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South Perth is a residential
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 that adjoins the southern shore of
Perth Water Perth Water is a section of the Swan River on the southern edge of the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. It is between the Causeway to the east, and Narrows Bridge to the west – a large wide but shallow section of river, ...
on the Swan River; it is south of the
central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
. The suburb adjoins two major arterial roads—
Canning Highway Canning Highway is an arterial road in Perth, Western Australia, linking the inner Perth suburb of Victoria Park in the north-east, to the port city of Fremantle in the south-west. The road is mostly a four-lane divided carriageway, with a ge ...
and the Kwinana Freeway, and is within the
City of South Perth The City of South Perth is a local government area in the inner southern suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth about south of Perth's central business district. The City covers an area of , maintains of roads and a lit ...
local government area.


History


History

The history of the area now known as South Perth before permanent European settlement was broadly similar to that in other parts of what became 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 ...
. The area was probably inhabited by peoples of the
Noongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the so ...
tribes, and they had little contact with other peoples. Early Dutch and French explorers reported their presence, but no recorded contact was made. No contact is known to have been made with travellers from any other country. The Dutch expedition commanded by Willem de Vlaming in 1697 was the first to discover the major river and note the presence of
black swan The black swan (''Cygnus atratus'') is a large waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent upon c ...
s on the river. They named it the Swan River.


Early European settlement

After the permanent settlement of the British and the establishment of the Swan River Colony, most development tended to take place north rather than south of the Swan River in the town of Perth and also in
Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...
, the port suburb. The area was already unofficially known as "South Perth" but was relatively untouched. By 1831, the land along the river frontage had been allocated amongst seven people, and the land was being partially used for agriculture and dairy farms. A
mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Textile mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic unit of the Analytical Engine early ...
was built in 1833 and a ferry across the Swan river via the Narrows was established.


Established settlement

There was some conflict between the European settlers and
Aboriginal Australians Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...
, in which one of the leaders was a chief known as
Yagan Yagan (;  – 11 July 1833) was an Aboriginal Australian warrior from the Noongar people. Yagan was pursued by the local authorities after he killed Erin Entwhistle, a servant of farmer Archibald Butler. It was an act of retaliation after ...
. After his death, local leadership went to a chief variously known as Galute or Kalyute. He led further resistance, but this was countered by a
punitive expedition A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a political entity or any group of people outside the borders of the punishing state or union. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong behavio ...
, which resulted in the deaths of fifteen Aboriginal people and the end of organised resistance. By the 1850s, there was some further development of the area, with more ferry connections and the construction of
the Causeway The Causeway is an arterial traffic crossing in Perth, Western Australia, linking the inner-city suburbs of East Perth and Victoria Park. It is carried over the Swan River at the eastern end of Perth Water by two bridges on either side of ...
and the
Canning Bridge Canning Bridge is a traffic bridge which is the most downstream crossing of the Canning River in the city of Perth, Western Australia. The bridge is a part of Canning Highway, and it connects the suburbs of Como and Applecross. The Canning Rive ...
. The area was further surveyed and lots allocated to pensioners. By 1858, the area was officially marked on maps as "South Perth" and some roads had been constructed. The 1860s saw the realisation that large-scale farming in the district had no future, although dairying, timber cutting and vegetable growing continued. By the 1880s, a number of Chinese gardeners had arrived and they set up
market garden A market garden is the relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sold directly to consumer A consumer is a person or a group who intends to order, or uses purchased goods, products, or s ...
s on land on the foreshore, between Suburban Road (now Mill Point Road) and the Swan River. After the discovery of gold in
Kalgoorlie Kalgoorlie is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is sometimes referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder, as the surrounding urban area includ ...
in 1893, a number of Chinese, who had been unable to take up
Miner's Right The Miner's Right was introduced in 1855 in the colony of Victoria, replacing the Miner's Licence. Protests in 1853 at Bendigo with the formation of the Anti-Gold Licence Association and the rebellion of Eureka Stockade The Eureka Rebellio ...
s in the goldfields for racial reasons, joined them in South Perth. The Chinese worked very hard and grew good quality fruit and vegetables, which the local population were happy to buy. In the 1920s, the Chinese started to market their produce to the wider population of Perth via the James Street markets. The Chinese market gardens successfully operated for many years, despite many attempts by local authorities to serve them with notices alleging uncleanliness or health hazards. They lasted until the 1950s before they were dismantled. With the help of convict labour, the district received more settlement and better roads. Nevertheless, the South Perth area still had a small population.


The 1880s South Perth land boom

The real estate boom of the 1880s, which coincided with the discovery of gold in the Kimberley saw a slow but appreciable growth in the number of residents. Several of Perth's more substantial citizens saw South Perth as a peaceful and tranquil suburb, and by the end of the 1890s, the population was about 400, with many elegant homes. The Zoological Gardens and the Royal Perth Golf Club were opened in 1898, and the area became popular with tourists from the town of Perth across the river.


Attractions


Perth Zoo

The Perth Zoo is located in the suburb of South Perth. It is open every day of the year and its exhibits include Australian wildlife, as well as exotic and rare animal species. It opens from 9 am to 5 pm daily with additional hours during summer and special events.


Other attractions

The
Old Mill Old Mill may refer to: Animations *''The Old Mill'', a 1937 Academy Award-winning ''Silly Symphonies'' cartoon produced by Walt Disney *'' The Old Mill Pond'', a 1936 Academy Award nominated short film directed by Hugh Harman Places Canada * Old ...
is visible to people driving south over the Narrows Bridge. The
Old Mill Theatre Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...
is a local amateur theatre company based on Mends Street. The
Sir James Mitchell Park Sir James Mitchell Park is a park along the southern foreshore of Perth Water in Perth, Western Australia. It lies within the suburb of South Perth from Mends Street Jetty, to just south of Heirisson Island. It is named after Sir James Mit ...
is a stretch of park lands along the foreshore. It is dotted with gazebos, family picnic areas and barbecue facilities. It is adjacent to the Swan River, stretching between the Narrows Bridge and the Causeway. It has dedicated and separate paths for bicycling and walking. The
Mends Street Jetty Mends Street Jetty is located in South Perth in Western Australia. The jetty is on the southern shore of the Swan River in the section known as Perth Water. The ferry service is primarily used for accessing the Perth Zoo from the Perth central ...
connects South Perth to the central business district by a regular ferry service operated by
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 ...
.


Heritage listings

Heritage-listed This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and man-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In many ...
buildings in South Perth include: * 833 Mill Point Road:
Old Mill Old Mill may refer to: Animations *''The Old Mill'', a 1937 Academy Award-winning ''Silly Symphonies'' cartoon produced by Walt Disney *'' The Old Mill Pond'', a 1936 Academy Award nominated short film directed by Hugh Harman Places Canada * Old ...
* 103 Mill Point Road: South Perth Post Office * 20 Coode Street: Wesley College Chapel & Memorial Rose Garden * 112 Mill Point Road: Windsor Hotel *Lot 429 Mends St, now
Old Mill Theatre Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...
; originally Mechanics' Institute (1899), also known as Mends St Mall, Miss Burnet's School, and Neeamara


Residential pattern

South Perth is an expensive area for land due to its location near the river and central business district. Consequently, there are a comparatively high number of high-rise apartment towers in the suburb, generally near the foreshore. There are also a number of large mansions. Significant numbers of townhouses and some older houses fill in the suburb.


Educational facilities

* Wesley College * South Perth Primary School * St Columba's Primary School


Notes


References

* The History of South Perth, by F K Crowley. Rigby Limited 1962 * Peninsula City, by Cecil Florey. City of South Perth 1995


External links

* http://www.stmarysperth.com – History of St Mary's Church, South Perth. {{Authority control Suburbs of Perth, Western Australia Suburbs in the City of South Perth