Hamilton Hill, Western Australia

Hamilton Hill is a suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, located 23 kilometres (14 mi) southwest the central business district. Its local government area is the City of Cockburn.

Hamilton Hill
PerthWestern Australia
Memorial Hall, built 1925, renovated and extended 2008
Map
Coordinates32°05′04″S 115°46′46″E / 32.0845215°S 115.7794833°E / -32.0845215; 115.7794833 (Hamilton Hill)
Population11,327 (SAL 2021)[1]
Postcode(s)6163
Area6.6 km2 (2.5 sq mi)[2]
Location
LGA(s)City of Cockburn
State electorate(s)Fremantle, Willagee
Federal division(s)Fremantle
Suburbs around Hamilton Hill:
South Fremantle Beaconsfield
Hilton
Samson
North Coogee Hamilton Hill Coolbellup
Spearwood Spearwood Bibra Lake
Newmarket Hotel, local focal point for the horse racing industry

History edit

The earliest known settler at Hamilton Hill was Sydney Smith, the agent of Captain George Robb. Robb arrived in Western Australia in 1830 and took up land south of Fremantle. During the next twelve months Smith was actively engaged in establishing Robb's farm. In a letter dated 27 August 1830, he gives his address as Hamilton Hill. The origin of the name, and whether it was Robb or Smith who did the naming, remains uncertain but the area has been known as such ever since.[3]

In 1860 Charles Alexander Manning bought 364 ha (900 acres) of Robb's land, and six years later built Davilak House for his son Lucius Manning.[4] The house of twelve rooms, was built using convict labour[5] and was owned by the Manning family until they abandoned it in the late 1950s. It burnt down in 1960, and after this the Shire of Cockburn took over the administration of the whole estate.

A second homestead was built in 1920 by the eldest daughter of Lucius Manning, Azelia Ley. She had married John Morgan Ley in 1900, and after he died in 1927 she continued to maintain the family farm.[4] This house became derelict after Azelia died in 1954, but was restored by the Historical Society of Cockburn in 1983 and now serves as a comprehensive Azelia Ley Homestead Museum of artefacts pertaining to the Cockburn district.[6]

At the turn of the century South Fremantle and the northern parts of Cockburn like Hamilton Hill became the location of semi rural industries such as market gardening and horse racing stables.[7]

Geography edit

Hamilton Hill is bounded by Cockburn Road to the west, Phoenix Road to the south, Stock Road to the east and Jean Street and Winterfold Road to the north.[8]

Facilities edit

Educational edit

Hamilton Hill has three public primary schools, East Hamilton Hill Primary School, Phoenix Primary School and Southwell Primary School, and one independent combined primary and secondary school, Fremantle Christian College. With the merger of the long-serving public Hamilton Senior High School with a nearby school and closure of the site in late 2017,[9] Fremantle Christian College remains the only mainstream secondary school in Hamilton Hill.

Recreational edit

Manning Reserve is a 900-acre (3.6 km2) reserve in southwestern Hamilton Hill. Its name comes from the family who were well known in the area from 1859 onwards.

Cultural edit

A historical building, the Azelia Ley Homestead Museum, is located within the boundaries of Manning Reserve.[6] This building was restored by the Cockburn Council and prominent residents in 1983.[10]

Randwick Stable, Hamilton Hill, is a heritage listed, working horse stable that adjoins Clontarf Hill another landmark in Hamilton Hill. The stables complex was erected in the 1920s for Frederick Charles John "Jack" Marks, one of the prominent horse-racing Marks family.[11]

Horse racing played an integral role in the development of South Fremantle and Hamilton Hill with the first horse races in the Swan River Colony held at South Beach on 3 October 1833. Horse stables were a characteristic feature in residential areas located near South Beach. At the height of the horse racing industry it is believed 400 horses were stabled in the area and trained at South Beach.[7]

Randwick Stables comprises a series of paddocks, a timber framed bungalow, stables, laundry stone well, water closet and metal clad stables.[12]

Randwick Stables is now occupied by tenants and continues to operate as a licensed stable.[13][14][11]

References edit

  1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Hamilton Hill (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.  
  2. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "2016 Community Profiles: Hamilton Hill (State Suburb)". 2016 Census of Population and Housing. Retrieved 3 December 2021.  
  3. ^ "History of metropolitan suburb names – H". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2007.
  4. ^ a b The Historical Society of Cockburn, Azelia Ley Homestead Museum pamphlet
  5. ^ Information board at Davilak House ruins
  6. ^ a b "Azelia Ley Homestead Museum". City of Cockburn. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  7. ^ a b "InHerit - State Heritage Office".
  8. ^ Department of Land Information. StreetSmart Perth Street Directory (54th ed.). West Australian Newspapers Ltd. pp. Maps 430-431, 460–461. ISBN 978-0-909439-67-5.
  9. ^ Hiatt, Bethany (13 December 2017). "Final siren signals end of era for high school". The West Australian. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  10. ^ Nevill, Simon (2001). Travellers guide to the Parks and Reserves of Western Australia. Simon Nevill Publications. ISBN 0-9585367-1-6.
  11. ^ a b ""Randwick," the Home of Wagga and Others". The Call. No. 654. Western Australia. 21 January 1927. p. 10. Retrieved 15 August 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ "InHerit - State Heritage Office".
  13. ^ "Media Statements - State Government heritage lists Randwick Stables". Archived from the original on 23 March 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  14. ^ "Stables rich history revealed - The West Australian". au.news.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016.

External links edit

  Media related to Hamilton Hill, Western Australia at Wikimedia Commons