Bassendean, Western Australia

This article is about a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. For the local government area, see Town of Bassendean.

Suburb of Perth, Western Australia

Bassendean
Perth, Western Australia

The heritage listed Bassendean Masonic Lodge

Coordinates| 31°54′18″S 115°56′56″E﻿ / ﻿31.905°S 115.949°E﻿ / -31.905; 115.949
Population| 10,837 (SAL 2021)[1]
Postcode(s)| 6054
Area| 7.3 km2 (2.8 sq mi)
Location| 12 km (7 mi) from Perth
LGA(s)| Town of Bassendean
State electorate(s)| Bassendean
Federal division(s)| Perth
| Suburbs around Bassendean:

Morley | Eden Hill | Caversham
Bayswater | Bassendean | Guildford
Ashfield | Ascot | South Guildford

Bassendean (once referred to as West Guildford) is a north-eastern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its local government area is the Town of Bassendean.[2]

It is also the name of the sand dune system on the Swan Coastal Plain known as the Bassendean Dune System.[3][4]

## History[edit]

In 1829, the land along the Swan River was allotted to British settlers as they arrived in the newly created Swan River Colony. James Henty and his brothers were granted 2,000 acres upon which they grazed their livestock and built a mud-brick homestead. They called their property Stoke Farm. In 1832, the Henty brothers sold the farm to the Colonial Secretary, Peter Broun who renamed the homestead Bassendean.[5]

Over the years the Bassendean property became incorporated into the suburb of West Guildford and in 1922, West Guildford was renamed Bassendean.[6] Flooding in 1929 caused severe damage, especially to the primary school oval.[7]

In December 1934, Bassendean Road Board held a referendum, seeking approval to borrow funds for the improvement of an area, known as Hays Swamp, on the edge of the townsite. The development would include a bowling green with floodlights, a croquet lawn, Bassendean Oval, tennis courts and provisions for other sports.[8]

## Rail heritage[edit]

Bassendean is home to the Western Australian Rail Transport Museum which opened in 1974.[9] The display has a collection of steam and diesel locomotives, some of which have been restored to operating conditions. Also as part of the collection are a number of carriages and other equipment associated including the Zanthus station and a signal box from Perth station.[10] The West Australian Model Railway Club is also housed within the complex.[11] The display's centrepiece is a working scale model featuring engine characters from the children's series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.

## Facilities[edit]

Cyril Jackson Senior High School was built in 1962, and was converted into Cyril Jackson Senior Campus in 1990 to provide specialised study for post high school students gaining entrance into university study. Bassendean railway station is served by Transperth Midland line services.[12]

## Transport[edit]

### Bus[edit]

* 45 Bassendean Town Centre to Bayswater Station – serves Parker Street, James Street, Old Perth Road, Devon Road, North Road, Hyland Street, West Road, Reid Street and Kenny Street[13]
* 341 Morley Bus Station to Beechboro – serves Walter Road East, Penzance Street, Broadway, Bassendean Station and Ivanhoe Street[14]
* 342 Morley Bus Station to Beechboro – serves Rugby Street, Broadway, Penzance Street, Scaddan Street, Bassendean Station, Ivanhoe Street and Walter Road East[15]
* 353 Bassendean Station to Henley Brook Bus Station – serves Railway Parade and Lord Street[16]
* 955 Morley Bus Station to Ellenbrook North – serves Collier Road, Scaddan Street, Bassendean Station and Ivanhoe Street[17]

### Rail[edit]

* Midland Line
* Ashfield Station
* Bassendean Station
* Success Hill Station

## Industry[edit]

Bassendean has had an involvement in railway rolling stock construction and maintenance since Commonwealth Engineering opened a plant in 1951.[18] It closed in the 1980s, with Goninan later taking it over.[19][20]

## Notable people[edit]

* Peter Broun (1797–1846), first Colonial Secretary of Western Australia
* Margaret Forrest (1844–1929), wife of Premier John Forrest
* Pat Giles (1928–2017), ALP Senator during the Hawke and Keating governments
* Deborah Vernon Hackett (1887–1965), mining company director and philanthropist[21]
* Rolf Harris (1930–2023), Australian-British entertainer and child sex offender, known as the "boy from Bassendean"[22][23]
* James Henty (1800–1882), pioneer British colonist of the area
* May Holman (1893–1939), politician, the first woman Australian Labor Party parliamentarian
* Adem K, musician of the band Turnstyle has lived in Bassendean since 2001
* Jon Stockman, musician from Karnivool lives in Bassendean

## See also[edit]

* Town of Bassendean

## References[edit]

1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Bassendean (WA) (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
2. ^ "Town of Guildford" (pdf). State Records Office of Western Australia. Perth, WA: Government of Western Australia, Department for Culture and the Arts. 10 August 1902. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
3. ^ Broun, Llewellyn (1 January 2004), Banksia Woodland Resilience To Groundwater Drawdown On The Gnangara Mound, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, retrieved 20 August 2018
4. ^ Pesjak, Lea; Murdoch University. Faculty of Science and Engineering (2011), Low sulfur, potentially-acidic soils and sediments of the Bassendean Dune System, Perth, Western Australia, retrieved 20 August 2018
5. ^ Bassett, Marnie (1954). The Hentys, and Australian colonial tapestry. London: Cambridge University Press.
6. ^ "History". Town of Bassendean – Home by the Swan. Town of Bassendean. Archived from the original on 28 February 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
7. ^ "FLOODED SCHOOLGROUND". The Daily News. Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 16 May 1929. p. 6 Edition: HOME (FINAL) EDITION. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
8. ^ "IMPROVEMENT SCHEME FOR BASSENDEAN". The Daily News. Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 15 December 1934. p. 9 Edition: LATE CITY. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
9. ^ Bassendean Railway Museum Rail Heritage WA
10. ^ Here & There Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin issue 701 March 1996 page 95
11. ^ Home West Australian Model Railway Club
12. ^ Bassendean Station Transperth
13. ^ "Route 45". Bus Timetable 103 (PDF). Transperth. 9 April 2024 [effective from 22 April 2024].
14. ^ "Route 341". Bus Timetable 104 (PDF). Transperth. 28 April 2023 [effective from 12 June 2023].
15. ^ "Route 342". Bus Timetable 104 (PDF). Transperth. 28 April 2023 [effective from 12 June 2023].
16. ^ "Route 353". Bus Timetable 100 (PDF). Transperth. 14 March 2024 [effective from 14 April 2024].
17. ^ "Route 955". Bus Timetable 99 (PDF). Transperth. 14 March 2024 [effective from 14 April 2024].
18. ^ Four Firms Combine to Build Freight Cars in WA Railway Transportation October 1951 page 44
19. ^ Here & There Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin issue 609 July 1988 page 57
20. ^ UGL 500 Not Out Motive Power issue 86 March 2013 page 59
21. ^ Hasluck, Alexandra (1983). "Hackett, Deborah Vernon (1887–1965)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
22. ^ Ducey, Liam (4 July 2014). "Rolf Harris removed from Bassendean history following sex conviction". WAtoday. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
23. ^ Foster, Brendan (4 July 2014). "Rolf Harris's home town removes all signs of former favourite son". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 May 2023.

## Further reading[edit]

* Carter, Jennie.Bassendean : a social history 1829–1979 Perth, W.A : Town of Bassendean, 1986. ISBN 1-86252-478-5

## External links[edit]

Media related to Bassendean, Western Australia at Wikimedia Commons

* Town of Bassendean Website
* Cyril Jackson Senior Campus Website

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Israel
* United States

Geographic|

* MusicBrainz area

*[SAL]: suburb and locality