Spearwood is a southern suburb 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 within the

City of Cockburn The City of Cockburn ( ) is a local government area in the southern suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth about south of Fremantle and about south of Perth's central business district. The City covers an area of and had a po ...

. This suburb derives its name from the Spearwood bush which is a common shrub in the area.

History

Settlement appears to have begun in Spearwood in the 1850s when Alfred Hooker took up Cockburn Sound Location 97, although several adjoining blocks were taken up during the same period by Charles Manning.''Cockburn: The Making of a Community'' Michael Berson, 1978, Town of Cockburn, When Cockburn Sound Location 264 was offered for subdivision by real estate entrepreneur James Morrison in 1883 he used the name ''The Spearwood Estate'', the first time the name was used. The Spearwood area soon became one of Perth's major market gardening areas.

Geography

It is bounded by Phoenix Road to the north, Stock Road to the east, Barrington Street and Troode Street to the south and Hamilton Road to the west. Phoenix Road was named by John Healy after Phoenix Park

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

, where the British

Chief Secretary for Ireland The Chief Secretary for Ireland was a key political office in the British administration in Ireland. Nominally subordinate to the Lord Lieutenant, and officially the "Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant", from the early 19th century u ...

was assassinated by

Fenian The word ''Fenian'' () served as an umbrella term for the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and their affiliate in the United States, the Fenian Brotherhood, secret political organisations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries dedicate ...

s in 1882, although an alternative suggestion is that it was named by Steve Dobra, the first settler on Phoenix Road, who worked in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

before coming to

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...

in 1912. Barrington Street is named after Barrington C. Wood, the first Mayor of

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 ...

(1883–1885). Troode Street is named after Edward Thomas Troode, the original owner of the ''Woodlands'' Estate from 1860. The suburb is approximately 85% shrubland.

Facilities

Commercial

The main shopping area is Phoenix Shopping Centre, a thriving commercial centre located along Rockingham Road, with a smaller centre, Stargate Spearwood located further south, also on Rockingham Road.

Cultural

The

's main administrative offices and library are located on Coleville Crescent immediately to the south of the Phoenix Shopping Centre. The Spearwood Library and Cockburn Seniors Centre are both located next to the council buildings.

Educational

There are four primary schools located within the suburb: Spearwood Primary School, Newton Primary School, Phoenix Primary school and Spearwood Alternative School.

Aged Care Facilities

There are 2 main aged care facilities in Spearwood. The first being Aegis Amberley Aged Care, belonging to the Aegis Aged Care Group and the second one is Villa Dalmacia Aged Care.

Recreational

Dalmatinac Park is home to the Spearwood Dalmatinac Amateur Soccer Club and the Dalmatinac Netball Club. Watsons Oval is home to the Southern Spirit Soccer Club.City of Cockburn Club Sports Register
/ref> Beale Park is home to

Cockburn City Soccer Club Cockburn City Soccer Club is an Australian soccer club currently playing in the National Premier Leagues Western Australia. They play their home games at Dalmatinac Park and train at Beale Park. History Cockburn City Soccer Club's origin goes ...

which plays in the Premier league of the State's Football (Soccer) Association and also the Cockburn City Teeball and Baseball Club. Manning Park is a picturesque park located around Manning Lake. There are a number of walking trails around the park. It is home to the Spearwood Walking Racers Association, where walkers can be seen around the park on weekends holding time trials. Spearwood is also home to many Croatian sporting clubs and community centres. There is a significant Croatian cultural history in the Spearwood area.

References

External links

{{City of Cockburn suburbs Suburbs of Perth, Western Australia Suburbs in the City of Cockburn