Forrestfield is a suburb 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 int ...

in Western Australia. It lies 15 kilometres to the south-east of

Perth Perth is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth most populous city in Aust ...

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 th ...

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 Middl ...

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 t ...

as a replacement for the

Perth marshalling yard Perth marshalling yard (also known as Perth Yard) was a railway marshalling yard to the immediate west of Perth railway station in Perth, Western Australia and east of West Perth railway station. The origins and development of the yard can be s ...

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 respons ...

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 respons ...

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 ...

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 Tr ...

and

Watco Australia Watco Australia is a rail haulage operator that was formed in 2010 to haul grain for the CBH Group in Western Australia. In 2019, it commenced operating in Queensland under a contract with GrainCorp. It is a subsidiary of Watco. History In 200 ...

use the yard. Aurizon closed its terminal in late-2017 as part of the closure of its intermodal business.

Gemco Rail Gemco Rail is a Western Australian company specialising in the remanufacturing and repair of railway locomotives, wagons, track maintenance equipment, bearings and other railway components. Formed in 1987 it is based in Forrestfield, Perth. In ...

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, Western Australia, Kewdale with the city's north-eastern and south-eastern suburbs. As of April 2020, the northern ...

to the south and

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, a ...

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 well as ...

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 BlueS ...

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

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

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 Moving company, 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 state ...

, 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 govern ...

, 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 Woolworth, Woolworth's, or Woolworths may refer to: Businesses * F. W. Woolworth Company, the original US-based chain of "five and dime" (5¢ and 10¢) stores * Woolworths Group (United Kingdom), former operator of the Woolworths chain of shop ...

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 R ...

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 secondary school in Forrestfield, a suburb east of Perth, Western Australia. Formerly known as Forrestfield Senior High School, the school was renamed in 2008 due to it becoming a speciali ...

, 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 ch ...

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 ...

* 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 ...

* 281: off peak hours to and from

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 StationBus Route 655 Timetable
Transperth

References

External links

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