Depression Era Campsite at Canning Bridge (fmr)

Statement of Significance

• The place has aesthetic value as a well established group of mature paperbark trees and grasses boarded by the Swan River which is accessed by informal pathways. • The place has historic value for its association with the period of economic depression in the early 1930s when this place was as a campsite used by families and individuals suffering extreme poverty. • The place has historic value for its association with the period in which social services were limited and many individuals and families suffered extreme poverty and deprivation. • The place has historic value as its location at a distance from established settlement demonstrates how the unemployed and their families were humiliated by their circumstances. • The place has social value as this area of the foreshore is well patronised by local residents for passive recreation.

Physical Description

The Depression Era Campsite is part of what was later named the Canning / Cloister Foreshore. The foreshore can be accessed by a fly-over across the Kwinana Freeway, to a public boat ramp and car park. The Canning / Cloister Foreshore is a mixture of paperbark natural bush land and introduced grasses which are controlled by the City of South Perth. The Depression Era Campsite, Canning Bridge (Former) can also be accessed by bike and foot via the pathways along the foreshore.

History

This site was the location of a campsite first established in 1930 by the individuals and families suffering from the severe effects of the economic depression. Without a social security system, unemployed people struggled to pay their bills and rent, often leaving them destitute and homeless. This site was one of many informal camp sites around the metropolitan area that became the home to many unemployed men and their families. These campsites developed a sense of community despite the difficult circumstances and as a group they were able to secure donations and lobby the local governments for better services and approach charities for donations of food, clothing and building materials. The families at the campsite tried to maintain a normal lifestyle despite the difficult circumstances. Children from the campsite continued to attend school by walking to Applecross Primary School across Canning Bridge. When sustenance work was available there was some relief for the members of the camp. Oral histories and recollections recorded by individuals who were children at the campsite frequently refer to the shame and humiliation felt by their parents for having to live at the campsite. A suspected case of typhoid led the South Perth Road Board to install toilets and a tap at the site to prevent the use of untreated water by the residents. The campsite was in existence until the mid 1930s although it was not until the commencement of World War Two that the economy was more secure in Western Australia. When families left the campsite the temporary structures were removed and soon little evidence remained of the former camp. Pathways which are still evident through the clump of paperbarks, which define the former campsite, may date from the period in which it was a campsite.

Integrity/Authenticity

Low / Low

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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