Sir James Mitchell Park

Statement of Significance

• The parkland adjacent to the foreshore has aesthetic value as a large and well maintained area of open parkland located between the densely developed urban area of South Perth and the Swan River.
• The place has historic value for its association with the early settlement of South Perth by farmers, and the long association with Chinese Market Gardeners who worked the foreshore lands from the 1880s to the 1940s.
• The place has historic value for its association with horse racing and other sports which were organised on these flat lands in the late 19th century and first half of the 20th century.
• The place has historic value for its association with Sir James Mitchell, Premier and Governor of Western Australia.
The place has social value for the many members of the community who have visited the place for passive recreation, organised sport, social events or enjoy the visual qualities of the park when viewed from the river or land.

Physical Description

Sir James Mitchell Park and Clydesdale Reserve create a green edge to South Perth providing large open space of approximately 65 hectares on the foreshore of the Swan River. The area is mostly lawn with a few stands of trees scattered throughout the space. Two lakes in Clydesdale Reserve create a picturesque setting for events and recreation as well as enhancing the habitat for riverine fauna.

The parks are predominantly used for sporting activities and recreation although more formal social events are also held there. Facilities includes dining opportunities, the jetties, sailing club, cycling and picnic areas as well as providing key views towards the City of Perth and Kings Park.

History

The land along the South Perth foreshore predominantly comprises the area known as Sir James Mitchell Park (named after the Premier of Western Australia from 1919-24, 1930-33 and Governor 1948-51) and the adjoining Clydesdale Park (named after Alexander McAllister Clydesdale, who served as Council Member and Mayor at various intervals between 1908 and 1945).

Part of the present parkland was once the vineyard of the Tondut family, the first to be issued with a licence to sell wine in the Swan River Colony in 1851. As early as the 1880s, much of the foreshore area was occupied by Chinese market gardeners who grew fine fruit and vegetables, which they carted around for sale in South Perth.

The gold discoveries in Western Australian in the mid 1880s lead to a growth in population which demanded more produce which was largely supplied from South Perth. The construction of the first Mends Street jetty in 1894 facilitated the distribution from these foreshore market gardens. In the 1920s, there was concern among some elements of the population that the living conditions of the Chinese gardeners were below standard and they were subject to health inspections and licensing requirements. Nevertheless, the growers continued to be valued for the high quality of their produce.

Kensington Park Racecourse was situated on the land bounded by Meadowvale Avenue, Mill Point Road, Hurlingham Road and the river. It was opened by Alexander McAllister Clydesdale, the lessee of the site, in the 1890s and was one of the first non-agricultural developments on the foreshore. At the entrance to the racecourse was the Tea Gardens Hotel. The stables were located on what is now Clydesdale Park. The racecourse closed in 1913, when horse racing was relocated to Goodwood. The Hurlingham grounds were disused for some years until they reopened in 1925 as the Hurlingham Polo and Sports Grounds. During the 1940s, the grounds were also used by local football, hockey, soccer, and rugby clubs. After World War II, a large portion of the land was resumed by the State Government for housing for returned servicemen.

Reclamation to reshape the river edge began in 1935 and completed in 1966, with approximately 40 acres (16 hectares) of additional foreshore land. The landfill assisted in controlling nuisances such as bulrush fluff, mosquitoes, and rodents. A pocket of paperbark wetlands (known as the Melaleuca Grove) was retained.

In 1939, a 10.3 acre freehold property on the foreshore adjoining the eastern side of Douglas Avenue and behind Jubilee Street, formerly owned by Arthur Douglas, was sold to the South Perth Council, which resolved at that time that the land be purchased ‘for the purpose of a reserve’.

By the 1940s, developers were eyeing the market gardening area for development. Around 1950, the Road Board entered into negotiations with some sporting clubs with a view to redeveloping the area, and by 1952 the Chinese market gardeners had been served eviction notices. However plans for the redevelopment of the foreshore did not, materialise as expected, and the area reverted to swampland for the next 20 years. In 1950, the Road Board named the foreshore area ‘Sir James Mitchell Park’ as part of its intention to develop this area and in recognition of Sir James Mitchell, Governor of Western Australia who had been a prominent figure in Western Australian public life since 1905.

In 1975, after many years of public debate and policy change, the Tooby report, entitled 'Site Planning and Landscape Design of Sir James Mitchell Park', commissioned by the South Perth City Council, was prepared. The final plan in 1977 recommended that Sir James Mitchell Park should be used predominantly for passive recreation, with no commercial buildings only public amenities within the park.

The City of South Perth secured funding in 1985, from the State and Federal Governments, and the development and landscaping of the foreshore area began. Initially, there was to be no commercial development, but ultimately a restaurant at the Coode Street jetty and a restaurant at the Mends Street jetty, were approved.

In the late 1980s, the City of South Perth created of Lake Douglas, the first of three artificial foreshore lakes created in low-lying areas of the foreshore during 1985-86. Lakes Douglas, Hurlingham and Tondut were constructed later and they assist in stormwater management.

Integrity/Authenticity

Moderate / Moderate

Condition

Good

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Historic Themes

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