Mosman Park
Mosman Park is a western suburb of Perth on the north bank of the Swan River in the local government area of the Town of Mosman Park. It was historically known as Buckland Hill (1889-1909), then Cottesloe Beach (1909-1930) and again Buckland Hill (1930-1937). From 1937 it was named Mosman Park, derived from Mosman in Sydney, the birthplace of Richard Yeldon, a member of the Buckland Hill Road Board. Mosman Park is now considered an affluent suburb, but prior to the 1970s was one of Perth's major industrial centres.
Mosman Park is bounded by the Indian Ocean and the Fremantle railway line to the west, a line south of Johnston Street to the north, and the Swan River to the east and south with approximately 5 km of river frontage. To the west of the railway line Mosman Park includes a section of approximately 600 metres of ocean frontage, south of the extension of Boundary Road and north of the extension of McCabe Street.
Mosman Bay is a large bay on the Swan River to the south of Freshwater Bay. Peppermint Grove Foreshore Reserve is a very picturesque grassed area on Mosman Bay. It is frequented by dolphins, black swans and pelicans, with a backdrop of yachts and boats. An ideal picnic location, it offers good swimming and boat hire facilities. There is an excellent walking track through a remnant of natural bushland which follows the shoreline of Frshwater Bay. Known as Lovers Walk, it stretches from Osborne Parade in the north to Keanes Point.
Keanes Point
Mosman Bay has a ribbon of beach near Keanes Point (also known as Butler Hump). Facilities include the Cabe Dodd ampitheatre, toilets, picnic and barbecues. The Mosman Jetty fronts Mosman Restaurant. It is one of the Swan River's most beautiful locations and a favourite for many of Perth's boating crowd that wish to hire a boat for their private or corporate functions. Charter boats use the public jetty. The Mosman Restaurant has its own private jetty directly in front of it.
On the north-eastern corner of the Mosman peninsula is Chidleys Point. Accessed from Chidley Way which encircles the point, this isolated spot has a clean sandy beach, shade, grassed areas and toilets.
Point Roe
Below the site of a former sugar refinery at Point Roe is another isolated strip of beach. This beach is part of the reserve on Colonial Gardens. A foreshore walk through the parklands on Blackwall Reach is recommended. Point Roe Park connects two important bushland remnants.
Most people who have heard of Minim Cove know it as one of Western Australia's most sought-after residential estates, created on the site of the former State Engineerring Works in the Perth suburb of Mosman Park. What most don't know is about of the secluded little beach on Blackwall Reach after which it is named.
The cove, located near the Vlamingh Parklands off Faulkner Circle is believed to have been a camping ground and a fishing site for Nyoongar Aboriginals who stayed in the area while waiting for low tide to cross the river. A freshwater spring near the shore proveded drinking water all year round. Many tools made from small chips of quartz and chert, dated to around 10,000 years old, have been found there.
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Buckland Hill, named by Capt James Stirling after James Buckland who became Dean of Westminster, is the last remaining intact peak of seven prominant hills in the Mosman Park region between the Swan River and the Indian Ocean. It is one of the highest points in the Perth metropolitan area.
It is thought that Willem de Vlamingh, the early Dutch navigator landed nearby this feature in 1697 and climbed the hill to ascertain what lay beyond it and in doing so noted the Swan River which he named.
In the early days of colonisation, the area around Buckland Hill was extensively quarried for limestone. During the Great War, a Battery Observation Post on the western slopes of Buckland Hill served as the Port War Signal Station, a naval facility used to signal vessels leaving and entering Gage Roads. It became the site of the World War II Leighton 6-inch Battery, a gun station commissioned about two weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in August 1941.
Barracks for the personnel, two coast defence searchlights and other associated facilities linked by a series of tunnels were built to serve the battery. Prior to the 6-inch battery moving to Buckland Hill, a 3.7-inch anti aircraft battery had been deployed near what is today the main entrance to the residential estate. The battery is stil intact with parts of it open for public inspection. Its observation platform offers panoramic views across the area including Cottesloe Beach.
The highest part of Buckland Hill, where there is a reservoir, is often referred to as Monument Hill to differentiate it from the part of Buckland Hill occupied by the Leighton Battery on its western slopes. The water reservoir, built in 1934-35, supplies most of the western suburbs of Perth. Its been there for much of the last century, but is now roofed. Adjacent to the reservoir is a limestone obelisk, hich gives the hill its name. It was built by convicts in the nineteenth century as a Trig point or survey marker. It originally stood in the centre of the reservoir but was moved when the reservoir roof was installed.
The reservoir is the most westerly in the Perth metropolitan area and provides sweeping views from the takes on Rottnest and Garden Islands and Fremantle Port and Swan River mouth to the west and Lucky Bay and Bicton and East Fremantle to the east.
Mosman Beach takes its name from the nearby suburb of Mosman Bay, which was adopted by the Buckland Hill Road Board in October 1907. The area was previously known as Buckland Hill. It is named after the Mosman in Sydney, the birthplace of one of the Road Board's members, RJ Yeldon. The area name was changed to Mosman Park in 1937 to avoid confusion with the Sydney suburb, the name of which honours Scots-born ship owner and pastoralist Archibald Mosman (1799-1863).
Confusion still exists between between the river beach on Mosman Bay and the ocean beach of Mosman Beach, the common belief being that the name 'Mosman Beach' refers to the river beach. Dutch explorer Willem Vlamingh is believed to have come ashore at Mosman Beach on 5 January, 1697. A momument marks the spot. Vlamingh and his party explored the Swan River, which he named, travelling upsteam as far as Burswood.
Mosman Park was established with the first survey of town lots in 1889 as Buckland Hill, taking its name from the prominent local hill that was a major maritime navigation mark for shipping from the earliest days of colonization.
Today, almost all of Mosman Park is residential, with significant parklands at Buckland Hill and along the river. There is little to evidence that Mosman Park was once a major industrial centre for the state with a General Motors car and truck assembly plant (1926-1972), the Colonial Sugar Refinery, Velvet Soap factory, the Mt Lyell Farmers' Fertilisers superphosphate works, the W.A. Rope and Twine Works, Dingo Flour Mill (still operating) and the West Australian Brushware Co. factory (one of the largest of its kind in Australia). Most were closed by the 1980s.
General Motors Holden opened their assembly plant in 1926. At this time plants in the mainland capital cities assembled vehicles from component packs imported from overseas. The Mosman Park plant site was small and in a predominantly residential area. During WWII, Mosman Park was involved in the production of boats and aeroplanes for the national war effort.
After World War II, the GMH factory on the corner of Victoria Street and Buckland Avenue assembled cars that arrived by train and unloaded at Leighton railway marshalling yard. From 1948, Adelaide supplied bodies to Perth where the final assembly was completed. Mosman Park was closed in 1972 as a result of GMH's centralised production drive in the 1970s. The site is now home to Iona Primary School and none of the original buildings remain.
Ford's factory on Stirling Highway
Ford had a similar car assembly plant on Stirling Highway not far from the Holden site. The Matilda Bay Brewery most recently occupied the Art Deco themed bulding erected by Ford in 1930.
In the 2011 Census, Mosman Park had a population of 8,598 people living in 3,988 dwellings, 60.4% of which were detached houses on separate lots. The ABS identified property, business services and health as the main occupations of residents. The largest employment sector within Mosman Park is education.
John Butler, after whom Butlers Hump was named, arrived in the Swan River colony in 1830 and was granted land on the shores of Freshwater Bay. He established The Bush Inn alongside the recently created Perth to Fremantle track which crossed the river at Minim Cove. Most of his business came from travellers using the river and the track.
The Keane family took up the first block of land in what is now Peppermint Grove, 8.5 acres around Butlers Hump. The area became known as Keane's Point. Edward Keane, who became prominent in politics, including a period as the Mayor of Perth, was the builder of the Midland to Geraldton Railway.
Between 1928 and 1964, Buckland Hill was home to the Harley Scramble, an annual motor cycle race through the bush and disused quarries of Buckland Hill. It was regarded by many as the toughest course in Australia. The first race was held in 1928 with laps 3 miles in length but after 1930 the laps were reduced to 2 mile and competitors were required to complete a number of laps. By 1952 lap requirements had increased from 20 to 28 laps which equated to a distance of 65 miles completed over two sessions and included 8 quarry walls, known as 'slides'.
By 1964, housing development in the area had increased and the disturbance from the Harley Scramble became unacceptable to the new residents. The Mosman Park Town Council voted to close the course in April of that year. The subdivision that was subsequently built on the land is known as Mosman Fields. Harley Terrace marks the start and finish point of the infamous race track.
