Swanbourne, Western Australia

Suburb of Perth, Western Australia

Swanbourne
Perth, Western Australia

Swanbourne Nedlands Surf Life Saving Club building

Coordinates| 31°58′08″S 115°46′01″E﻿ / ﻿31.969°S 115.767°E﻿ / -31.969; 115.767
Population| 4,592 (SAL 2021)[1]
Established| 1892[2]
Postcode(s)| 6010
Area| 3.6 km2 (1.4 sq mi)
Location| 11 km (7 mi) W of the Perth CBD
LGA(s)| City of Nedlands
State electorate(s)| Cottesloe
Federal division(s)| Curtin
| Suburbs around Swanbourne:

City Beach | Mount Claremont | Mount Claremont
Indian Ocean | Swanbourne | Claremont
Cottesloe | Claremont | Claremont

Swanbourne is a western coastal suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Nedlands. It is an affluent, upper middle class residential area with older Federation style homes, many being renovated. The suburb was established in the late 19th century. New housing estates have been built recently[when?] through the redevelopment of areas such as the Swanbourne Senior High School, Swanbourne Primary School and Lakeway Drive-In Cinema sites.

## History

[edit]

Sign at Swanbourne Beach.

Swanbourne was initially called Osborne,[3][4] and was renamed in 1921. The renaming was done in order for the suburb to not be confused with Osborne Park, another suburb in Perth, and after an individual died following an ambulance being sent to the wrong location.[5]

Swanbourne was named for Swanbourne House, in Swanbourne, Buckinghamshire, the family seat of Thomas Fremantle, a prominent Conservative politician, and his brother, Charles Fremantle, for whom the city of Fremantle was named.

## Geography and population

[edit]

Swanbourne is bounded by the Swanbourne Rifle Range and Cottesloe Golf Club to the north, Lake Claremont and Stirling Road to the east, the Fremantle railway line and North Street to the south, and the Indian Ocean to the west.

At the 2016 Australian census, Swanbourne had a population of 4,059 people. 69.6% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth was England at 7.5%. 87.0% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were "no religion" 37.4%, Anglican 20.9% and Catholic 19.1%.[6]

There were 1,320 occupied private dwellings in Swanbourne. 78.7% of these were separate houses and 13.0% were semi-detached. Swanbourne is a high income suburb with a median family income of $3,564, compared to $1,910 for Western Australia and $1,734 for Australia. 8.8% of employed residents worked in defence.[6]

### Climate

[edit]

Swanbourne has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa), similar to the rest of the Perth metropolitan region. In contrast to Perth, it is slightly more humid and cooler in the summer, due to the sea breezes, which can be quite strong in the afternoon, with an average 3 pm wind speed of 27.7 km/h (17.2 mph).[7]

Climate data for Swanbourne

Month  | Jan  | Feb  | Mar  | Apr  | May  | Jun  | Jul  | Aug  | Sep  | Oct  | Nov  | Dec  | Year
Record high °C (°F)  | 44.3
(111.7)  | 43.0
(109.4)  | 42.8
(109.0)  | 37.3
(99.1)  | 31.5
(88.7)  | 26.2
(79.2)  | 25.9
(78.6)  | 30.2
(86.4)  | 34.7
(94.5)  | 37.1
(98.8)  | 41.1
(106.0)  | 43.7
(110.7)  | 44.3
(111.7)
Mean maximum °C (°F)  | 39.5
(103.1)  | 39.6
(103.3)  | 38.2
(100.8)  | 33.2
(91.8)  | 27.9
(82.2)  | 23.9
(75.0)  | 22.5
(72.5)  | 23.7
(74.7)  | 26.5
(79.7)  | 31.8
(89.2)  | 35.8
(96.4)  | 38.3
(100.9)  | 41.2
(106.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)  | 29.7
(85.5)  | 30.4
(86.7)  | 28.8
(83.8)  | 25.3
(77.5)  | 22.2
(72.0)  | 19.5
(67.1)  | 18.4
(65.1)  | 18.9
(66.0)  | 19.9
(67.8)  | 22.3
(72.1)  | 25.4
(77.7)  | 27.9
(82.2)  | 24.1
(75.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)  | 18.2
(64.8)  | 18.7
(65.7)  | 17.5
(63.5)  | 15.3
(59.5)  | 12.5
(54.5)  | 10.7
(51.3)  | 9.7
(49.5)  | 10.1
(50.2)  | 11.0
(51.8)  | 12.5
(54.5)  | 14.8
(58.6)  | 16.6
(61.9)  | 14.0
(57.2)
Mean minimum °C (°F)  | 12.8
(55.0)  | 13.4
(56.1)  | 11.4
(52.5)  | 9.8
(49.6)  | 7.2
(45.0)  | 5.7
(42.3)  | 4.7
(40.5)  | 5.2
(41.4)  | 5.9
(42.6)  | 7.3
(45.1)  | 9.8
(49.6)  | 11.4
(52.5)  | 4.0
(39.2)
Record low °C (°F)  | 9.9
(49.8)  | 11.0
(51.8)  | 7.5
(45.5)  | 7.5
(45.5)  | 4.8
(40.6)  | 2.9
(37.2)  | 2.4
(36.3)  | 3.1
(37.6)  | 3.1
(37.6)  | 5.0
(41.0)  | 7.1
(44.8)  | 5.7
(42.3)  | 2.4
(36.3)
Average rainfall mm (inches)  | 19.5
(0.77)  | 12.1
(0.48)  | 20.8
(0.82)  | 38.3
(1.51)  | 87.6
(3.45)  | 126.2
(4.97)  | 149.8
(5.90)  | 119.2
(4.69)  | 79.0
(3.11)  | 41.9
(1.65)  | 22.2
(0.87)  | 11.1
(0.44)  | 728.2
(28.67)
Average precipitation days  | 2.7  | 2.1  | 3.9  | 7.4  | 11.8  | 16.6  | 18.3  | 17.3  | 15.1  | 8.9  | 5.3  | 3.5  | 112.9
Average afternoon relative humidity (%) (at 15:00) | 55  | 54  | 52  | 57  | 59  | 62  | 63  | 63  | 62  | 59  | 58  | 54  | 58
Source: Bureau of Meteorology[7][8][9]
Temperatures and rain data: 1993–2020; Relative humidity: 1993–2010

## Facilities

[edit]

Swanbourne includes the 18-hole Cottesloe Golf Club and Swanbourne Beach. Swanbourne is also well known for having one of the only two official nudist beaches (free beaches) in the Perth metropolitan region.[10] The beach, situated on army land and thus not subject to local council authority, is immediately north of the officially named Swanbourne Beach.[11] Allen Park contains a number of sporting facilities, including tennis courts, a football/cricket pitch and a rugby pitch. Also at Allen Park is the relocated Tom Collins House. Tom Collins was a noted Australian author. A veterinary practice in Devon road was originally started by Thomas William Hogarth.

Scotch College, a major independent school for boys, is the suburb's largest employer after the Army.

The Australian Special Air Service Regiment is based at Campbell Barracks within the suburb, which occupies the coastline north of Cottesloe and south of City Beach.

## Transport

[edit]

Swanbourne is served by Swanbourne railway station and by various bus routes that pass through Swanbourne. All services are operated by the Public Transport Authority.

### Bus

[edit]

* 27 Claremont Station to East Perth – serves Stirling Road, Shenton Road, Servetus Street, Narla Road and Alfred Road[12]
* 28 Claremont Station to Perth Busport – serves Stirling Road[13]
* 102 Claremont Station to Cottesloe Station – serves Stirling Road, Shenton Road, Servetus Street and North Street[14]

### Rail

[edit]

* Fremantle Line
* Swanbourne Station

## Politics

[edit]

Swanbourne is part of the federal division of Curtin. The federal seat is held by the centre-right Liberal Party. It has been regarded as a safe seat and has been continually retained by the Liberal Party, with the exception of former Liberal member Allan Rocher as an Independent politician between 1996 and 1998; and more recently, in 2022 with the election of the independent Kate Chaney.[3] This reflected a broader shift of ‘blue ribbon’ Liberal electorates selecting moderate, so called ‘teal’ candidates over the incumbent Liberal members due to disenfranchisement over the party’s environmental policies, gender issues within the party, as well as the strong support for the state’s Labour government.[4][5] Within the parliament of Western Australia, the suburb falls within the state electoral district of Cottesloe, which is still held by the Liberal Party.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Swanbourne (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
2. ^ "General News". The Daily News. Perth, WA. p. 2. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
3. ^ a b "SWANBOURNE". Sunday Times (Perth). No. 1211\. Western Australia. 20 March 1921. p. 1 (Second Section). Retrieved 12 January 2018 - via National Library of Australia.
4. ^ a b "SWANBOURNE LATE OSBORNE". Western Mail. Vol. XXXVI, no. 1, 869. Western Australia. 20 October 1921. p. 38. Retrieved 12 January 2018 - via National Library of Australia.
5. ^ a b "What's it's like from the air". The Daily News. Vol. LXVII, no. 23, 192. Western Australia. 11 August 1949. p. 21 (HOME). Retrieved 12 January 2018 - via National Library of Australia.
6. ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Swanbourne". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
7. ^ a b "Climate statistics for Australian locations – Swanbourne". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
8. ^ "Monthly highest temperature – Swanbourne". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
9. ^ "Monthly lowest temperature – Swanbourne". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
10. ^ The 3 best nude beaches near Perth
11. ^ Goedecke, Sean (10 March 2012). "The 3 Best Nude Beaches Near Perth". weekendnotes.com. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
12. ^ "Route 27". Bus Timetable 33 (PDF). Transperth. 13 March 2025 [effective from 27 April 2025].
13. ^ "Route 28". Bus Timetable 33 (PDF). Transperth. 13 March 2025 [effective from 27 April 2025].
14. ^ "Route 102". Bus Timetable 31 (PDF). Transperth. 6 November 2024 [effective from 9 December 2024].

* v
* t
* e

Western suburbs of Perth, Western Australia

* City Beach
* Claremont
* Cottesloe
* Crawley
* Daglish
* Dalkeith
* Floreat
* Jolimont
* Karrakatta
* Mosman Park
* Mount Claremont
* Nedlands
* North Fremantle
* Peppermint Grove
* Shenton Park
* Subiaco
* Swanbourne
* Wembley
* Wembley Downs
* West Leederville

*[SAL]: suburb and locality
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