| Claremont Perth, Western Australia | |||||||||||||||
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 Christ Church, Claremont, built in 1892 | |||||||||||||||
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| Coordinates | 31°58′48″S115°46′55″E / 31.98°S 115.782°E /-31.98; 115.782 | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 9,248 (SAL2021)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1890s | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 6010 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 3.6 km2 (1.4 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | 9 km (6 mi) WSW ofPerth CBD | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | |||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Cottesloe | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Curtin | ||||||||||||||
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Claremont is awestern suburb ofPerth, Western Australia, on the north bank of theSwan River.
Prior to European settlement, theNoongar people used the area as a source of water, for fishing and for catching waterfowl.
In 1830, John Butler, a settler, set up an inn atFreshwater Bay (in modern-dayPeppermint Grove) to attract travellers on the road fromPerth toFremantle. A wetland became known as Butler's Swamp (later Lake Claremont). After the arrival ofconvicts in the colony in 1850, work began on constructing theFremantle Road. The government allocated land on the foreshore and at Butler's Swamp to 19Pensioner Guards and their families, and a permanent convict depot operated at Freshwater Bay (until 1875).
A state school (1862) and church were built, and a community grew around what is now Victoria Avenue. A settler namedJames Morrison acquired a property atSwan Location 702, and named itClaremont Estate, after his wife, Clara (née de Burgh). During the 1870s, a number of prominent families, including the Triggs, Sandovers and Stirlings, acquired land in the district, around the later site ofChrist Church Grammar School; some of their homes were later bought and used by the school.
In 1881, therailway line from Perth to Fremantle was built, along with a station at Butler's Swamp; the name of the station was changed toClaremont in 1883. The focus of the community shifted to the area between the railway line, Fremantle Road (Stirling Highway) and Bay View Terrace. The Freshwater Bay school ceased to play a central role; it became a boarding house nicknamed "’Appy ‘Ome" in 1892 (and in 1975 a museum).
Land speculators bought in the area and subdivided blocks at varying sizes, leading to a wide class diversity within the suburb. By about 1903, the entire suburb, other than a dozen or so streets, had been subdivided, and by theSecond World War, the community was firmly established.[2]
Claremont is bounded by Airlie Street to the south;Stirling Highway, Parry Street and Stirling Road to the west; Alfred Road to the north and Loch Street and Bay Road to the east. A large part of Claremont is residential, although a significant shopping area is located along Stirling Highway, and theClaremont Showground and the eastern half of Lake Claremont are within Claremont's boundaries.[3]
Claremont has grand homes in the Agett Road and Richardson Avenue areas on the south side of Stirling Highway.
At the2016 census, Claremont had a population of 8,148 people. 61.1% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 8.5%, South Africa 1.9%, China 1.9% and New Zealand 1.7%. 78.3% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin at 2.1%. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 32.2%, Anglican 21.3% and Catholic 19.1%.[4]
Of the employed people in Claremont, 6.4% worked in hospitals (excepting psychiatric hospitals). Other major industries of employment included higher education 4.0%, combined primary and secondary education 3.9%, legal services 3.5% and cafes and restaurants 3.3%.[4]
Of occupied private dwellings in Claremont 46.5% were separate houses, 25.3% were semi-detached and 27.5% were flats or apartments.[4]
Claremont includes the Claremont Showground and theClaremont Oval, home ground of theClaremont Football Club, as well as a significant shopping area along Stirling Highway, most concentrated on the St Quentins Avenue precinct.
Several private schools includingMethodist Ladies' College,Christ Church Grammar School,Presbyterian Ladies' College,John XXIII College andScotch College are either in Claremont or within 50 metres (160 ft) of the suburb boundary. Claremont also contains a small private hospital (Bethesda) and one state primary school; Freshwater Bay Primary School (formed by the amalgamation of Claremont Primary School and East Claremont Primary School), as well as a number of jetties on the Swan River.
ThePerth Royal Show, an annualagricultural show, is held at the Claremont Showground. The showground also hosts several large events and music festivals throughout the year.[5]
The suburb contains a number of heritage-listed sites, including theClaremont Post Office and theweatherboard Anzac Cottage.[6]
The Claremont Quarter shopping centre opened in 2009.[7]
Claremont is served by theClaremont railway station andLoch Street railway station at regular times, as well as theShowgrounds railway station during special events. Various buses, including theCircleRoute, travel alongStirling Highway and through Claremont's northern and southern sections. All services are operated by thePublic Transport Authority.
Claremont is part of the federaldivision of Curtin. The federal seat is held by theindependentKate Chaney. It was typically regarded as a safe seat for theLiberal Party until the most recent election, as it had been continually retained by theLiberal Party with the exception of former Liberal memberAllan Rocher as anindependent politician between 1996 and 1998 and the current member Kate Chaney. For the parliament of Western Australia, Claremont is divided between the state electoral districts ofCottesloe andNedlands, both held by theLiberal Party. The currentmayor of Claremont is Jock Barker.[19]
Material was copied from this source, which is available under aCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.| International | |
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