Winthrop Avenue is a major north–south road in the
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 ...
suburbs of
Nedlands and
Crawley
Crawley () is a large town and borough in West Sussex, England. It is south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Crawley covers an area of and had a population of 106,597 at the time of th ...
. For most of its length, the road travels alongside the south-western edge of
Kings Park, connecting
Thomas Street with
Stirling Highway
Stirling Highway is, for most of its length, a four-lane single carriageway and major arterial road between Perth, Western Australia and the port city of Fremantle in Western Australia on the northern side of the Swan River. The speed limit ...
,
Mounts Bay Road
Mounts Bay Road is a major road in Perth, Western Australia, extending southwest from the central business district along the north bank of the Swan River, at the base of Kings Park.
Route description
Mounts Bay Road runs between William Str ...
, and the
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...
's Crawley campus.
It is the southernmost section of
State Route 61,
which links
Crawley
Crawley () is a large town and borough in West Sussex, England. It is south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Crawley covers an area of and had a population of 106,597 at the time of th ...
with
West Perth and
Yokine.
History
Winthrop Avenue is named after
Sir John Winthrop Hackett, who was a newspaper editor, politician and university chancellor. Originally named Ferdinand Street after
Ferdinand von Mueller
Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vict ...
, it was renamed in 1932 to perpetuate Hackett's legacy. In 1937 improvements to the road were proposed, to make it attractive, and because the road was "bumpy" and "patched".
Though it was a boundary road between the Perth City Council and Subiaco Municipal Council, Subiaco were unwilling to pay for half the cost.
Winthrop Avenue remained poorly constructed in 1939, with calls for it to be upgraded to dual carriageway standard.
In 1940, a plan for construction of the second carriageway was announced by the King's Park Board, the Perth City Council and the Subiaco Municipal Council.
The councils would be jointly responsible for the building of the road, with the King's Park Board responsible for the clearing of vegetation.
The resumption of a strip of land along the edge of the park needed for the works was approved by an Act of Parliament.
Route description
![E37 Winthrop Ave direction sign](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/E37_Winthrop_Ave_direction_sign.jpg)
Winthrop Avenue's southern terminus is at the intersection of Stirling Highway and Mounts Bay Road. Directly south of the intersection is the Crawley campus of the
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...
, with residential colleges Curie Hall and Saint Catherine's College located north-east and north-west respectively. Past the colleges, north of the intersection, the road becomes the boundary between
Kings Park to the east, and the suburb of
Nedlands to the west. From this point north, Winthrop Avenue is also part of
Tourist Drive 200, a circular route around Kings Park.
Residential properties line the northbound carriageway for , until the Monash Avenue traffic light controlled intersection. North of this intersection is the
Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre
The Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre (QEIIMC), commonly known as just QEII, is a medical campus in Perth, Western Australia, situated in the suburb of Nedlands directly adjacent to Kings Park. It contains Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, the P ...
, where
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital (SCGH) is a teaching hospital in Nedlands, Western Australia.
Opened in 1958 as the Perth Chest Hospital and later named in honour of Sir Charles Gairdner, governor of Western Australia from 1951 to 1963, it is pa ...
is located. Winthrop Avenue travels alongside the medical centre site for until its northern terminus at Aberdare Road, at the southern edge of
Shenton Park
Shenton is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Sutton Cheney, in the Hinckley and Bosworth district, in the county of Leicestershire, England, situated south-west of Market Bosworth. Shenton was formerly a chapelry an ...
. The road, and State Route 61, continue north-east as
Thomas Street, towards
West Perth and
Subiaco.
Major intersections
Winthrop Avenue's major intersections are controlled by traffic lights.
*
Stirling Highway
Stirling Highway is, for most of its length, a four-lane single carriageway and major arterial road between Perth, Western Australia and the port city of Fremantle in Western Australia on the northern side of the Swan River. The speed limit ...
(State Route 5) west /
Mounts Bay Road
Mounts Bay Road is a major road in Perth, Western Australia, extending southwest from the central business district along the north bank of the Swan River, at the base of Kings Park.
Route description
Mounts Bay Road runs between William Str ...
(State Route 5) east /
UWA
The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...
Entrance south
* Monash Avenue west
*
Thomas Street (State Route 61 / Tourist Drive 200) north-east / Aberdare Road west
See also
References
{{Attached KML, display=inline,title
Streets in Crawley and Nedlands