Guildford, Western Australia
Guildford is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, 12 km northeast of the city centre. Its local government area is the City of Swan. It also houses the oldest government funded primary school in Western Australia.
| Guildford Perth, Western Australia | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 James Street | |||||||||||||||
  Guildford | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 31.9°S 115.973°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 2,011 (2016 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1829 | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 6055 | ||||||||||||||
| Location | 13 km (8 mi) NE of Perth | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | City of Swan | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Midland | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Division of Hasluck | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
History
Guildford was established in 1829 at the confluence of the Helena River and Swan River, being sited near a permanent fresh water supply.
During Captain Stirling's exploration for a suitable site to establish a colony on the western side of the Australian continent in the late 1820s, the exploration party of boats found a fresh water stream across the river from the site of Guildford which they called Success Hill.
Guildford was primarily the centre of the Swan River Colony before Perth succeeded in being the dominant location on the Swan Coastal Plain.
Guildford was the home of Lew Whiteman and his family. The Whiteman family were responsible for the establishment of various industries. The Whiteman family established Mussel Pool as a picnic area for their employees. This land and the purchase of surrounding land by the State Government in 1978 was used to create Whiteman Park. The original home of the Whiteman family are now tea rooms; the house is one of the oldest standing homes in Western Australia.
Guildford was originally the political centre of what is now called the City of Swan. The original council chambers have been converted to a library. Alongside the library stands the town hall; behind this is the stables built for the councillors while attending meetings and as a depot for council equipment. These stables have been converted and are now the home of the Garrick Theatre, which is the oldest operating theatre group in Western Australia. The original structure is still visible. The roof still has its original shingles in place, though from the outside they have been covered by corrugated galvanised iron.
Notable residents
- George Cyril Abdullah (1919-1984) was a prominent Aboriginal community leader who was born in Guildford to a Bengali labourer father and Indigenous mother.[2]
- Charles Walter Harper (1880-1956) was an orchardist and co-operator.[3]
- Malvina Evalyn Wood (1893-1976), librarian and college warden.[4]
Notes
- "2016 Census QuickStats: Guildford (WA)". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- Abdullah, Yasmin Jill (2007). "Abdullah, George Cyril (1919–1984)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. ADU. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- Smith, Kevin P. (1983). "Harper, Charles Walter (1880–1956)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. ANU. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- Medcalf, M (2005). "Wood, Malvina Evalyn (1893–1976)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. UDA. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
References
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Guildford, Western Australia. |
- Bourke, M. J. (Michael Joseph), (1971) Old buildings at Guildford [microform] ( Microfilm copy of typescript ([240, 190] leaves) and illustrations prepared for University of Western Australia, Faculty of Architecture, 1971.)