Baskerville is an outer northeastern rural suburb of
Perth, Western Australia
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
, in the
Swan Valley region, 31 km from
Perth's central business district via
Midland and
Great Northern Highway
Great Northern Highway is an Australian highway that links Western Australia's capital city Perth with its northernmost port, Wyndham. With a length of almost , it is the longest highway in Australia, with the majority included as part of the ...
. Nearly all of it is under cultivation with
viticulture
Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine ...
being the main economic activity, and several well-established Swan Valley wineries are based here. 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 federated state, state, province, division (politica ...
is the
City of Swan
The City of Swan is a Local government areas of Western Australia, local government area of Western Australia, in the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council, eastern metropolitan region of Perth. It is named after the Swan River (Western Austral ...
.
History
The name Baskerville was given by William Tanner, a prominent Perth citizen and landowner, to
Swan
Swans are birds of the genus ''Cygnus'' within the family Anatidae. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe (biology) ...
Location 5 when he took up a grant there in 1831. He never lived on the properties, however, and left 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, an ...
in 1835. In the 1880s, the land was acquired by
Walter Padbury
Walter Padbury (22 December 1817 – 18 April 1907) was a British-born Australian pioneer, politician and philanthropist.
Early life
Padbury was born in Fawler in the English county of Oxfordshire on 22 December 1817 and baptised on 11 Ja ...
, who employed his relative, Henry Hardwick, to manage it. In 1886 a homestead was built for him on what is now Memorial Avenue in the west of the suburb.
After
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, the Government decided to commence a soldier resettlement scheme in the
Swan Valley region, and subdivided it into lots of about 10-50
acre
The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...
s which would be operated as small farms. However, many of the soldiers had no agricultural experience, and sold the land to new migrants, particularly those from
Yugoslavia
, common_name = Yugoslavia
, life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation
, p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia
, flag_p ...
and
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
who had experience in
viticulture
Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine ...
. A 1953 map by a
CSIRO
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government agency that is responsible for scientific research and its commercial and industrial applications.
CSIRO works with leading organisations arou ...
viticultural expert shows nearly all of Baskerville was used for grape growing, with some citrus orchards on the riverfront near what is now Amiens Crescent.
In 1989, the white-berried
seedling
A seedling is a young sporophyte developing out of a plant embryo from a seed. Seedling development starts with germination of the seed. A typical young seedling consists of three main parts: the radicle (embryonic root), the hypocotyl (embry ...
of
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebano ...
,
Cygne blanc, was discovered growing in a Baskerville garden planted next to a Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard.
[J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs 160-161, 285-286, 1179 Allen Lane 2012 ]
Although the name of Baskerville was commonly in use for the area, it was not approved for the suburb until 1992.
[
]
Geography
Baskerville is a narrow strip of land, starting on a curve in the Swan River and measuring approximately 800 m north–south by 7.5 km east–west, with Haddrill Road providing the centre line. A small area of native forest exists to the east of the suburb, accessible from Joshua Mews. No explicitly residential areas exist in the suburb.
Facilities
A hall, pavilion and oval are located on Memorial Avenue, a fuel station is located on Great Northern Highway
Great Northern Highway is an Australian highway that links Western Australia's capital city Perth with its northernmost port, Wyndham. With a length of almost , it is the longest highway in Australia, with the majority included as part of the ...
and many of the small family-run wineries, including an organic winery, on Memorial Avenue and Haddrill Road offer cellar door tastings. Belvoir Amphitheatre, an open-air concert venue, is just north of the suburb's boundary.
Transport
Great Northern Highway
Great Northern Highway is an Australian highway that links Western Australia's capital city Perth with its northernmost port, Wyndham. With a length of almost , it is the longest highway in Australia, with the majority included as part of the ...
, a two-lane single carriageway at this point, travels through the west of the suburb, and Haddrill Road, a minor distributor, provides access from the highway to the suburb's interior. Transperth
Transperth is the public transport system for Perth and surrounding areas in Western Australia. It is managed by the Public Transport Authority (PTA), a state government organisation, and consists of train, bus and ferry services. Bus operat ...
bus routes 310 and 311 serve Great Northern Highway while route 312 serves Railway Parade and Haddrill Road further inland. All services are operated by Swan Transit
Swan Transit is an Australian bus company operating Buses in Perth, Transperth bus services under contract to the Public Transport Authority (Western Australia), Public Transport Authority. It is a subsidiary of Transit Systems.
History
On 21 ...
.
Bus
* 310 Midland Station to Ellenbrook Station – serves Great Northern Highway
Great Northern Highway is an Australian highway that links Western Australia's capital city Perth with its northernmost port, Wyndham. With a length of almost , it is the longest highway in Australia, with the majority included as part of the ...
* 312 Midland Station to Midland Station – Circular Route, serves Railway Crescent and Haddrill Road
See also
* Swan Valley, Western Australia
__NOTOC__
The Swan Valley is a region in the upper reaches of the Swan River between Guildford and Bells Rapids, Western Australia. It is bordered to the east by the Darling Scarp. Both Ellenbrook and Jane Brook lie within the region and d ...
References
External links
Swan Valley Wine Guide
(Swan Valley Tourism information)
Swan Valley Winery Guide
(Swan Valley Wineries information)
{{City of Swan suburbs
Suburbs of Perth, Western Australia
Suburbs and localities in the City of Swan