know that the first vines planted in Western Australia were right there.
English botanist Thomas Waters came to the fledgling colony of Perth in it`s first year 1829. He was granted 150 acres of land in what is now known as South Guildford. So began Western Australia's first Winery. Following a stopover in South Africa on a six month voyage from England, Waters took on board numerous plants and trees that thrived in a climate very similar to the hot, dry conditions he was to encounter here. Among them were the grapevines and olive trees he subsequently planted at Olive Farm.
Early documentation shows the vines planted by Thomas Waters had borne fruit by the early 1840s and that Waters was using the wine to barter with the local storekeeper. He stored the wine in the very underground cellar which is used today as Olive Farm Wines' sales and tasting area.
Upon Waters' death in 1869, the property changed hands many times before eventually being subdivided. In 1933, Ivan Yurisich bought the last 10 acre block at the heart of the property, including the old cellar and the site of the original planting. A young Ivan had come from Yugoslavia in 1912 to work on the Kalgoorlie Woodline and eventually sought his fortune in the Gold mines.
After many years of toil and disappointment, he took his family to South Guildford where they set about re-establishing Olive Farm as a vineyard and winery. Ivan's son, Vince and his wife Jan - parents of the present owners - took over the business in the early 1960's and built a reputation as one of Western Australia`s finest wineries. Their range of red and white table wines, champagne (first produced in 1964) and traditional fortifieds gained an enviable reputation. They presently have 30 acres under vines in the upper Swan Valley, with eleven varieties that reflect the personality of the area; Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Semillon, Verdelho, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir.
Olive Farm Wines 77 Great Eastern Highway, Loder Way, South Guildford WA +61 (0)8 9277 298
Only 2.12 hectares in area, this winery fronting onto the Swan River is one of the smallest in the State and is situated next to the property where entertainer Rolf Harris spent his childhood years. It is also the nearest winery to the Perth city centre. The vineyard was first planted by Luigi Nicoletto in the 1940s, to supply table grapes but he later changed to winemaking concentrating on the bulk wine trade. The present owners, Laurie and Moira Nicoletto, produce premium table wines and Bassendean Estate red wines have won awards in all Australian capital cities.
Riverside Vineyard, 47 West Road, Bassendean, WA. +61 (0) 8 9276 1734. Open Saturdays 9am to 5pm.
Bassendean Estate, 147 West Road, Bassendean WA 6054. +61 (0) 8 9276 1734. Open Saturdays 9am to 5pm.
The pensioner Guards were soldiers who had fought for britain and subsequently were supported on a pension. They and their families were offered free passage in return for service as guards on the convict ships and then as warders in the Convict establishment in the colony. They were settled on the fringes of towns where convict depots were established. Four cottages were built at West Guildford near the Guildford ticket-of -leave depot. originally 12 cottages were planned. However, only four cottages were built, taking several years, and they were not occupied until the1860s. Opening times: 1.30 4.30 on the last Sunday of each month. Location: 1 Surrey Street, Bassendean, WA
Daylesford House built by builder Louis Henry Duvall in 1898, for Cyril Jackson. Cyril Jackson (b. Kentish town, London, 1863, d. 1924) was educated to be a lawyer. However, he did not practice law, instead studying education. in 1896, he was appointed as the first inspector General of schools in WA, and served in the position to 1903. in this seven year period he instituted extensive reforms and established a system of state education. He left WA in 1903, to take up the position of Director of London County schools in england, where he was knighted in 1917, in recognition of his services to education and his wartime work.
While in Western Australia, Cyril Jackson was a leading figure in the movement for a separate West Guildford Road board. the first meeting was held in Jackson s billiard room on 12th July 1901, and he became its first chairman. He was unmarried during his period in WA, and lived in style at Daylesford with a team of domestic servants that included an indian valet and a Chinese gardener.
Location: Daylesford House, 7 Daylesford Road, Bassendean, WA.
This museum is Western Australia's premier museum devoted to railway history. The collection is the only such one in Western Australia that aims to tell the story of all railways across the state. Other collections focus on one aspect or a region. The collection spans the whole spectrum of railway history. From Katie which was placed in service in 1881 when the Fremantle to Guildford Railway was built through to more modern diesel locomotives.
The exhibition building houses an extensive collection of railway artifacts and photographs telling the story of railways in Western Australia. The complex also houses the West Australian Model Rail association, whose main display is a working scale model of the children's series Thomas the Tank Engine, complete with all the characters.
Location: 136 Railway Parade, Bassendean, WA.
Bassendean Recreation Reserve, Bassendean Parade, Bassendean, was developed in the early 1900s, on an area comprising 5.5 acres of riverfront land. The Road board organized the first of several Gala Days here in 1913. to differentiate it from another reserve of the same name developed in the area in the 1920s, it was renamed pickering park in honour of the seventh chairman of the Road Board.
Ashfield Flats is a picturesque wildlife reserve and conservation area adjoining Sandy Beach Reserve. The area has been protected for futre generations by being designated a bush forever site. The management of Ashfield Flats is assisted by the Bassendean Preservation Group which has planted hundreds of local flora. Entry to Ashfield Flats is from West Road at the Sandy Beach car park, or from the Hardy Road car park or from Ashfield Parade.
Land around Ashfield Flats on West Road, Ashfield, was subdivided in 1905. some blocks were retained for market gardens. A portion of the land was leased by a Chinese group (Day, Quee and Choy Ah) who continued to work their market gardens here until the 1920s. The land was also used for dairy farming and grazing, and Bassendean Road board established a commercial sand quarry near here during World War II. West Road, on the river foreshore near Ashfield Flats, is a remnant area of small farms and market gardens.
Sandy Beach Reserve
Sandy Beach Reserve includes both open grassed areas and tree shaded areas. It is a popular spot in summer, and is the location of several local events such as the Valentines Day Rock Concert. Erosion by passing boats has led to the sandy beach after which the reserve is named being but a shadow of its former self.
Point Reserve
Point Reserve is one of the most picturesque spots in the area. It is a shady place in summer and is suitable for fishing, picnics, and play. It overlooks the confluence of the Swan and Helena Rivers.
Success Hill Reserve provides both open grassed areas and tree shaded areas. It is a popular spot in summer where the Heritage Trail and Cycle Path begins. Success Hill is the location of local events such as carols by candlelight. All the above parks have picnic, barbecue and playground facilities.
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.
