Kelmscott, Western Australia
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Kelmscott is a southeastern suburb of Perth, Western Australian within the
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 ...
of the
City of Armadale The City of Armadale is a local government area in the southeastern suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth, about southeast of Perth's central business district. The City covers an area of , much of which is state forest risi ...
. It is southeast of Perth along the
Albany Highway Albany Highway links Western Australia's capital city Perth with its oldest settlement, Albany, Western Australia, Albany, on the state's South coast of Western Australia, south coast. The highway travels through the southern Wheatbelt (Weste ...
. Kelmscott was one of four initial townsites established in 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 ...
. It was named after Kelmscott,
Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...
, the birthplace of the first
Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
clergyman in the colony, Thomas Hobbes Scott (1783–1860). The suburb of Kelmscott is bisected by the
Canning River The Canning River ( or ) is a major tributary of the Swan River in the South West Land Division of Western Australia. It is home to much wildlife including dolphins, pelicans, swans and many other bird species. Source and route With headwate ...
. On the western side of the river is the flat coastal plain upon which most of Perth is situated. This area includes the Stargate Kelmscott and Kelmscott Village shopping areas along
Albany Highway Albany Highway links Western Australia's capital city Perth with its oldest settlement, Albany, Western Australia, Albany, on the state's South coast of Western Australia, south coast. The highway travels through the southern Wheatbelt (Weste ...
, the light industrial area, the Kelmscott Senior High School and a residential area. To the east, the suburb rises into the western
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 ...
. Kelmscott celebrated its 175th anniversary on 9 October 2005. Kelmscott is home of the first
Red Rooster Red Rooster is an Australian fast food chain. It sells roast chicken alongside common fast food items, such as burgers, chips, salads, and beverages. Since 2021, it has offered fried chicken. In 1972, Peter and Theo Kailis opened the first R ...
restaurant.


History


Pre-colonial history

Before European settlement, Kelmscott and the wider area was inhabited by the Whadjuk Noongars people, an Aboriginal ethnic group. During this time, Kelmscott was called by the Whadjuks as "Goolamrup".


Colonial period

In November 1829, the Governor of the newly established Swan River Colony, James Stirling, led an expedition to choose a site of a new town along the Canning river. Kelmscott was then founded on 6 July 1830, and was named after Kelmscott,
Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...
, the birthplace of first
Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
clergyman in the colony Thomas Hobbes Scott. The first building constructed in the new town was a soldier's barracks, which survived until the 1930s. The first land grants given out were to Charles Wright and John Adam, who left in 1933 and 1931 respectively. Two streams in Kelmscott, Wright's Stream and Adam's Stream, were named after them. In addition, a lake was named after Charles Wright. 1830, John Atkinson was appointed to survey Kelmscott and drew up the first plan. In its early history, Kelmscott served as a pitstop along a track which ran from Perth to Albany. In 1836, a new track called King George's Sound Road was built from Kelmscott to Albany. The road later became Albany road, before eventually becoming Albany highway. In September 1831, Theophilus Ellis was appointed the
government resident A resident minister, or resident for short, is a government official required to take up permanent residence in another country. A representative of his government, he officially has diplomatic functions which are often seen as a form of ind ...
at Kelmscott. Ellis served as a captain in 14th Regiment of Light Dragoons during the Peninsular and Napoleonic wars. In December, he attempted to raise a unit of the Yeomanry Cavalry for the area, but was dismissed by Stirling. Another soldier tried again in May 1833 but was again dismissed. Ellis went on to die in the
Pinjarra massacre The Pinjarra massacre, also known as the Battle of Pinjarra, occurred on 28 October 1834 in Pinjarra, Western Australia when a group of Binjareb Noongar people were attacked by a detachment of 25 soldiers, police, and settlers led by Governor ...
and was the first police officer appointed in WA. In 1856, Henry Gibb and Thomas Saw established an inn (modern Narrogin Inn) which holds one of WA's oldest liquor trading licences. In 1894, the Kelmscott Roads Board was separated from the Canning Roads Board.


Modern history

In 1972, Greek migrant Peter Kailis established the first Red Rooster restaurant along with nine partners. Kailis then managed to buy out the other nine to become the sole owner. On 9 October 2005, Kelmscott celebrated its 175th anniversary. The highlight of the celebrations was the running of the
Hotham Valley Railway The Hotham Valley Tourist Railway (commonly Hotham Valley Railway) is a heritage railway, tourist and heritage railway in the Peel (Western Australia), Peel region of Western Australia. The railway operates over a section of the original Pi ...
steam locomotive Pm706 from
Perth railway station Perth railway station is the largest station on the Transperth network, serving the Perth central business district, central business district of Perth, Western Australia. It serves as an interchange between the Airport line, Perth, Airport, Ar ...
to Kelmscott station, with stops at Cannington, Gosnells, then Armadale station. This was the first running of steam "under the wires" on the
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 ...
network for some time. The event was specially arranged by the Public Transport Authority, whose Minister is also the member of parliament for the local electorate.


2011 bushfire

On 6 February 2011, a declared total fire ban day, Robert James Stevens, 56, an ex-policeman, was using an angle grinder at his home and started the fire on his private property adjacent to the Brookton Highway in the Roleystone / Kelmscott area. A total of 72 homes were destroyed and 37 homes damaged. This is the single biggest house loss in Western Australia to a single bushfire event. Remarkably, 28 per cent of residents in Kelmscott and Roleystone left their homes only just in time and were not alerted. Stevens was charged under the Bushfire Act with one count of carrying out an activity in the open air that causes or is likely to cause a fire, and pleaded not guilty. Due to a legal technicality associated with complexities in how the total fire ban was declared, charges were dropped, and Stevens was then awarded $4250 to cover his legal costs. His home was saved by firefighters. Some Kelmscott residents managed to return to their homes in the fire zone, as described by Premier
Colin Barnett Colin James Barnett (born 15 July 1950) is an Australian former politician who was the 29th Premier of Western Australia. He concurrently served as the state's Treasurer at several points during his tenure and had previously held various other ...
, and could be seen on their balconies giving hope to fellow residents that their properties were safe.


Education

* John Wollaston Anglican Community School - an independent Anglican co-educational primary and secondary school founded in 1989 offering K-12 education * Kelmscott Primary School (1882) - one of the first primary schools established in Western Australia. * Kelmscott Senior High School (1973) years 7–12. * Clifton Hills Primary School (1972) * Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School (1977) * Sowilo Community High School (2000) - independent school for young people at educational risk


Annual events

* The Kelmscott Show, run by the Kelmscott Agricultural Society, has been held annually since 1897 (with the exception of the years 1930-1938 and 2020 due to the Coronavirus Pandemic).


Transportation

Kelmscott contains two major highways: *
Albany Highway Albany Highway links Western Australia's capital city Perth with its oldest settlement, Albany, Western Australia, Albany, on the state's South coast of Western Australia, south coast. The highway travels through the southern Wheatbelt (Weste ...
(State Route 30) – south to Pinjarra and Bunbury. * Brookton Highway (State Route 40) - east to Brookton. The Albany highway stretches from Gosnells in the north to Armadale in the south and divides Kelmscott into two. At the southern boundary is located an intersection between the Albany and Brookton highways. The 2011 bushfire destroyed Buckingham Bridge of the Brookton highway in Kelmscott. A replacement was opened in 2013. As part of Metronet, level crossings over the Armadale Line in Kelmscott were closed and turned into underpasses. Opened in 1893, the Kelmscott railway station is located in Kelmscott's CBD as part of the Armadale line.


Bus

* 219 Kelmscott Station to Armadale Station – serves Davis Road and
Albany Highway Albany Highway links Western Australia's capital city Perth with its oldest settlement, Albany, Western Australia, Albany, on the state's South coast of Western Australia, south coast. The highway travels through the southern Wheatbelt (Weste ...
* 220 Armadale Station to
Perth Busport Perth Busport is an underground central bus station in Perth, Western Australia, located underneath Wellington Street. It was officially opened by then Premier of Western Australia Colin Barnett and then Minister for Transport Dean Nalder o ...
– serves
Albany Highway Albany Highway links Western Australia's capital city Perth with its oldest settlement, Albany, Western Australia, Albany, on the state's South coast of Western Australia, south coast. The highway travels through the southern Wheatbelt (Weste ...
* 221 Armadale Station to Cannington Station – serves
Albany Highway Albany Highway links Western Australia's capital city Perth with its oldest settlement, Albany, Western Australia, Albany, on the state's South coast of Western Australia, south coast. The highway travels through the southern Wheatbelt (Weste ...
* 240 Kelmscott Station to Kelmscott Station – Circular Route, serves Davis Road,
Albany Highway Albany Highway links Western Australia's capital city Perth with its oldest settlement, Albany, Western Australia, Albany, on the state's South coast of Western Australia, south coast. The highway travels through the southern Wheatbelt (Weste ...
, Gilwell Avenue, Martin Street, Merilee Terrace, Morundah Place, Taronga Drive, Turner Road, Brookside Avenue, Blackburne Drive, Connell Avenue and Lucich Street * 241 Kelmscott Station to Kelmscott Station – Circular Route, serves Davis Road,
Albany Highway Albany Highway links Western Australia's capital city Perth with its oldest settlement, Albany, Western Australia, Albany, on the state's South coast of Western Australia, south coast. The highway travels through the southern Wheatbelt (Weste ...
and Brookton Highway * 243 Kelmscott Station to Armadale Station – serves Third Avenue, Cammillo Road, Westfield Road and Champion Drive * 244 Kelmscott Station to Armadale Station – serves Third Avenue and Champion Drive * 245 Kelmscott Station to Armadale Station – serves Westfield Road * 907 Armadale Station to Cannington Station (high frequency / limited stops) – serves Railway Avenue, Challis Station and Kelmscott Station


Rail

*
Armadale Line The Armadale line is a partially-closed suburban railway service in Perth, Western Australia, operated by the Public Transport Authority as part of the Transperth system. The Armadale line is long, and starts at Perth station, heading south ...
** Kelmscott Station ** Challis Station


References


External links

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