Parkerville, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Parkerville is a suburb in the Shire of Mundaring
in Western Australia
. Jane Brook flows through Parkerville on its way down to the Swan River
through John Forrest National Park
.
eventually led to Nyoongar dispossession in the Hills behind Perth. The Parkerville Suburban Area was made open for selection
in June 1895.
Parkerville was one of the first stations to be constructed on the railway line that once ran between Bellevue
and Mount Helena
, opening for traffic in 1896. The town was named in honour of Stephen Henry Parker
whose country home, now the Old Mahogany Inn, was situated nearby. Parker was a prominent member of Perth's legal fraternity.
In 1903 Sister Kate
of the Community of the Sisters of the Church
, purchased 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) of land at Parkerville for the "League of Charity Home" for children, which became the Parkerville Children's Home. Clutterbuck Creek is named after Sister Kate's parents. In 1909 the construction of the chapel was completed. Sally Morgan
, in her landmark novel My Place
, writes how three year old Gladys is taken to this orphanage.
In 1966 the railway line was closed as part of a change of route to the Avon Valley. The railway route has become the Railway Reserve Heritage Trail
as a bridle and walking path.
The Parkerville Amphitheatre became the site for a number of 1970s concerts. This and other nearby locations have been used for filming children's television series.
By the early 2000s, Perth's suburban growth was placing development pressures on Parkerville.
Shire of Mundaring
The Shire of Mundaring is a Local Government Area on the eastern fringe of metropolitan Perth, the capital of Western Australia. The Shire covers an area of and has a population of 35,097 .-History:...
in 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...
. Jane Brook flows through Parkerville on its way down to 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....
through John Forrest National Park
John Forrest National Park
John Forrest National Park is a national park in the Darling Scarp, 24 km east of Perth, Western Australia. It was the first national park in Western Australia and the second in Australia after Royal National Park.- Name :...
.
History
The Nyoongar people were the original custodians of the land. The arrival of British settlers in 1829 on the Swan Coastal PlainSwan Coastal Plain
The Swan Coastal Plain in Western Australia is the geographic feature which contains the Swan River as it travels west to the Indian Ocean. The coastal plain continues well beyond the boundaries of the Swan River and its tributaries, as a geological and biological zone, one of Western Australia's...
eventually led to Nyoongar dispossession in the Hills behind Perth. The Parkerville Suburban Area was made open for selection
Selection (Australian history)
Selection referred to "free selection before survey" of crown land in some Australian colonies under land legislation introduced in the 1860s. These acts were similar to the United States Homestead Act and were intended to encourage closer settlement, based on intensive agriculture, such as...
in June 1895.
Parkerville was one of the first stations to be constructed on the railway line that once ran between Bellevue
Bellevue, Western Australia
Bellevue is an eastern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its Local Government Areas are the City of Swan and the Shire of Mundaring, and it is located at the foot of the slopes of Greenmount, a landmark on the Darling Scarp that is noted in the earliest of travel journals of the early Swan River...
and Mount Helena
Mount Helena
Mount Helena may refer to:*Mount Helena, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth,*Mount Helena , a mountain in British Columbia.*Mount Helena City Park, a mountain and city park in Montana....
, opening for traffic in 1896. The town was named in honour of Stephen Henry Parker
Stephen Henry Parker
Sir Stephen Henry Parker KCMG was a lawyer and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Western Australia from 1906 to 1914.-Early life:...
whose country home, now the Old Mahogany Inn, was situated nearby. Parker was a prominent member of Perth's legal fraternity.
In 1903 Sister Kate
Katherine Mary Clutterbuck
Katherine Mary Clutterbuck, MBE , usually known as Sister Kate, was an Anglican nun who pioneered a cottage home system for looking after orphan babies and children in Western Australia...
of the Community of the Sisters of the Church
Community of the Sisters of the Church
The Community of the Sister of the Church is a religious order of women in various Anglican provinces who live the vowed life of poverty, chastity and obedience...
, purchased 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) of land at Parkerville for the "League of Charity Home" for children, which became the Parkerville Children's Home. Clutterbuck Creek is named after Sister Kate's parents. In 1909 the construction of the chapel was completed. Sally Morgan
Sally Morgan (artist)
Sally Jane Morgan is an Australian Aboriginal author, dramatist, and artist. Morgan's works are on display in numerous private and public collections in both Australia and around the world.-Early life:...
, in her landmark novel My Place
My Place (book)
My Place is an autobiography written by artist Sally Morgan in 1987. It is about Morgan's quest for knowledge of her family's past and the fact that she has grown up under false pretences. The book is a milestone in Aboriginal literature and is one of the earlier works in indigenous writing.-...
, writes how three year old Gladys is taken to this orphanage.
In 1966 the railway line was closed as part of a change of route to the Avon Valley. The railway route has become the Railway Reserve Heritage Trail
Railway Reserve Heritage Trail
Railway Reserves Heritage Trail, also on some maps as Rail reserve heritage trail or Rail reserves historical trail - and frequently referred to locally as the 'Bridle Trail' or 'Bridle Track' , is within the Shire of Mundaring in Western Australia....
as a bridle and walking path.
The Parkerville Amphitheatre became the site for a number of 1970s concerts. This and other nearby locations have been used for filming children's television series.
By the early 2000s, Perth's suburban growth was placing development pressures on Parkerville.
Education
There are two schools in Parkerville today: Parkerville Primary School and the Silver Tree Steiner School.External links
- Parkerville on Geoscience AustraliaGeoscience AustraliaGeoscience Australia is an agency of the Australian federal government. It carries out geoscientific research.On a user pays basis it produces geospatial products such as topographic maps and satellite imagery.-History:...
- Mundaring and Hills Historical Society Website