Forrestfield is a
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 separ ...
of the
City of Kalamunda
The City of Kalamunda is a local government area in the eastern metropolitan region of the Western Australian capital city of Perth about east of Perth's central business district. The area covers , much of which is state forest rising into ...
in Western Australia. It lies 15 kilometres to the south-east 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 ...
at the base of the
Darling Scarp
The Darling Scarp, also referred to as the Darling Range or Darling Ranges, is a low escarpment running north–south to the east of the Swan Coastal Plain and Perth, Western Australia. The escarpment extends generally north of Bindoon, to ...
and the southern border of
Perth Airport
Perth Airport is an international, domestic and general aviation airport serving Perth, the capital city of Western Australia.
It is the fourth busiest airport in Australia measured by passenger movements and falls within the boundaries o ...
.
The suburb is split by
Roe Highway
Roe Highway is a limited-access highway and partial freeway in Perth, Western Australia, linking Kewdale with the city's north-eastern and south-western suburbs. The northern terminus is at Reid Highway and Great Northern Highway in Middle ...
into a southern residential area and a northern industrial area. The suburb is adjacent to
Wattle Grove,
Cloverdale and
Kalamunda.
Industrial area
Rail
The industrial area contains a major rail hub. The 241 hectare Forrestfield Marshalling Yard was built adjacent to the
Kwinana railway line
The Kwinana freight railway lines are a network of railways predominantly servicing the heavy industrial areas at Kwinana Beach south of Perth and to provide for the transport of freight servicing Fremantle Harbour, Kewdale Intermodal Facility ...
opening in stages between 1968 and 1973 in conjunction with the nearby
Kewdale Freight Terminal
Kewdale Freight Terminal is a large intermodal rail facility in the Perth suburb of Kewdale, Western Australia. Branching off the Kwinana freight railway, it was built in the 1960s to replace the Perth marshalling yard. It initially comprised ...
as a replacement for the
Perth marshalling yard and two other inner Perth yards. Within the confines of the yard, separate depots were built for locomotive, carriage and wagon maintenance.
It was previously used by the
Western Australian Government Railways
Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) was the operator of railway services in the state of Western Australia between October 1890 and June 2003. Owned by the state government, it was renamed a number of times to reflect extra responsi ...
,
Westrail
Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) was the operator of railway services in the state of Western Australia between October 1890 and June 2003. Owned by the state government, it was renamed a number of times to reflect extra responsi ...
and
Australian Railroad Group
Australian Railroad Group (ARG) was an Australian rail freight operator. It began operations in Western Australia on 17 December 2000 following its purchase of the Westrail freight business. It was purchased by QR National in June 2006. The mai ...
. As at January 2018,
Aurizon
Aurizon ( ) is a freight rail transport company in Australia, formerly named QR National. it was the world’s largest rail transporter of coal from mine to port. Formerly a Queensland Government-owned company, it was privatised and floated o ...
,
SCT Logistics
SCT Logistics is an Australian interstate transport company operating rail and road haulage, with facilities in Brisbane, Sydney, Parkes, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.
History
SCT Logistics was founded in 1974 as Specialised Container Tran ...
and
Watco Australia use the yard. Aurizon closed its terminal in late-2017 as part of the closure of its
intermodal business.
Gemco Rail also has a facility.
Bounded by Dundas Road to the east, the
Tonkin Highway
Tonkin Highway is an north–south highway and partial freeway in Perth, Western Australia, linking Perth Airport and Kewdale with the city's north-eastern and south-eastern suburbs. As of April 2020, the northern terminus is at the intercha ...
to the south and
Perth Airport
Perth Airport is an international, domestic and general aviation airport serving Perth, the capital city of Western Australia.
It is the fourth busiest airport in Australia measured by passenger movements and falls within the boundaries o ...
to the west, some of the land was no longer required for railway by in the late 1990s and rezoned for industrial use. A combined 102 hectares was sold to the
CBH Group
The CBH Group (commonly known as CBH, an acronym for Co-operative Bulk Handling), is a grain growers' cooperative that handles, markets and processes grain from the wheatbelt of Western Australia.
History
CBH was formed on 5 April 1933, at ...
,
LandCorp
Landcorp Farming Limited ("Landcorp") is a state-owned enterprise of the New Zealand government. Its brand name is Pāmu, the Te Reo Māori word 'to farm'. Its core business is pastoral farming including dairy, sheep, beef and deer, as we ...
and
Specialised Container Transport.
CBH Group's Metro Grains Centre was completed in 1998. In mid-2005
BlueScope
BlueScope Steel Limited is an Australian flat product steel producer that was spun-off from BHP Billiton in 2002.
History
BlueScope was formed when BHP Billiton spun-off its steel assets on 15 July 2002 as BHP Steel. It was renamed BlueSco ...
constructed a large warehouse on former Westrail land.
Kenworth
Kenworth Truck Company is an American truck manufacturer. Founded in 1923 as the successor to Gersix Motor Company, Kenworth specializes in production of heavy-duty ( Class 8) and medium-duty (Class 5–7) commercial vehicles. Headquartered in ...
DAF Trucks
DAF Trucks is a Dutch truck manufacturing company and a division of Paccar. Its headquarters and main plant are in Eindhoven. Cabs and axle assemblies are produced at its Westerlo plant in Belgium. Some of the truck models sold with the DAF ...
also relocated from
Guildford
Guildford ()
is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...
to a new complex on
Abernethy Road
Abernethy Road is a long minor arterial road linking Belmont with the Great Eastern Highway Bypass in Hazelmere, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia.
It runs along the eastern boundary of the Perth Airport area.
It serves as an alternativ ...
in 2005.
Infrastructure
In November 2016, construction commenced on the
Airport line that is scheduled to open in 2021. Included will be
High Wycombe station.
The Western Australian Government has prompted the
City of Kalamunda
The City of Kalamunda is a local government area in the eastern metropolitan region of the Western Australian capital city of Perth about east of Perth's central business district. The area covers , much of which is state forest rising into ...
to investigate the possibility of business and infrastructure opportunities arising from the completion of the new link for Forrestfield and its surrounding areas. The completion of the Airport Link is expected to facilitate the continuing growth of
Perth Airport
Perth Airport is an international, domestic and general aviation airport serving Perth, the capital city of Western Australia.
It is the fourth busiest airport in Australia measured by passenger movements and falls within the boundaries o ...
as a nationally integral part of employment, commerce and international trade.
Forrestfield's northern and eastern outskirts are home to the majority of the areas industrial enterprise. The area is host to a wide range of commercial business-to-business industries. Some of the most notable occupants include
Grace Removals
Grace Removals is an Australian Removals company.
History
Grace Removals was established in 1911 when retailer Grace Brothers established a furniture removal division in Sydney. In the mid-1960s it expanded to operate in all states in Australia. ...
, Improvid and the Super Retail Group.
History
Settlement of the area dates from the late 1800s. Population was minimal until the early 1900s, with growth during the interwar period. Significant development did not occur until the post-war years, with rapid growth from the 1950s into the 1970s. The population has been relatively stable since the early 1990s, a result of some new dwellings being added to the area, but a decline in the average number of persons living in each dwelling.
There is authority to suggest it is named after
John Forrest
Sir John Forrest (22 August 1847 – 2 SeptemberSome sources give the date as 3 September 1918 1918) was an Australian explorer and politician. He was the first premier of Western Australia (1890–1901) and a long-serving cabinet minister i ...
, Western Australia's first
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
, or his brother
Alexander
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
. However, local folklore suggests that the name comes from Charles Hale, who settled in the area in 1902 and planted crops amongst the native forest bushland, hence Forrestfield. In 1921 a Forrestfield Progress Association was formed, and the name was shown on plans in 1944.
Shopping
Located on the corner of Hale Road and Strelitzia Avenue, the Forrestfield Forum & Marketplace comprises 52 shops including
Coles and
Woolworths supermarkets. It is owned by the Hawaiian Group.
Cumberland Road has a
Foodworks
FoodWorks is an Australian supermarket chain run by independent retail group Australian United Retailers Limited (AURL). The AURL was created in November 2004 from the merger of the FoodWorks Supermarket Group Ltd (FSG) and Australian United ...
supermarket, a newsagency, a hairdresser, some dining and fast-food venues. There are a range of other retail establishments scattered throughout Forrestfield, including taverns, liqueur shops, a nursery, and various
delis
Traditionally, a delicatessen or deli is a retail establishment that sells a selection of fine, exotic, or foreign prepared foods. Delicatessen originated in Germany (original: ) during the 18th century and spread to the United States in the m ...
.
Educational facilities
Forrestfield contains the following educational institutions:
*
Darling Range Sports College
Darling Range Sports College is an Independent Public Schools, Independent Public Education in Western Australia#Secondary schools, secondary school in Forrestfield, Western Australia, Forrestfield, a suburb east of Perth, Western Australia. For ...
, formerly Forrestfield Senior High School
*Dawson Park Primary
*Forrestfield Primary
*HillSide Christian College, formerly Forrestfield Christian School
*Woodlupine Primary
*Tabor College
Demographics
In the , Forrestfield recorded a population of 13,181 people: 50.0% male and 50.0% female. The median/average age of the Forrestfield population is 38 years.
Politics
Amenities
Hartfield Park Recreation Centre: This complex includes an indoor stadium as well as playing fields for cricket, rugby, Australian rules football, hockey, soccer (football), an 18-hole golf course, an equestrian centre plus support facilities for each. There is also a nature conservation park and a lake.
Public transport
Transperth
Transperth is the brand name of the public transport system serving the city and suburban areas of Perth, the state capital of Western Australia. It is managed by the Public Transport Authority (PTA), a state government organisation. Train op ...
bus routes
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
are:
* 270: peak hours to and from
Elizabeth Quay bus station
Elizabeth Quay Bus Station, formerly the Esplanade Busport, is a Transperth bus station, located at the southern edge of the Perth CBD in Western Australia, next to the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre and Elizabeth Quay railway station. It h ...
* 271: peak hours to and from
High Wycombe railway station
High Wycombe railway station is a railway station in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. The station is on the Chiltern Main Line between and stations. It is served by Chiltern Railways.
History
The original terminus station ...
and Edinburgh Village, school services extend to St. Bridgets College, Mazenod College and Lesmurdie Senior High School
* 280: peak hours to and from
Cannington station
Cannington Station is a railway station serving the suburb of Cannington south of Perth, Western Australia. It is located from Perth Station on the Armadale/Thornlie Line, part of the Transperth network.
History
The original Cannington stat ...
&
High Wycombe railway station
High Wycombe railway station is a railway station in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. The station is on the Chiltern Main Line between and stations. It is served by Chiltern Railways.
History
The original terminus station ...
* 281: off peak hours to and from
Darling Range Sports College
Darling Range Sports College is an Independent Public Schools, Independent Public Education in Western Australia#Secondary schools, secondary school in Forrestfield, Western Australia, Forrestfield, a suburb east of Perth, Western Australia. For ...
and
Lesmurdie Senior High School
Lesmurdie Senior High School is a public co-educational high school in the suburb of Lesmurdie, Western Australia.
History
The school was established in 1981 and caters for students from Year 7 to Year 12.
Enrolments at the school have been re ...
School special bus services
* 729: off peak hours to and from Lesmurdie Senior College and Maida Vale
* 741: off peak hours to and from Lesmurdie Senior College and High Wycombe
School special bus services
* 655: stadium event bus to and from Optus Stadium and Kalamunda Bus Station
Bus Route 655 Timetable
Transperth
References
External links
{{City of Kalamunda suburbs
Suburbs of Perth, Western Australia
Suburbs in the City of Kalamunda