Burswood, Western Australia
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Burswood is an inner southeastern
suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
of
Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
, Western Australia, located immediately across the Swan River from Perth's central business district (CBD). Its
local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...
is the
Town of Victoria Park The Town of Victoria Park is a local government area of Western Australia. It covers an area of 17.62 kmĀ² in metropolitan Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It had a population of approximately 35,000 as at the 2016 Census. It l ...
. Burswood is the location of the State Tennis Centre,
Perth Stadium Perth Stadium, currently known as Optus Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in A ...
,
Belmont Park Racecourse Belmont Park Racecourse is one of the two major horse racing venues within the Perth, Western Australia metropolitan area, the other being Ascot Racecourse, and is located just outside of the central business district on the Burswood Peninsula ...
, and the
Crown Perth Crown Perth (formerly Burswood Island Casino, Burswood Island Complex and Burswood Entertainment Complex) is a resort and casino located in Burswood, Western Australia, near the Swan River. The resort consists of a casino, a convention centre ...
casino and hotel complex.


History

Burswood developed as two separate entities Burswood Island, and a southernmost part within the suburb of
Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to: Places Australia * Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales * Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse * Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf ...
until the 1990s. Henry Camfield, who emigrated from England to the
Swan River Colony The Swan River Colony, also known as the Swan River Settlement, or just Swan River, was a British colony established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. This initial settlement place on the Swan River was soon named Perth, and it ...
in 1829, with two indentured servants and their families, was granted of land opposite Claisebrook. Camfield named the estate after his father's farm, Burrswood, near
Groombridge Groombridge is a village of about 1,600 people. It straddles the border between Kent and East Sussex, in England. The nearest large town is Royal Tunbridge Wells, about away by road. The main part of the village ("New Groombridge") lies in t ...
in Kent. The area was a low-lying peninsula leading to a ridge and steep, sandy hill with scrubland beyond. The peninsula became Burrswood Island in 1841 when Burswood canal was cut to offer a more direct route to Guildford, which had previously been encumbered by mud flats. By this time, the land was earning income and Camfield let it to tenants until he sold it in 1871 when he was living at Camfield House. A statue of Henry Camfield is located in Burswood Park surrounding the entertainment complex today. During the 1890s, the Bunbury Bridge and the Perth to Armadale railway line were built in the area. The current spelling of Burswood was a result of a misspelling on the station signage. Western Australia's first
golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...
(9-hole) was built at Burswood Island in 1895 the clubhouse was a mud hut and in 1899 a racecourse was also built. This was built by Albert Edmund Cockram and in 1902 it became the Belmont Park Racecourse. In 1906 Goodwood railway station, later renamed
Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...
, opened. From 1900 until 1943 there were two racecourses, Goodwood and Belmont Park. These were owned by Albert Edmund Cockram as was Burswood Island. He developed the racecourses and became the largest importer of thoroughbreds into Australia. The
Western Australian Turf Club The Western Australian Turf Club (WATC), later known as Perth Racing, was established in late nineteenth century as an elite social institution and administrator of the Western Australian horse racing industry. They manage two racecourses in P ...
took over both in 1945 purchasing it from the estate of Albert Edmund Cockram and closed Goodwood. Efforts were made to establish a residential district at "Riversdale Estate", but the use of Burswood Island as part of a sewerage filtration system (1906-1934) and the existence of various light industries from the 1910s onward worked against development. Residents in the area requested a change of name and in 1921, the name
Rivervale Rivervale may refer to: In Australia * Rivervale, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth In Singapore * Rivervale, Singapore, a precinct of the district of Sengkang located in north-eastern Singapore In the United States * Rivervale, Arkansas, a s ...
was adopted. In 1985, the development of the Burswood Island Resort, including a casino, rehabilitated the name and the suburb was gazetted as Burswood in 1993, also including the residential area of Victoria Park south of Burswood Road.


Population

In the 2016 Census, there were 2,340 people in Burswood. 42.0% of people were born in Australia. The next most common country of birth was England at 6.8%. 56.8% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin at 5.7%. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 31.5% and Catholic 22.2%.


Geography

Burswood is bounded by the Swan River to the west, north and north-east;
Graham Farmer Freeway Graham Farmer Freeway is a inner-city freeway in Perth, Western Australia. It links Rivervale and Burswood with West Perth and Leederville, providing an east-west bypass of Perth's central business district. The freeway, in conjunction w ...
,
Great Eastern Highway Great Eastern Highway is a road that links the Western Australian capital of Perth with the city of Kalgoorlie. A key route for road vehicles accessing the eastern Wheatbelt and the Goldfields, it is the western portion of the main road link ...
and the Armadale railway to the east, and Shepperton Road and Harper Street to the south. At the 2011 Australian census, Burswood had a population of 2,029 people living in 1,200 dwellings, many of which were townhouses or flats. Notably 8.8% of Burswood's population has Chinese ancestry, well above the state or national averages.


Facilities

Burswood includes
Belmont Park Racecourse Belmont Park Racecourse is one of the two major horse racing venues within the Perth, Western Australia metropolitan area, the other being Ascot Racecourse, and is located just outside of the central business district on the Burswood Peninsula ...
, Perth's winter thoroughbred racing track;
Perth Stadium Perth Stadium, currently known as Optus Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in A ...
, a new 60,000 seat multi-purpose venue for all football codes, cricket and entertainment events; the State Tennis Centre; and
Crown Perth Crown Perth (formerly Burswood Island Casino, Burswood Island Complex and Burswood Entertainment Complex) is a resort and casino located in Burswood, Western Australia, near the Swan River. The resort consists of a casino, a convention centre ...
(formerly the Burswood Entertainment Complex), with three hotels, a casino, a convention and function centre, a theatre and many restaurants and bars. Burswood was the site of Western Australia's first and oldest golf course, established in 1895 and closed in 2013 amid controversy, to make way for construction of Perth Stadium and a new hotel. The Burswood Superdome, a 13,600 seat multipurpose indoor arena used for sports and entertainment, operated from 1998 to 2012. It was demolished in 2013, to be replaced by a casino carpark.


Transport

The Perth-Armadale rail line runs through the area and is serviced by
Burswood railway station Burswood railway station is a railway station on the Transperth network. It is located on the Armadale line, 4.8 kilometres from Perth station serving the suburbs of Burswood, Lathlain and Rivervale. History The station was originally to b ...
. Buses from the
Victoria Park transfer station Victoria Park transfer station, is a Transperth bus station in Victoria Park, Western Australia. It is located at the eastern end of The Causeway, under the bridge carrying the Great Eastern Highway and Canning Highway. It has six stands and is s ...
along
Great Eastern Highway Great Eastern Highway is a road that links the Western Australian capital of Perth with the city of Kalgoorlie. A key route for road vehicles accessing the eastern Wheatbelt and the Goldfields, it is the western portion of the main road link ...
and Craig Street service the area.
Perth Stadium Perth Stadium, currently known as Optus Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in A ...
is serviced on event days by the Perth Stadium bus station and the
Perth Stadium railway station Perth Stadium railway station (officially Perth Stadium Station) is a railway station in Burswood, Western Australia, next to Perth Stadium (known under sponsorship as Optus Stadium). With six platforms, the station is the second largest on the ...
, with some train services stopping on weekends. All services are operated by the Public Transport Authority.


Politics

The nearest polling booth, Homestead Seniors Centre in
Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to: Places Australia * Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales * Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse * Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf ...
, is marginal at federal level, and supports the
Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...
at state elections.


References

{{Town of Victoria Park suburbs Suburbs of Perth, Western Australia Suburbs in the Town of Victoria Park