Peninsular Walk
Listed below are the Places of Interest that we have included in this walk. You can read a detailed description on the history of each place by clicking on the individual names below.
This public golf course was built on land that had been partially reclaimed from the banks of the Swan River – and also the site of a public refuse tip. The controversy around the dumping of waste is recounted in one of the presentations by MHPA: “Protesting Maylands”
Lake Bungana
This is one of the old claypits – reformed into these decorative lakes. It is named after the aircraft type – the DC2 – to fly in & out of Maylands Aerodrome on a regular run to Adelaide and Melbourne. This was originally the northern claypit supplying the Brickworks.
The railway tunnel
Just below the Pergola on what was the western end of Johnson Rd, was a rail tunnel connecting the North and South Claypits. The Brickworks couldn’t dig the clay just here because of the road reserve.
Lake Brearley
To the south is what was the Southern Claypit now named after the WW1 flying ace who came back to Perth and set up the first regular air mail run in the world. His company, WA Airlines, eventually formed a part of Australian National Airways and ultimately MacRobertson Miller Airways. There is (or at least WAS) a bust of Norman Brearley in the Observation Deck at Perth Airport.
Returning to the main footpath and heading south…
The toxic dump
Although this is thought by many to be a part of the WA Police Complex that we are approaching, this area was actually the result of the City of Stirling allowing waste to be dumped along the foreshore to form the base for the Golf Course. There were toxic items and liquids involved and they were about to leach into the river. After protests by Maylands residents and the formative ‘Greens’ the dumping was stopped, all the refuse was pushed to here and left.
It is still leaching into the river.
Aerodrome Hangar
This is one of two that were built to house the Bungana for ANA. It is almost the final remnant of the Maylands Aerodrome and as such is heritage listed.
Ellard’s House
A busy business enterprise on such a large piece of land needed a caretaker and he lived here, in this cottage. Mr Ellard, if we are to believe the tales of those who were young at the time and who were probably part of the need for a caretaker, was a grumpy old man. The truth is, he probably was when the youngsters were digging holes in the runways. He now has a laneway named after him near 8th Avenue.
The Maylands Aerodrome was, for over 30 years, Western Australia’s link with the rest of the world. Beginning with the mail runs to the NorthWest, later, scheduled flights to and from the Eastern States, South East Asia and beyond began and ended here.
In 1938 the Bureau of Meteorology opened a facility at Maylands Aerodrome to provide aviation forecasting for flights coming over the Nullarbor from the eastern states.
However, as planes got bigger, the 1000 yard runway became too small and during WW2 Dunreath Golf Course in Guildford was requisitioned by the Defence Department and a bigger airport was begun.
Landing light
This is the last one still in its original position and shows where the approach began. There were still three others back in 2007 but they were moved and two of them are now at the memorial.
Mills Pottery
John Mills came from Victoria in 1896 leaving his 2nd wife and seven children behind (he scandalously brought his paramour West) but his eldest children from his first marriage came with him and created the pottery on this site which has now become Waterland. In 1929 he sold it to H.L Brisbane & Co.
Later, from around 1950 the Sanitarium Company used the site as a Yeast factory.
On the right is the old canal where the Pottery drew up its barges to transport the clay pipes to a store on Heirisson Island prior to their use in the first sewerage and stormwater projects from Kings Park to Claisebrooke in 1903. The pottery employed around 70 people and continued until the Depression.
Samphire flats
Nature’s water filters, taking a lot of the contaminants out of the water run-off and also providing food and habitat for wildlife. Insects, birds and reptiles all thrive here.
Sedges, Samphire and Bullrushes are all edible and were used in the diet of local Aboriginal people for many thousands of years. But not necessarily from exactly here… as the course of Derbarl Yerrigan has changed over the centuries.
Rowlands Farm
This was a small 18 acre (7.3 hectare) farm first created by Richard and Elizabeth Rowland. They built a small house on the farm. The farm ran diagonally from the middle of what is now Lake Brearley down to the river and appears to be the first European use of the Waterland site. The Rowlands were a prolific family and are now scattered all over the continent. Richard and Elizabeth moved to Dongara and the Irwin during the late 1830’s and made a good living farming in that area despite being flooded by cyclones and burnt out by fires. They lived there until a ripe old age!
Sports Clubs
Looking away from the river for a moment you can see the Bowling and Tennis clubs which were originally situated on the site of what is now The Rise on 8th Avenue. They were moved to this end of the Peninsula in the 1970’s to allow the Alma Venville Centre to be built. This is now an active area with the Bowling club having expanded and become the Sportsman’s Club with river-based groups also included. The Tennis Club is also very active.
Farming land
This whole area of land encompassed by the sweeping bends of the Swan River was called Peninsula Farm… from around 1830 until around 1900. Settled by the Hardey Family – whom we will meet again at Tranby House. The land was subdivided and sold off to other farmers and eventually businesses and housing. Provided a lot of the fresh food for the developing city of Perth. Only 4kms away from the CBD. Developed even more with the development of the railways from the late 1890s.
Life Be In It
Just an exercise space with City provided equipment. Yet it celebrates nearly 50 years of history. ‘Life. Be in it.’ was the slogan for what became one of best-known health promotions in Australian history. The campaign aimed to increase physical activity and general well-being among Australians, and encourage them to take control of their health. The “Life Be In It” campaign was begun by the Victorian Government in 1977 and by other States and the Commonwealth in 1978.
Indigenous Statues
These were created by an Aboriginal Art Group of Northam-based Noongar artists, this installation is a reminder of 60,000 years of occupation of the area by the Indigenous people of Australia.
Chase Farm
This is a place of success and tragedy. The obvious signs of success are the remaining fruit trees: especially a pomegranate and a pear tree, both approaching 200 years of age. And the farm well which is still on the grounds.
Yet in the 1860’s there was a murder committed here. And the culprit was found, convicted and hung!
The history of the site is recorded on the walls of the building on site. It became a Dairy farm owned by a Dutch immigrant, Mr Schulstad, and was later used as an engineering factory by his son.
MH&PA is now working with Sup Tonic… recently the City of Bayswater awarded them the right to use this iconic building. They run a stand-up paddle board business and have opened the building as a community space. Teas & coffees, board games, chat etc.
Looking west – across the road
The farmland on the western side of the road was purchased by aviator and trotting trainer, Harry ‘Cannonball’ Baker who constructed a trotting training track – later covered in sand from along the river and used as the basis for housing you see now. In 1951 the land was sold to Frank Cheshire, another trotting trainer: that land is now completely developed and all the houses you can see over the road were built on that track.
After WW2, the Dennis Family built a factory to manufacture the redesigned ‘Dennis Saw’. Other designs, also patented by the brothers, were manufactured by the Schulstadt Factory. At the same time, between the back of the factory and the river a slipway was built and a boat repair facility was developed. Cray Boats were brought up from Fremantle for repair and refurbishment during the ‘off’ season. From this was developed the current Amateur Boat Building Yard which is the only one of its kind in Australia.
This area was known as Wu-rut Woorat
Archaeological digs around the stables have turned up a number of Aboriginal artefacts and indicate that this was a gathering place for people for a long time before European settlement. Peninsula Farm was one of the first farms in the Swan River Colony and is one of the earliest Perth metropolitan residences still standing. The entire peninsula – which forms much of the current suburb of Maylands – was granted to colonists arriving aboard the Tranby in 1830 and became known as the ‘Peninsula Farm’. Joseph Hardey was allocated a share of this land and he with his wife Ann built the house you see today in 1839, after losing the previous two houses to flooding. A well was also dug. An example of the importance of Peninsula Farm to the colony was that Joseph Hardey sold a bushel and a half of potatoes to Colour Sergeant Smith of the 21st Fusiliers in 1833. Over the years the house was added to, expanding outwards and upwards. At the same time, the farm became smaller and smaller.
Peninsula Farm remained in the Hardey family until 1913. Joseph Hardey and his son Richard, who took over management of the property in the late 1860s, were highly influential in the religious, business and political activities of the colony. However, Peninsula Farm tells more than just their stories. It also tells of their wives and daughters, the women and servants who ran the house and the workers who ran the farm. It tells of farming, and how families and the young colony sustained themselves. And it tells the stories of dispossession and dislocation of the Whadjuk Noongar people, as the Swan River Colony grew and more of their land was carved up for new owners.
Walk past the front of the site of the refurbishment of Peninsula Farm Cafe and along the footpath…
Tranby on Swan
This was one of the first true medium density developments in Perth. The building of around 200 brick and tile units was initiated by the now-notorious Alan Bond in the 1970’s.
Originally two jetties, 50 yards apart, this site was used for competitive swimming as well as for the general amusement of ordinary swimmers. On the remaining jetty Mr Dennis built a diving tower. Evelyn de Lacey learned to swim here and won many trophies before going on to the Berlin Olympics where she made the final of the 100 yard Freestyle. The park across the road is named after this family. The change rooms were originally made of hessian on wooden frames. Teenaged boys were a terror for the girls in their changeroom!
Walk west along Wall Street towards Peninsula Road.
View the brickworks from the back and then go around to the right to see the newly installed interpretive sign on Swan Bank Road.
The brickworks were developed by Robert Law and King Atkins, who had previously started a brickworks in Helena Vale. The brickworks opened in 1927 when the Maylands Peninsula was largely undeveloped. Two Kilns were of the Hoffman design in which the fires were continuously moved around in a circle and the wet bricks were fired in a continuous cycle. With no down-time the production line was much more efficient.
Walking around to the back of the Brickworks…
View the drying sheds where the newly formed bricks were stored prior to firing. The pug shed and the final part of the railway which fed it with wet clay. The almost hidden workshop is now filled with some of the last bricks produced on site.