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The First Settler | Road Development | Water Supply | Schools |
The First Settler
In the early 1850's John Hughes, from Dublin, Ireland , was first to take up good grazing land suitable for cattle, 9 miles northwest from Perth in the area that is now called Scarborough. John Hughes, an ex-convict, cleared the land and built a limestone cottage which was completed in 1855. The property was called "Ravendale" then "Bluebeard" and "Blue Hole Farm" because of the bluish colour of the water from his well. In 1857 his wife Sarah arrived from Dublin with 5 of their children. In 1869 he purchased the land and became the first land owner in the area. Manning, Perry and Hamersley families were also early settlers in the area. Tragedy struck the Hughes family when their son and his wife drowned as the ship on which they were travelling struck a submerged rock near Fremantle, on their way to WA . John took the news so badly that in 1876 he left the farm. In 1878, John's daughter married James Corbett and they took over the ownership of the cottage for a holiday home. During the following 30 years the St Bridgid Sisters, from West Perth, used the cottage as a summer resort. John Hughes died in 1880 aged 75 years. In 1916 the property was sold to an estate agent who rented it out until the last owner, Tom Butler, purchased it in 1933 and it became known as the "Butler's Dairy". For many years the limestone cottage was left empty, and as the National Trust' s proposal to restore the cottage to its former glory was rejected, the oldest building in the area was bulldozed in 1967. Part of this land is known today as Butler's Reserve. During the early nineteen hundreds land in the area was sold interstate, advertised as "Home Sites in William St, Murray St and St Georges Tce" to encourage buyers to think they were buying land in well known Perth streets. One of the subdivisions was called "Scarborough" to associate it with the popular English seaside resort and the name has remained. Up to 1930 Scarborough was mainly a seaside holiday place. |
Road Development
Development in the Scarborough area started when the"Plank Road" from the Main Street electric tramway to Njookenbooroo was completed in 1912 (refer to map). Up to this time Perth streets were paved with round cross cut wooden blocks, the "blocking method", built by the convicts. The "Plank Road" was a significant improvement. It consisted of two sets of planks laid lengthwise, spiked down to jarrah sleepers to form a track for cart wheels. The middle was filled with limestone to provide a foothold for horses. The "Plank Road" was later named Up until 1920 access to Scarborough was either along the "Plank Road", followed by a bush track to the coast or alternatively a bush track around the western side of Herdman's Lake from Subiaco railway station. During the summer months visitors used to travel along these routes in their horse and sulky to get to the beach. 1920 was the beginning of the motor vehicle age. By 1927 North Beach Road had been extended to the beach and was renamed Scarborough Beach Road, Harold Millet's Scarborough Bus Co started providing a service to the Scarborough Beach and the outmoded "Plank Road" was replaced by a macadamised road (layers of small broken stones, rolled solid and smooth). In 1930 Scarborough Beach Road was widened and by 1931, 1000 motor vehicles were heading for Scarborough Beach every Sunday of summer. The motor car had superseded the horse.
In 1940 the opening of West Coast Highway provided an urgently needed link between the various coastal beaches. |
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Water supply Water is the most important factor in any community's development. Public water supplies started with the sinking of the "Public Well" by the Perth Roads Board in 1919 at the intersection of Lilian St and North Beach Road between Luna Park and the opposite corner. It had a depth of 28', was equipped with a hand pump and provided clear, sweet water. It became a landmark at the entrance of the Esplanade. Mr Briton, the local woodman, provided the service of delivering water from the Public Well to the residents in the area with his truck and a For 20 years residents in the area obtained their water from rainwater tanks, Mr Briton's water delivery service or from sinking their own wells. In 1930 news of a plan for a water supply to feed the coastal strip attracted many new residents to the area, but it took 10 years for the plan to come to fruition. |
Schools
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