Our Suburbs & Historic Landmarks

• Bentley is 8km south-east of Perth’s CBD. It is shared between the City of Canning and the Town of Victoria Park. It is also the home of Curtin University’s Bentley Campus and Technology Park. The 2016 Census records that there were 8,782 people in Bentley.
• The land where Bentley and St James are now situated were originally Canning Location 2, a 5320 acre land grant to James McDermott in 1830. -. It was sold to Samuel Bickley, who then sold it to Henry Manning in 1854 for £532. In 1885, the Sydney and West Australian Freehold Company purchased the land and subdivided it into 19 allotments.
• In the late 19^th century, the area became locally known as Bentley’s Hill, named after John Bentley, the warder  in charge of a camp of convict labourers working to upgrade the Albany Road. The camp was situated near the junction of Albany Highway and Walpole Street.
• Fred and Harry Liddelow  were some of the first residents in the area now known as Bentley. At their home “Canningford House” on the Albany Road near Mills Street, they established  what was possibly the first dairy on the south side of the causeway. The dairy employed 8 assistants and supported 250 cows.
• The Collier Pine Plantation was planted by the WA Forests Department in 1925. 900 acres were originally planted, with the expectation  that the trees would be cut down in the 1960s and that the land would then be used for public purposes.
• In 1938 the Lands and Surveys Department asked the Canning Road Board to suggest a name for the area. The suggested names – St James Park, Balga Park, Yeoman Park and Radium Park were rejected, before the name Bentley Park was adopted in 1940. (The suffix ‘Park’ was deleted in 1956.
• Most of Bentley was vacant bushland until after WWII. The State Housing Commission commenced urban residential development there in the 1940s. From 1944 to 1986, 987 SHC housing units were built in Bentley. The 1950s saw a population explosion in Bentley, with the establishment of schools, churches, hotels, and WA’s first drive-in theatre (the Highway Drive-In) in 1956. Development of the suburb continued in the 1960s and 1970s, with the building of WA Institute of Technology (now Curtin University), La Plaza Shopping Centre, Bentley Hospital and Brownlie Towers, at the time seen as the future of public housing.
• With the demolition of Brownlie Towers in 2019, the Bentley 360 urban development project promises a further transformation of Bentley.

Images: Boomerang Hotel, 1965; Brownlie Towers, 1974; La Plaza Bentley, 1974



 

• Canning Vale lies 16 km from Perth’s CBD. In the 2016 Census, there were 33,059 people in Canning Vale. Its local government areas are the City of Canning and the City of Gosnells. 
• Canning Vale was named after William Nicholson’s property of that name. Nicholson built the homestead in the late 1890s, sinking bores to irrigate his orchards.
• Canning Vale School was established in 1911 and the Canning Vale Hall opened in 1923. 
• Until the late 1970s, Canning Vale was a farming area consisting of mostly market gardens and dairy farms due to its swampy terrain with abundant fresh water. In the 1970s, plans were being made for major developments – an industrial estate, the relocation of the Perth Markets and the building of a new maximum security prison to replace Fremantle Prison. The kennel zone was established in the late 1970s.
• The 1980s saw the beginning of the new residential estates such as Livingston Estate, launched in 1986. Numerous landscaped lakes have been incorporated in these developments to drain swampy areas. The suburb has seen huge growth since then, with many new schools, Livingston Marketplace, numerous churches, a Sikh temple and a Hindu temple.

Images: Canning Vale Hall, 1924; Canning Vale farmland, 1974; Ranford Parklands, 2021.


  

• Canning’s oldest suburb is 12 kilometres from Perth’s CBD, and takes its name from the Canning River. The 2016 Census records 5,929 people living in Cannington.
• The first settlers arrived in Cannington in 1829, as part of the rush for land grants bordering the Canning River. The early days of Cannington centred around Mason and Bird’s Timber Mill, situated at Mason’s Landing. Francis Bird built Woodloes Homestead on the banks of the Canning River in 1874. Now heritage listed, it is the oldest building in Canning and one of the earliest architect-designed homes in the Swan River Colony.
• The Albany Road was also central to the district. Arthur McIntosh’s Blacksmithing and Coach Building business was established here in 1893. Cannington’s development was aided greatly when the South-West railway went through in 1893. Cannington was one of the first stations, opening in 1897.
• By the turn of the century, there were numerous farms and orchards established in the area. Cannington was an important locality, and many significant buildings were constructed at this time – the Cannington Hotel, the “Church with the Chimney” (1890) the Cecil Hotel (1896), Cannington School (1898), the Canning Agricultural Hall (1898), and the Canning Town Hall (1909). Prominent residents during this time (landowners, businessmen and often active members of local government) were William Lacey Gibbs, Arthur McIntosh, and George Wilson, founder of Wilson and John’s Nursery.
• Cannington’s development as a suburb was aided by the rebuilding of the Albany Road in 1931. By this time, a bus service had been established. Charlie Grose’s Cannington Bus Service connected Cannington and Victoria Park, for sixpence a trip.
• Cannington’s expansion continued after World War II with the opening of Boans Waverley, the first suburban branch of Perth’s iconic department store, in 1958. Cannington Senior High School opened in 1967, and a new Cannington Primary School opened in Wharf Street in 1970. The old Cannington School was demolished to make way for Carousel Shopping Centre, which opened its doors in 1972.
• The face of Cannington is once again undergoing transformation. Developments such as the Cecil Avenue “smart street” and the Wharf Street Basin promise to give Cannington a vibrant and dynamic city centre.

Images: The original Cannington Hotel; The Carousel Tavern and Boans on Albany Highway; Wharf Street Next Generation Community Park, 2021.


 

• East Cannington is 14 kilometres from Perth’s CBD and derives its name from the Canning River. The 2016 Census recorded 5461 people living in East Cannington. East Cannington previously incorporated the suburb of Beckenham.
• East Cannington was established when the Woodloes Estate was subdivided in the early part of the 20th Century. Although a Post Office was established there in 1910, it wasn’t gazetted as a postal district until 1959.
• One of the suburb’s first shops – Payne’s Store – opened on Railway Parade in 1909. East Cannington School was established in 1912, and the East Cannington Hall opened in 1919, proving very popular for Saturday night dances.
• Largely a semi-rural area, there were many farms and horse agistment properties. Arnolds Dairy and Western’s Dairy both operated in East Cannington.
• The Crystal Jam Factory was set up in East Cannington by the Taylor Brothers in the 1920s. By the 1930s, the factory employed more than a dozen employees. Business boomed during the Second World War, with jams, sauces and pickles and canned fruit being produced. After the war, the business was sold and became known as “Mumzone Products”. The firm operated in East Cannington until the early 1960s.
• Most of East Cannington’s development as a suburb happened in the 1960s and 1970s. Gibbs Street Primary School opened in 1971. Today the suburb is mostly residential, with many parks and reserves.

Images: East Cannington Hall; East Cannington School, c.1925; Payne's Store.
 

• Ferndale is 10km southeast of Perth’s CBD. The 2016 Census records 4330 people living in Ferndale. The Shire of Canning originally proposed the name Shearnstead for the suburb, after Farnham Shearn, the original grantee of the site of much of today’s Ferndale. Developers preferred the name Ferndale, and this was adopted by the Shire in 1965.
• Ferndale was mostly rural until the 1960s. Bob Mounsey had a dairy farm there. In those days children had to row across the river to go to school, or use the pontoon built by Mr Mounsey. In 1953 he built a wooden footbridge from his property to the opposite bank (just upstream from Greenfield Street) so that his children could walk to school in Cannington. In 1964, the Greenfield Street Bridge was built, enabling easy access to the shops in Cannington.
• Development of the suburb kicked off in the late 1960s. Kinlock Primary School opened in 1967, and in 1971 Plunkett Homes began selling homes in Ferndale. The Lynwood Arms Hotel (actually in Ferndale) opened in 1971, and the late 1970s saw the opening of Ferndale Primary School and the ovals and change-rooms at Ferndale Reserve.
• Ferndale today is a mostly residential suburb, popular due to its proximity to Carousel Shopping Centre and the Canning River Regional Park.

Images: Ferndale, late 1960s; Kinlock Primary School, c.1985; Mounsey's footbridge, 1967. 
 

• Lynwood is 12 km southeast of Perth’s CBD. The 2016 Census records 3441people living in Lynwood. The Shire of Canning originally wanted the suburb to be called Willetton (after Henry Willett), while the developers preferred Clovercrest Estate. The name Lynwood was finally agreed on in 1965.  Parkwood was originally part of Lynwood.
• Much of the suburb’s land was semi-rural until the 1960s. Large parcels of land were developed by the British firm Realty Development Corporation and marketed to new English migrants as a garden suburb, ‘where gracious living begins’. House and land packages were offered, with promises of loans, temporary accommodation, superior homes, and sunshine!
• The “New Australians” set about building a community. By 1971, Lynwood boasted a kindergarten, a Shopping Centre, a primary school, and a Community Centre (Wandarrah Hall.)
• Parkwood became a separate suburb in 1993.

Images: Lynwood advertising, 1960s; Montrose Street Lynwood, 1966; Lynwood shops, c.1985

• Parkwood is 10 km southeast of Perth’s CBD. The 2016 Census records 6032 people living in Parkwood. Parkwood was part of Lynwood until 1993.
• In 1943 the RAAF Ground Control Interception Radar Station Number 144 was established on what is now Whaleback Golf Course. It was part of a nationwide network of radar units built to defend Australia against Japanese air strikes. The station operated until 1945. Whaleback Golf Course opened in January 1981, and the radar station’s “igloo” bunkers are now used by the Girl Guides and the Scouts.
• Lynwood High School opened in Parkwood in 1975, and Riverton Forum Shopping Centre opened there in 1986, on what had once been farmland. The newly built Bannister Creek Primary School opened its doors in 2010, amalgamating three local primary schools – Kinlock, Ferndale and Lynwood.

Images: Whaleback Public Golf Course, c.1985; Parkwood Primary School (previously West Lynwood), 1985; Riverton Forum, 1990

• Queens Park is 11km east of Perth’s CBD. The 2016 Census records 6655 people living in Queens Park. Queens Park was originally known as Woodlupine. The name  was changed following a murder in 1911. It was agreed that the name would be changed to Queens Park to honour Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward VII. Many of the streets and buildings in this area had been given royal names following their coronation in 1901.
• Queens Park was developed as a locality in the late 19^th century. By 1896 the land in the area was subdivided and was being sold as “Jubilee Estate”. Like Cannington, Queens Park’s development was boosted by the building of the South-West Railway in the 1890s. A railway siding (named Woodlupine) had been established by 1898, and within the next 10 years the Jubilee Hall , the Coronation Hotel, the Woodlupine Congregational Church, a Post Office and a school had opened. The area was mostly rural, with piggeries, goat breeders and dairy farms.
• Sister Kate’s Children’s Home was founded in Queens Park in 1934, beginning with a cottage named “Myola” which housed 10 school-aged children. Two more cottages were added within a few years, and the home continued to expand over the years. The Chapel (now State heritage-listed) was built in 1937. The home housed Aboriginal children taken from their families, later described as the Stolen Generation.
• In 1953 the State Housing Commission commenced an extensive housing development in a precinct of Queens Park which they named Maniana.  It opened the following year and by 1959 over 300 homes had been built to provide low cost housing, mainly to workers in the Welshpool Industrial Estate. Although the development incorporated new ideas such as cul-de-sacs and pedestrian access ways, it was not long before facilities began to deteriorate and social problems developed. Although several attempts were made to upgrade and improve the area over the years, it was eventually completely redeveloped as “Quattro Estate”.
• Queens Park is home to three of Canning’s oldest schools: Queens Park primary School (1906); St Joseph’s School (1936) and St Norbert College (1966).
• Queens Park is now the centre of another major re-development, with plans announced in 2020 to build a State Football Centre in Queens Park.

Images: Queens Park shops;  Coronation Hotel, 1965; Queens Park primary School, c.1985
 

• Riverton is 14 kilometres form Perth, with 5,643 residents, according to the 2016 Census. Riverton started as a subdivision in 1911.  The origin of the name is uncertain, but obviously refers to the Canning River. The area encompassing Rossmoyne, Shelley and Willetton were all originally part of Riverton.
• The area was settled by farmers and market gardeners. Fred Riley bought his property in 1897, and ran a very successful market. It was due to Riley’s unceasing efforts and financial assistance that the first Riverton Bridge was built in 1911. It was locally known as “Riley’s Bridge.”
• After World War 1, land in Riverton was offered for farming to returned soldiers. Most were unsuccessful because of inexperience and lack of services. A number of dairies and poultry farms then sprang up, many of these failing during the Great Depression.
• Development of Riverton as a suburb began in 1937, when Victor Webb bought the unsold “white elephant” land from the original subdivision. Webb cleared and then began selling the land, and the first house was erected near Riley’s Bridge in 1938. Progress and development really picked up after the second World War – land sales picked up, the Riverton Bus Company began offering services in 1946, the Riverton Hall was erected in 1948 and Riverton Primary School opened in 1949. In 1953 a new bridge was built to replace the old Riverton Bridge, which had been in a state of disrepair since the 1930s.
• Riverton today is a very popular suburb, with close proximity to the Canning River, good schools and shopping facilities.

Images: Foodland, Riverton; Old Riverton Hall, 1982; Riverton Primary School, 1963
 

• Rossmoyne is 14 kilometres from Perth’s CBD, with 3321 residents recorded in the 2016 Census. It’s name reportedly derives from a family trip to Scotland made by the developer, Victor Webb. The area was known previously as West Riverton.
• The Pallottine Mission Centre opened in May 1955 in what was later known as Fifth Avenue, Rossmoyne. It originally opened as a hostel for Aboriginal boys attending secondary schools, technical schools or working as apprentices in Perth. A Girls' Hostel was opened in 1961.The residence had catered for more than 900 students by the time it closed in 1991.
• Victor Webb launched the Rossmoyne Estate in 1956, and the area developed very quickly. Rossmoyne Primary School opened in 1964, and in 1968 local children were able to attend the newly opened Rossmoyne High School (actually across Leach Highway in Bull Creek.)
• Rossmoyne today is a very desirable suburb due to its riverside location, good schools and amenities.

images: Pallottine Mission Centre, 1965; Rossmoyne Bowling Club, 1961; Central Road, Rossmoyne shops, c.1985
 

• Shelley lies 14 kilometres south east of Perth, with 4523 residents recorded in the 2016 Census. The suburb was originally part of Riverton. The name comes from the shells found on the beaches of the Canning River.
• Much of Shelley is land reclaimed from the Canning River. In 1960, landowners who held blocks of river swamp agreed to a reclamation scheme initiated, financed and undertaken by the Shire of Canning. The highly-ambitious scheme saw the reclamation of 1.5 miles of foreshore between Corbel Street and Beatrice Ave, plus the resumption of 36 acres of privately-owned land. The Shire undertook the filling, road construction and resurvey, providing access to 80 river frontage lots between Zenith St and Fifth Ave. It also resulted in the beautiful Shelley Foreshore Reserve, one of the City's most picturesque parks.

Images: Shelley land sale, c.1960; Shelley Bridge, 1978; Shelley Beach Park, 2021
 

• St James is 6 km southeast of Perth’s CBD. Its local government areas are the City of Canning and the Town of Victoria Park. The 2016 Census records that there were 4905 people in St James.
• Like Bentley, most of St James’ development happened after World War II. In the 1950s, many houses were built by the State Housing Commission. War Service Commission homes were also built.
• St James was gazetted as a suburb in 1957. It was named after St James Park in London. Many of the streets in St James commemorate British Prime Ministers and MPs.

Images: Diesel Motors, Albany Highway; 11 Victoria Street St James, 1952; Victoria Street, St James, 1963

• Welshpool is 9.5 kilometres east of the Perth CBD. The 2016 Census records 19 people residing in Welshpool. Welshpool’s name is believed to derive from Welshpool Road, possibly named after Welshpool in Wales, birthplace of one of the early residents.
• By the end of the 19^th Century, a railway station had opened in Welshpool and Welshpool Road was in operation. By 1912, Welshpool boasted 40 residents, most of whom worked at the two local bone mills. Welshpool School opened in 1914, holding classes in the newly built Mechanics’ Institute Hall.
• In the 1920s and 1930s, firms such as WA Knitters and Structural Engineering were established in Welshpool. The early 1940s saw the beginnings of the Welshpool Industrial Complex, with the Commonwealth Government acquiring land to build a small arms munitions factory. The factory operated from 1942 to 1946.
• After WWII, the State government invited industrial tenants, leading to the rapid growth of the Welshpool Industrial Complex, with firms such as James Hardie and Chamberlain Industries. Welshpool today is one of Perth’s major industrial areas.

Images: Structural Engineering, Welshpool, 1965;  Railway Crossing, 1965; Chamberlain's foundry
 

• Willetton is 12km south of Perth’s CBD. According to the 2016 census, there were 18187 people living in Willetton. Until 1964, Willetton was part of the area referred to as Riverton. Burtsdale was the original name chosen for the suburb (after Septimus Burt (lawyer, KC, grazier & politician).) In 1965, the name Willetton was chosen, after Henry Willett, the grantee of Canning Location 21.
• Willetton was mostly rural until the 1960s, and land was slow to sell. In the mid-1960s, the Council progressed development of land near High Road, resulting in the establishment of the Willetton Industrial Area and the residential area immediately south (to Apsley Road). The Willetton Reserve (Apsley Rd) and the Reserve on Portulaca Street were established. The Riverline Drive-In opened off High Road in 1964.
• In the late 1960s the Council implemented Town Planning Scheme No. 24 for the remaining unsubdivided portion of Willetton – this made provision for major and minor roads, recreation areas, shopping facilities, schools and community facilities such as the future library. By 1970, development was underway and land sales took off. Willetton Primary School opened in 1970, and in 1973 the Willetton Sports Club formed, originally as the Willetton Junior Football Club. The Burrendah Estate was launched at this time, boasting “proper” sewerage, kerbed and sealed roads, with water and power ready to connect. A unique urban development concept was pioneered here – a series of residential areas with lanes of parks and reserves between them. To promote the estate, the developers erected a Futuro House over an ornamental lake – the Willetton “spaceship” was an iconic structure in the suburb for the next two decades.
• Since then, Willetton has gone from strength to strength, with numerous primary schools, Willetton Senior High School, Southlands Shopping Centre and a huge variety of other shops and restaurants.

• Leeming is 16 km south of Perth’s CBD. In the 2016 Census, there were 10,730 people living in leeming. The suburb is split between three Local Government areas – Canning, Melville and Cockburn. The small portion of Leeming belonging to Canning is bounded by South Street, Beasley Road and Hollingsworth Way. The suburb’s name commemorates George Waters Leeming, a surveyor who laid out the roads for the Jandakot Agricultural area in 1889. The area was part of the land gained by Canning when the Jandakot Roads Board District was abolished in the early 1920s.
• Leeming was a predominantly agricultural area until the 1970s. It was gazetted as a suburb in 1971 and construction commenced in the mid-1970s.

Image: Acanthus Road, Willetton c.1961; New homes at Willetton, 1974; Willetton Senior High School, c.1985
 

• Wilson lies 9 kilometres form Perth, with 6376 residents listed in the 2016 Census. Originally known as Beeloo, the suburb was re-named in 1958 following a petition by local residents. It was named after early resident and the first Mayor of the Queens Park Municipality, George Wilson.
• Wilson was primarily a farming area until after World War II. The building of Riverton Bridge in 1911 made it possible for farmers to get their produce across the river. Kent Street Weir was in operation by 1927, with the plan that this would prevent the movement of salt water in the summer. Though this wasn’t very successful, the weir was a popular local swimming spot.
• The former Castledare Home was built around 1907, and was known as ‘Balmoral’. The property was purchased by the Catholic Church in 1927 and opened two years later as a home and school   for intellectually handicapped and disadvantaged boys. The school is now long closed, and Castledare is now an aged care facility and retirement village.
• Wilson’s development accelerated in the 1950s, with the building of 600 houses between 1959 and 1964, many of which were State Housing Commission homes. Services such as shops and schools quickly followed. The construction of leach Highway and Shelley Bridge have made a big difference to Wilson residents.  
• Today, Wilson is a popular suburb due to its riverside location and proximity to the Canning River Regional Park

Image: Eureka Road shops, Wilson 1960s, Wilson primary School, c.1985, Wilson Community Hall, 1993
 

• The original ‘Kent Street Weir’ was constructed from sand bags in 1911, and aimed to stop salt water from affecting agricultural land upstream. A more permanent weir was not completed until 1927 and has since undergone numerous changes to its design and function. The 1927 structure was designed by the Public Works Engineer.
• The weir was a popular recreational spot in the years between the World Wars, providing deep water pools for swimming and good fishing spots. By October 1932, the weir was not performing as planned - salt water was getting above the weir at certain times of the year. A new weir was completed by June 1940, providing a much more substantial and efficient lock. By the early 1960s other previously popular swimming places in the river had deteriorated, and the pool at the weir became one of only a few public swimming facilities in the district.
• In the summer of 1960/61, Kent Street Weir was showing signs of failure and major works to upgrade the weir were completed the following year. Further improvements were made in 1989, which included a timber bridge allowing access to both sides of the river and linking with the cycleway system through the regional park. A new weir was constructed in 2017.

Images: Kent Street Weir, late 1920s; Strengthening the weir, 1962; Kent Street Weir, 2021

 

• Katherine Mary Clutterbuck, an Anglican nun who was known as Sister Kate, pioneered a cottage home system for looking after orphaned children in Western Australia. She became famous for her work with Aboriginal children taken from their families, later described as the Stolen Generation. In 1934, at the age of 74, Sister Kate opened a home on Treasure Road – a cottage named “Myola” which housed 10 school-aged children. Two more cottages were added within a few years, and the home continued to expand over the years.
• The Chapel of the Guardian Angel at Sister Kate’s was built in 1937. It was reportedly a personal gift to Sister Kate from Jack Crossland (a Corrigin farmer) who also donated the land to her. The chapel was also designed by architects Parry and Clifton. It is now listed on the State Heritage Register.
•  Sister Kate died in 1946 at the age of 86. Her colleague, Ruth Lefroy, continued as Superintendent Matron until her death in 1953. Her will made provision to donate the home to the Presbyterian Church.
• By the mid 1980s, the home was still in operation for children needing care and also as a hostel for rural Aboriginal students. In 1988, the home’s name was changed to Manguri and it was administered by an Aboriginal Consultative Committee. The home was forced to close in 2002 due to financial difficulties. Notable residents of Sister Kate’s : Ken Colbung, Polly Farmer, Sue Gordon and Rob Riley. The site of Sister Kate's home in Queens Park now provides aged-care accommodation for former home residents and their descendants.

Images: Sister Kate; Sister Kate's Children's Home, c.1965; The chapel at Sister Kate's


 

• ​Woodloes Homestead was built by the architect Francis Bird in 1871 as his family home. It is the oldest building in Canning and one of the earliest architect-designed homes in the Swan River Colony.
• Bird sold Woodloes to Joseph Shaw in 1882. The property was subsequently sold another 10 times, with some of the land subdivided and sold. The Town of Canning bought the property in 1974 (which by then was in a state of disrepair) and a major restoration was undertaken to provide a venue for the Canning Districts Historical society and to create a museum.
• Woodloes Homestead was classified by the National Trust in 1988, nominated to the Register of The National Estate in 1991 and permanently added to Western Australian State Heritage register in 1997.

Images: Woodloes, 1922; restoring Woodloes, 1976; Woodloes 2019

 

 

• Benjamin Mason founded a timber company in the 1860s, with mills at Carmel and at the Canning Landing (later named Mason’s Landing.) By 1866 he was employing about 100 men. Timber was hauled from the Darling Ranges to Mason’s Landing in Cannington. From there the timber went by barge to Perth and Fremantle. By 1869, a steam-powered sawmill was established by the Canning River. In 1871 Mason formed a partnership with Francis Bird to form the Mason Bird Timber Company. The timber from Mason Bird went to build many important buildings and structures in Perth, including the Perth Town Hall, and was also shipped overseas. 
• Mason's partnership with Bird was dissolved in 1879, and records show that Bird continued to fulfil government contracts for timber until at least 1880.
•  Prior to his partnership with Bird, Mason's company had difficulties transporting their timber along the Canning River due to the shallows between Mason's Landing and Salter's Point. Barges were often grounded here, especially in summer,  and the company had problems meeting export contracts. Mason requested that the Government take steps to ensure the River was navigable throughout the year. 
• Mason's company was contracted by the Government to build a fence and dredge a channel  in the Canning River.  Correspondence from Mason to the Colonial Secretary indicates that in 1866 a convict party erected stakes in the river, at least from Muddy Reach to the Oyster Beds. The 'fence'  was reported to have been constructed from jarrah poles wattled with casuarina logs and boughs. It became necessary to maintain and repair it on a regular basis. Tenders for maintenance of the Canning River Channel Improvements were called in 1868, 1869 and 1874. Further repairs were undertaken in 1887-1888 and again by the Public Works Department in 1892-1897. 
• The remnants of the fence are still clearly visible from Centenary Avenue and Shelley Bridge, as well as from Riverton Drive in Shelley and Rossmoyne, and from the river edge near Clontarf and Waterford. The Convict Fence was listed on the State Heritage Register in 1997.

Images: Eliza & Benjamin Mason; Mason's Landing, 1961; the Convict Fence from Shelley.

 

• Some 230 men from the Canning District enlisted in active service in World War I. Of that number 43 were killed on the battlefield or died of wounds or disease. In 1921, in line with similar moves by local government and community associations throughout Australia, it was decided to build a War Memorial to commemorate those who died in the war. The site for the memorial was to be immediately outside the Canning Town Hall.
• The memorial was in the form of a monumental arch, built from Donnybrook stone. It was unveiled on Monday 25 April 1921 by the then Minister for Works, Mr W. J. George. The Town Hall was extended in 1926, making the site very congested. . Because the Town Hall became a popular movie venue in the 1920s, it was also considered that the site was not an appropriate venue for the memorial.
• In 1948, after World War Two, a triangular portion of land on the corner of Albany Highway and Manning Road was chosen by the Canning Road Board. Local RSL branches fund-raised to relocate the structure and to beautify the parkland. The memorial arch was disassembled by local volunteers in 1956 and transferred to its present location, incorporating an additional section showing names of residents killed on service in World War II. The move and reconstruction was overseen by local stonemason, A.H Hicks.

Images: Town Hall and War Memorial, c.1925; Anzac Day 1971; War Memorial, 2021
 

• Sikhs have been in Western Australia  since the early 19th Century. Many early Sikhs in Australia were cameleers, working in the goldfields. If possible, they would come back to Perth to die. In Sikhism cremation is the usual method for disposal of human remains. WA Sikhs petitioned the government for decades to legalise cremation. The Cremation Act was legislated in 1929 as a result.  
• In 1932 a small reserve in what is now Adenia Park was allocated to two WA Sikhs, Bulla and Massa Singh, for a Sikh Cemetery. The funeral pyre was situated alongside running water. In 1977, the reserve was cancelled and reverted back to public open space. 
• In 1992 memorial stones and a plaque were unveiled acknowledging the existence of the Sikh cremation site and to celebrate Australian Sikh pioneers. The site is listed in the Heritage Council’s Register of Heritage Places. Around March 3 every year, Sikhs hold an event at the former cemetery to commemorate the arrival of early Sikhs in WA. This date is also significant as it marks the first Sikh casualty in World War II on WA soil.
• The Australian Sikh Heritage Trail opened in Adenia Park in 2018. The 250 metre trail comprises a group of interconnected pathways, featuring plaques and signage commemorating the history of Sikhs in Australia. The site is now listed on the State Heritage Register.

Images: Sikh cremation, 1934 (Perth Mirror, 30.6.1934); Sikh Heritage Trail

 

• The Canning Agricultural Hall was originally erected in 1898 for the Canning Agricultural, Horticultural and Recreational Society on a site purchased by the Canning Districts Road Board.
• Over the years more land was acquired, and in 1941 the title to the hall and land was transferred to the Society. For a period during World War II, the hall and grounds were used for military purposes.
• In 1974, the Society began leasing land to the Greyhound Racing Association and Cannington Central opened.  The Agricultural Hall was eventually demolished as part of the widening of Albany Highway around 1990.
• The Canning Show has been held regularly at the Canning Showgrounds since its beginnings in 1894, with the exception of War years and during the Great Depression. 

Images: Canning Agricultural Hall, 1938; Canning Showgrounds, 1938; Cannington Central, 1974

 

Now known as Westfield Carousel, the area on the corner of Cecil Avenue and Albany Highway has always played an important role in the community. It has evolved dramatically throughout the years:

• The Cecil Hotel was built around 1896-1898 by Stephen Gibbs, who was also its first owner and publican. The hotel had numerous owners, and was de-licensed in 1927. It remained so for 27 years until it re-opened as the Waverley Hotel in 1955. 
• The original Cannington School building opened on the Albany Road in 1898. Additional classrooms were added as the school grew. Children from as far away as Byford were travelling to Cannington to attend school.
• In 1958, the first suburban branch of Boans, Perth's iconic department store, opened in Cannington between the Waverley and Cannington School.  It became part of Carousel Shopping Centre when it opened in 1972,  and became a Myer store after Boans was purchased by Myer in 1985.
• Plans for business development of the area began in the 1960s. Cannington School was moved to a new site on Wharf Street in 1970. The old school buildings were demolished to make way for Carousel Shopping Centre, which opened in 1972. Boans became part of the new shopping centre, and became a Myer store after Boans was purchased by Myer in 1985.
• The Waverley Hotel became the Carousel Tavern when the shopping centre opened. It was eventually demolished in 1992, due to the widening of Albany Highway.

Images: Cecil Hotel, c.1930; Albany Highway, Boans and Cannington School, 1961; Carousel opening day. 1972

 

• The Canning Town Hall building comprises the original hall, built in 1909, the extension on the northern side of the building constructed in 1926, the eastern wing constructed in 1955, and various additions since then. It was built as a Town Hall and administrative centre, originally for the Queens Park Municipality. The War Memorial was erected in front of the Town Hall in 1921, but later relocated to its current site in 1948. The building was used from the 1920s for some time  as a picture theatre, and is still used for community purposes today.
• With the growth of Canning by the late 1960s, plans were made for a new administration building. A new Council Administration Centre, costing $600,000 was built on 20 acres of land adjoining the old Town Hall which was previously part of the Wilson & Johns Nursery. The centre was officially opened by R.H.C. Stubbs, M.L.C., Minister for Local Government, on 2 May 1971.
• As Canning continued to grow, these buildings also became inadequate. The current Civic and Administration Centre opened in 2006. The gardens at the front of the building were designed to acknowledge Wilson & Johns' Nursery, which had occupied the site until the 1960s.

Images: Town Hall, c.1985; Town of Canning Civic and Administration Centre, c.1971; City of Canning  Civic and Administration building


 

• For many years the only golf course in Canning was the privately run club at the rear of the Riverton Hotel. Run by D. Norriss, the very popular course was eventually closed to become a housing development.
• A proposal for a $450,000 eighteen hole course covering 48 hectares on Whaleback Reserve was recommended to the Council . Whaleback Golf Course was opened by Mayor Ernie Clark in January 1981.
•  The “igloo” bunkers at the Whaleback Golf Course were originally a radar detection site in World War II. In 1943 the RAAF Ground Control Interception Radar Station Number 144 was established there as part of a nationwide network of radar units built to defend Australia against Japanese air strikes. Radar units in Perth and along the WA coast provided radar coverage for the Catalinas and Lancaster bombers that left Perth, and for submarines plying the coast, as well as for planes returning home. The Station operated until 1945. The bunkers are now used as Girl Guides/Scouts facilities.

Images: Mayor Ernie Clark hitting off at the Whaleback Golf Course opening day, 1981; Whaleback c. 1985; Igloo bunker.

 

• Castledare is situated on the banks of the Canning River in Wilson.  It was built on  a 83 acre property originally known as “Balmoral”. The property had been occupied since 1895 by three successive families, the Flemings, the Meares and the McLeods.  The Federation Queen Anne-style house, known as “Niana” was built by the Flemings  in 1906.
• In 1927 the property was purchased by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Perth who sought to open a home for “sub-normal” children. Castledare Home was opened by the Christian Brothers as a centre for intellectually handicapped Catholic boys in March 1929 with ten boys and under the directorship of Brother G. Hyland. Following the Depression, it changed direction,  becoming a junior school to nearby Clontarf which catered for all types of “under-privileged” boys. The name of the school was changed to St Vincent’s Preparatory School for Boys, however it was still referred to as Castledare.
• The advent of World War II saw Castledare also receiving migrant boys from overseas. The school expanded after the war and a Chapel was added in 1957, which later became the Parish Church for Wilson.
• The mini golf course at Castledare was designed by the same architect who designed the nearby church. It was built by Mr Alvio Timeus with his uncle Emilio Timeus. The facility was intended as an amenity for boys resident at Castledare.  It was also a major attraction at the Castledare annual field day and a large fund raiser.
• By 1959, the school began to experience financial problems due to falling student numbers. As policies towards children in institutional care changed in the 1960s, doubts about the suitability of Castledare for children with emotional problems led to the withdrawal of the Christian Brothers from the school.The school closed in 1983. In 1998 the site was redeveloped – it is now an aged care facility and retirement village called Castledare Retirement Village, operated by Catholic Homes Incorporated. In 1994, the WA Parliament was presented with a petition with 30,000 signatures demanding an inquiry into the sexual and physical assault that took place in various institutions run by the Christian Brothers, including Castledare. 
• Castledare is listed on the State Heritage Register and has been classified by the National Trust. It is also the home of the Castledare Miniature Railway.

Images: Castledare c.1985; The chapel at Castledare; Castledare boys on Riverton Bridge, 1957.

 

• In the early 20^th century, Riverton market gardeners Fred Riley and Jack Metcalfe needed access to Perth markets to sell their produce. Fred Riley donated both his time and money to construct a bridge, which was completed in 1911.The bridge was locally known as Riley's Bridge.
• By the 1930s, the bridge was falling into disrepair, and was used on a ‘use at your own risk’ basis.
• The bridge was demolished and replaced with the present bridge in 1953. Part of the original bridge was lowered and used as a jetty until the 1980s.

Images: Opening of the 'Riley's Bridge', 1911; Riverton Bridge with original bridge as jetty, 1979; Riverton Bridge 2020.