Burswood, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Burswood is an inner southeastern suburb of Perth
, Western Australia
, located immediately across the Swan River
from Perth's central business district
(CBD) via both The Causeway
and Graham Farmer Freeway
. Its Local Government Area
is the Town of Victoria Park.
Burswood contains the Burswood Entertainment Complex
and the Belmont Park
racecourse.
until the 1990s.
Henry Camfield, who emigrated from England to the Swan River Colony
in 1829, with two indentured servants and their families, was granted 1000 acres (4 km²) of land opposite Claisebrook. Camfield named it after the area from which he originated, Burrswood, area in Kent
. The area, which was a low-lying peninsula leading to a ridge and steep, sandy hill with scrubland beyond, became known as Burrswood Island in 1841 when a canal was cut through the peninsula so as to shorten the trip to Guildford, which had previously been encumbered by mud flats. By this time, the land was earning income and Camfield let it to tenants until he sold it in 1871. A statue of Henry Camfield is located in Burswood Park surrounding the entertainment complex today.
During the 1890s, the railway was built through the area. The present spelling of "Burswood" resulted from a spelling error by the men who painted the station sign. Western Australia's first golf course
(9-hole) was built at Burswood Island in 1895 - the clubhouse was a mud hut - and in 1899 a racecourse was also built. In 1902 it became the Belmont Park Racecourse, and in 1906 the Goodwood railway station, which later became Belmont Park railway station opened.
From 1900 until 1943 there were two racecourses Goodwood and Belmont Park, but Western Australian Turf Club bought both over and closed the second one down.
Efforts were made to establish a residential district at "Riversdale Estate", but the use of Burswood Island as part of a sewerage filtration system (1906-1934) and the existence of various light industries from the 1910s onward worked against development. Residents in the area requested a change of name and in 1921, the name Rivervale
was adopted.
In 1985, the development of the Burswood Island Resort
, including a casino, rehabilitated the name and the suburb was gazetted as Burswood in 1993, also including the residential area of Victoria Park south of Burswood Road.
to the west, north and north-east; Graham Farmer Freeway
, Great Eastern Highway
and the Armadale railway to the east, and Shepperton Road and Harper Street to the south. Only a small section between Shepperton Road and the railway line is residential, although a new estate is being constructed near the resort and golf course.
At the ABS
2001 census, Burswood had a mostly above-average-income white population of 966 people living in 586 dwellings, many of which are townhouses or flats. About 15% of the population were of East or South-East Asian origin. Several apartment blocks exist on Hampton Street.
, including two hotels, a 24hr casino, Convention Centre, seven restaurants, seven bars, a nightclub, theatre and an indoor stadium, is located within Burswood. Riverview Church
is situated opposite Burswood Entertainment Complex. Other major facilities include the State Tennis Centre and Burswood Park Golf Course.
and Craig Street
service the area. All services are operated by the Public Transport Authority.
A courtesy shuttle bus operated by the Burswood Resort ferries passengers between the train station and the Burswood Entertainment Complex
.
, is marginal at federal level, and supports the Australian Labor Party
at state elections
.
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, located immediately across the Swan River
Swan River (Western Australia)
The Swan River estuary flows through the city of Perth, in the south west of Western Australia. Its lower reaches are relatively wide and deep, with few constrictions, while the upper reaches are usually quite narrow and shallow....
from Perth's central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
(CBD) via both The Causeway
The Causeway
The Causeway is the name of the traffic crossing of the Swan River in Western Australia at the eastern end of Perth Water. Made up of two bridges on either side of Heirisson Island, the crossing links the City of Perth and Victoria Park....
and Graham Farmer Freeway
Graham Farmer Freeway
The Graham Farmer Freeway is a major part of the metropolitan road infrastructure in Perth, Western Australia. It is long and links Rivervale and East Perth with West Perth, bypassing Perth's central business district...
. Its Local Government Area
Local Government Areas of Western Australia
The Australian state of Western Australia is divided into 141 local government areas...
is the Town of Victoria Park.
Burswood contains the Burswood Entertainment Complex
Burswood Entertainment Complex
The Burswood Entertainment Complex is located on the Swan River near the city of Perth, Western Australia, and is owned by Crown Limited. The complex includes a 24-hour casino, seven restaurants, eight bars, a nightclub, two international hotels , a Convention Centre, Theatre and the Burswood Dome...
and the Belmont Park
Belmont Park, Western Australia
Belmont Park Racecourse is one of the two major horse racing venues within the Perth, Western Australia metropolitan area, the other being Ascot Racecourse. The track has a circumference of 1,699 metres with a 333 metre straight...
racecourse.
History
Burswood developed as two separate entities - the Burswood Island region, and the southernmost part which was part of Victoria ParkVictoria Park, Western Australia
The Town of Victoria Park is a Local Government Area of Western Australia. It covers an area of 17.62 km² in metropolitan Perth, the capital of Western Australia. The Town of Victoria Park maintains 154.55 km of roads, a little over 1 km² of parks and gardens and has a...
until the 1990s.
Henry Camfield, who emigrated from England to the Swan River Colony
Swan River Colony
The Swan River Colony was a British settlement established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. The name was a pars pro toto for Western Australia. In 1832, the colony was officially renamed Western Australia, when the colony's founding Lieutenant-Governor, Captain James Stirling,...
in 1829, with two indentured servants and their families, was granted 1000 acres (4 km²) of land opposite Claisebrook. Camfield named it after the area from which he originated, Burrswood, area in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. The area, which was a low-lying peninsula leading to a ridge and steep, sandy hill with scrubland beyond, became known as Burrswood Island in 1841 when a canal was cut through the peninsula so as to shorten the trip to Guildford, which had previously been encumbered by mud flats. By this time, the land was earning income and Camfield let it to tenants until he sold it in 1871. A statue of Henry Camfield is located in Burswood Park surrounding the entertainment complex today.
During the 1890s, the railway was built through the area. The present spelling of "Burswood" resulted from a spelling error by the men who painted the station sign. Western Australia's first golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
(9-hole) was built at Burswood Island in 1895 - the clubhouse was a mud hut - and in 1899 a racecourse was also built. In 1902 it became the Belmont Park Racecourse, and in 1906 the Goodwood railway station, which later became Belmont Park railway station opened.
From 1900 until 1943 there were two racecourses Goodwood and Belmont Park, but Western Australian Turf Club bought both over and closed the second one down.
Efforts were made to establish a residential district at "Riversdale Estate", but the use of Burswood Island as part of a sewerage filtration system (1906-1934) and the existence of various light industries from the 1910s onward worked against development. Residents in the area requested a change of name and in 1921, the name Rivervale
Rivervale, Western Australia
Rivervale, near the Swan River in Australia, is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia and 5 km from Perth's central business district.Rivervale was known as Barndon Hill until 1884....
was adopted.
In 1985, the development of the Burswood Island Resort
Burswood Entertainment Complex
The Burswood Entertainment Complex is located on the Swan River near the city of Perth, Western Australia, and is owned by Crown Limited. The complex includes a 24-hour casino, seven restaurants, eight bars, a nightclub, two international hotels , a Convention Centre, Theatre and the Burswood Dome...
, including a casino, rehabilitated the name and the suburb was gazetted as Burswood in 1993, also including the residential area of Victoria Park south of Burswood Road.
Geography
Burswood is bounded by the Swan RiverSwan River (Western Australia)
The Swan River estuary flows through the city of Perth, in the south west of Western Australia. Its lower reaches are relatively wide and deep, with few constrictions, while the upper reaches are usually quite narrow and shallow....
to the west, north and north-east; Graham Farmer Freeway
Graham Farmer Freeway
The Graham Farmer Freeway is a major part of the metropolitan road infrastructure in Perth, Western Australia. It is long and links Rivervale and East Perth with West Perth, bypassing Perth's central business district...
, Great Eastern Highway
Great Eastern Highway
The Great Eastern Highway is a major road between the Western Australian cities of Perth and Kalgoorlie. It is a key route for vehicles accessing the eastern wheatbelt and the eastern goldfields...
and the Armadale railway to the east, and Shepperton Road and Harper Street to the south. Only a small section between Shepperton Road and the railway line is residential, although a new estate is being constructed near the resort and golf course.
At the ABS
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...
2001 census, Burswood had a mostly above-average-income white population of 966 people living in 586 dwellings, many of which are townhouses or flats. About 15% of the population were of East or South-East Asian origin. Several apartment blocks exist on Hampton Street.
Facilities
The Burswood Entertainment ComplexBurswood Entertainment Complex
The Burswood Entertainment Complex is located on the Swan River near the city of Perth, Western Australia, and is owned by Crown Limited. The complex includes a 24-hour casino, seven restaurants, eight bars, a nightclub, two international hotels , a Convention Centre, Theatre and the Burswood Dome...
, including two hotels, a 24hr casino, Convention Centre, seven restaurants, seven bars, a nightclub, theatre and an indoor stadium, is located within Burswood. Riverview Church
Riverview Church
Riverview Church is a charismatic Pentecostal evangelical Christian church headquartered in Burswood, an inner suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Riverview has expanded in recent times to include a north and south campus, and in 2007 launched a campus in Orange County, California, which is now no...
is situated opposite Burswood Entertainment Complex. Other major facilities include the State Tennis Centre and Burswood Park Golf Course.
Transport
The Perth-Armadale rail line runs through this area and is serviced by the Burswood Train Station. Buses from the Victoria Park transfer station and along Great Eastern HighwayGreat Eastern Highway
The Great Eastern Highway is a major road between the Western Australian cities of Perth and Kalgoorlie. It is a key route for vehicles accessing the eastern wheatbelt and the eastern goldfields...
and Craig Street
Craig Street
Craig Street, born in Oakland, California, is a noted record producer.Craig moved with his family to Los Angeles at the age of 11, but returned to the Bay Area for his high school years. He began playing guitar at age 14, playing in a number of Berkeley bands...
service the area. All services are operated by the Public Transport Authority.
A courtesy shuttle bus operated by the Burswood Resort ferries passengers between the train station and the Burswood Entertainment Complex
Burswood Entertainment Complex
The Burswood Entertainment Complex is located on the Swan River near the city of Perth, Western Australia, and is owned by Crown Limited. The complex includes a 24-hour casino, seven restaurants, eight bars, a nightclub, two international hotels , a Convention Centre, Theatre and the Burswood Dome...
.
Politics
The nearest booth, Homestead Seniors Centre in Victoria ParkVictoria Park, Western Australia
The Town of Victoria Park is a Local Government Area of Western Australia. It covers an area of 17.62 km² in metropolitan Perth, the capital of Western Australia. The Town of Victoria Park maintains 154.55 km of roads, a little over 1 km² of parks and gardens and has a...
, is marginal at federal level, and supports the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
at state elections
Parliament of Western Australia
The Parliament of Western Australia consists of the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly . The Parliament sits at Parliament House in Harvest Terrace, Perth....
.