Bellevue Primary School

Uses

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Creation Date

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Statement of Significance

The place is significant for its association with the development of education in the City of Swan. The place has social value for former pupils and staff of the school. The place is a good example of a government school building in the Federation Free style.

Physical Description

Federation Free style, government school buildings set in landscape grounds. The place is of brick, with corrugated iron roof. A large tree opposite the basketball courts is estimated to be between 300-400 years old.

History

The school site is reputed to have been used as an Aboriginal meeting place, the site of Robert Dale Camp and finally the site of a camel train camp to Kalgoorlie. Difficulties in children attending the Midland-Junction School resulted in Bellevue residents petitioning Government to build a school house. E. Robinson transferred his privately owned land to the Government. Construction commenced on new school house in 1903. The school was designed to accommodate 50 pupils with teachers quarters near the school building. Additions/alterations were made in 1904-05 and 1907 to address overcrowding. By 1913 it was a fully functional school with exhibitions displaying children's work at the Mechanics Institute. The school remained the same until after World War II. 1940s the Army commandeered the school for about two years and installed electricity. In the 1960s major changes were made by adding drop windows, new gardens and playground equipment. One noted headmaster was Robert Tweedie 1946-56 who was a 10th Light Horseman from World War I. Bellevue Primary School closed and was used as a nursery until 2004, which it was sold by the Department of Education. In 2014, plans were prepared for the former school site to be redeveloped into a housing site with a combination of Grouped dwellings and Multiple dwellings, and the former school to be converted for residential use.

Integrity/Authenticity

Moderate

Condition

Good

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Melita House

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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Statement of Significance

The place is a rare grand residence in the locality. The building is intact and has strong associations with Edward Robinson, a prominent early settler to the area.

Physical Description

Unusually large residence for Bellevue on a larger than usual block (1,813 sqm). Brick construction with corrugated iron roof and verandah on two sides. The building has recently undergone some conservation works.

History

The house was built as a retirement residence by Edward Robinson, the pioneer of 'Belle View' as a model farm and the developer of Bellevue as a residential suburb. He was a philanthropist and donated the Anglican Church in Bellevue to the community.

Integrity/Authenticity

Moderate-High

Condition

Good

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CBH Grain Transfer Terminal (fmr), Midland

Uses

Historic Themes

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Darling Range Tavern

Values

• The place is a modest representative example of a Federation era Hotel which were traditionally located on prominent corners.
• The place is a reminder of the rapid development of Midland following the decision of the State Government to relocate its railway workshops from Fremantle to Midland Junction in 1904.
• The place has social value to residents of Midland and the surrounding area as demonstrated by an ongoing public campaign to save the Hotel from potential demolition.

Statement of Significance

The place is a modest representative example of a Federation era Hotel which were traditionally located on prominent corners. The place is a reminder of the rapid development of Midland following the decision of the State Government to relocate its railway workshops from Fremantle to Midland Junction in 1904. The place was frequented by soldiers stationed at the Blackboy Hill Military Training Camp during the World War I period. The place has social value to residents of Midland and the surrounding area as demonstrated by an ongoing public campaign to save the Hotel from potential demolition.

Physical Description

A two storey rendered U-shaped brick hotel with a Marseille tiled roof, with a tiled dado at street level on the Great Eastern Hwy elevation. The elevations are trunkated at the intersection of Horace and Great Eastern Hwy. There is a large ficus tree in the rear car park. The Hotel originally included design elements associated with the Federation Filigree style but the ornate timber and iron filigree verandah and tower shown in historic photographs are no longer extant. A metal box awning affixed to the building with stays replaces the original two-storey timber verandah. The external walls were originally face brick with stucco bands, but are now covered with textured paint. A tavern constructed in 1993 is located to the rear.

History

The hotel opened in 1905 as the East Midland Hotel operated by Mr Thomas Wilkins, who became Chairman of the Greenmount Roads Board, Darling Range Road Board and Midland Junction Road Board. The location of the hotel was possibly chosen to take advantage of views of the Helena Vale Racecourse from the side balcony, and Greenmount Hill and the Darling Ranges to the north and east. The hotel was popular in its early days with people involved in racing and other sports, and provided loose boxes for hire. The hotel developed a quoits ground and hosted regular tournaments. The place also had an orchard. The hotel had struggled financially and Wilkins sold it in 1914 to Mr W Lanazed. The name was changed to the Darling Range Hotel in July 1914 and the place was ' completely renovated'. It continued to struggle until the establishment of the military camp at nearby Blackboy Hill in August 1914. A sports bar was added to the eastern side during the late 20th century and the place continues to operate as a licenced premises.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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Statement of Significance

The Darling Range Hotel (1903) illustrates the development of Bellevue at the turn of the twentieth century, which resulted from the 1890s gold rush, the associated growth in the brickmaking industry, along with the opening of the Midland Railway Workshops, nearby abattoirs and marshalling yards, and the Helena Vale Racecourse. The Hotel was the closest pub to the nearby Blackboy Hill military camp and has strong demonstrable associations with those ANZACS who trained at the camp. It stands as a tangible remnant of the spirit of the ANZACS in the locality. The Hotel was once an important social venue for the people of Bellevue, Helena Vale Racecourse racegoers, and the travelling public. The Hotel contributes to the local community’s sense of place, despite the loss of its original verandah and tower, as a local landmark and remnant of the area’s early development and history. The Moreton Bay fig tree (Ficus macrophylla) is associated with the original stables for the 1903 hotel. The 1955 extension is of little significance. The hotel was designed by the architect EE Giles who designed several hotels in the area. The Hotel was the closest pub to the nearby Blackboy Hill military camp and has strong demonstrable associations with those ANZACS who trained at the camp. It stands as a tangible remnant of the spirit of the ANZACS in the locality. The Hotel was once an important social venue for the people of Bellevue, Helena Vale Racecourse racegoers, and the travelling public. The Hotel contributes to the local community’s sense of place, despite the loss of its original verandah and tower, as a local landmark and remnant of the area’s early development and history. The Moreton Bay fig tree (Ficus macrophylla) is associated with the original stables for the 1903 hotel. The 1955 extension and the 1980s addition are of little significance.

Physical Description

External – The 1903 Darling Range Hotel has a u-shaped plan with a chamfered corner. It is a brick masonry building constructed in English Bond brickwork with a turned gable tiled roof, tall brick chimneys and timber-framed casement windows. A metal box awning affixed to the building with stays replaces the original two-storey timber verandah. The building’s original tuck-pointed brick masonry has been painted numerous times and the stucco banding indicative of Federation era architecture has been coated with a textured finish and painted to match adjacent masonry. Air conditioning units are mounted on angle brackets affixed to the western elevation. Two stained glass transoms over the ground floor windows, on the northern elevation, have been compromised by air conditioning units. The original 1903 panelled timber door remains in-situ on the western elevation, as does the northern entry door. The corner entry door is boarded over. Stained glass transoms lights remain evident. The building has been painted over numerous times and shows evidence of lack of maintenance and rising damp is noted around the majority of the footings. The 1955 extension is also brick masonry with fibreboard panelling and mix of steel framed and timber framed windows. There is a recessed entry porch leading to double door on the ground floor that abuts the southern termination of the original 1903 hotel. There is an external steel stair to the rear that leads up to the first floor and some infill construction and cantilevered timber structure conjoining the western and eastern wings. The 1980s addition comprises light coloured face brick and a tiled hood to its parapet. Internally - the ground floor of the building, which is the original dining room and bar area of the 1903 Darling Ranges Hotel, is primarily used as an Indian restaurant (2017). The ground floor has seen numerous changes to the layout and most of the partition walls have had openings widened and original ceilings removed. The ceilings are now clad with acoustic panels and simple coving instead of the more ornate plaster cornices expected of a federation-era hotel. Stained glass window transoms, timber floor boards and wall vents do remain in situ but are the last vestige of the original decorative finishes. The original stair has been removed and the void in filled to form a living/dining area on the first floor. The internal detailing on the upper floor is simple in nature and comprises timber floorboards, plaster walls, lath and plaster arches and ceilings with some localised evidence of water ingress. The 1955 extension has a timber parquet floor at first floor level and is compartmentalised into a series of rooms on either side of a central corridor. The ground floor is an open plan space with no original finishes and is vacant (2017). The 1980 addition is of no significance. Two storey building on a corner plot facing Great Eastern Highway and Horace Street. The building has experienced various construction phases but presents to the street frontage as a coherent built form. The place is of brick construction which has been painted obscuring the original tuckpoint finish. As a corner building there are two principal facades joined by a chamfered corner incorporating a timber panelled door facing the intersection. Windows are predominantly sashes creating a regular rhythm around the building at upper level and interposed with doors at ground level. A box awning extends around the two main elevations which is a non-original feature. The roof is hipped and tiled with battened eaves. The deeper eaves at the at the southern end of the range on the Horace Street frontage indicate different building phases with this section being constructed in the 1950s and the original section in 1903.

History

The brickmaking industry was a key catalyst for the growth of Bellevue area at the turn of the twentieth century, along with the opening of the Midland Railway Workshops (1904) and nearby abattoirs and marshalling yards. In 1896/7 the Helena Vale Race Club opened, in an area north of Great Eastern highway and what is now known as Rothschild Place. The racecourse was serviced by a branch line and further spurred development in the area. The subject hotel, then known as the East Midland Hotel, was built along the southern side of the Great Eastern Highway opposite the racecourse. It was built by Mr Thomas Wilkins, who became Chairman of the Greenmount Roads Board, Darling Range Road Board and Midland Junction Road Board. Mr Wilkins, who had owned the nearby Bellevue Hotel, saw the benefits of a new hotel venue closer to the racetrack. Construction commenced in 1903, however due to complications with obtaining a Liquor Licence the place was not opened with a full licence until 1905. An image circa 1905, shows that the hotel had an imposing tower and a two-storey verandah decorated with iron lacework. A report in the Swan Express from 1921 sets out that the Hotel consisted of ’12 bedrooms (three occupied by licensee and staff) sitting rooms upstairs, commercial and billiard rooms, large dining room, bar parlour etc. This Hotel is beautiful furnished and equal to any first class Hotel in Perth.’ It was popular in its early days with people involved in racing and other sports, and provided loose boxes for hire. From the side balcony the whole of the Helena Racecourse could be seen, along with Greenmount Hill and the Darling Ranges. The hotel developed a quoits ground and hosted regular tournaments. The place also had an orchard. The hotel had struggled financially and Wilkins sold it in 1914 to Mr W Lanazed. The name was changed to the Darling Range Hotel in July 1914. It continued to struggle until the establishment of the military training camp at nearby Blackboy Hill in August 1914. There is considerable primary evidence to suggest that the Hotel was the pub of choice for the trainee ANZAC’s at nearby Blackboy Hill training camp. In 1914 the pub was advertised in the Sunday Times newspaper as being the nearest pub to the Blackboy Hill camp. In 1915 the Camp Chronicle newspaper, prepared for the trainee soldiers at Blackboy Hill, reported that the owner, Mr Bung Lanzed was ‘making a fortune from the soldiers’. Such was the popularity that two military policemen were at one stage in 1916 posted to the pub to discourage trainee soldiers from visiting when not permitted. Newspaper articles from the 1914-1918 period regularly feature the Hotel’s usage and by 1917 it was advertised as ‘The Soldiers Rest - nearest pub to the camp’. It can be said that the period from 1914-1918 was the peak of the Hotel’s popularity. In May 1950, a contractor’s truck collided with the northern portion of the verandah destroying it beyond repair. In March 1955, a fire destroyed most of the hotel’s upper storey with damage estimated to be more than £20,000.

Integrity/Authenticity

Authenticity: Moderate to high Integrity: High as the place continues to be used as a hotel.

Condition

Based on a streetscape inspection the building appears to be in good condition.

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Bellevue Mechanics' Institute

Condition

good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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Statement of Significance

The place represents an indication of the importance of Bellevue as a suburb of Midland Junction with its own educational and cultural purposes in the early years of the 20th century.

Physical Description

Rectangular public hall building of brick construction now rendered with cement, with a corrugated iron roof. The front facade has ornamental mouldings in cement along the parapet and a triangular pediment at the centre. There is a curved pediment over the front door. The surrounds of the two front windows are ornamental with stucco work on all sides. The plain side walls are buttressed with roof height piers between the door and window openings. The original front door/s have/has been replaced. The front facade has the addition of a flat roofed porch in 1960s style, somewhat out of keeping with the rest of the building. A Shire of Swan crest is painted on the left hand side of the facade, which is worth preserving. The date of construction of the building is recorded in relief in the curved pediment over the front door.

History

The place represents the Mechanics' Institute ethos, which was to promote the educational and cultural development of the community. Once prolific, the majority of Mechanics' Institutes have been replaced by the public library and adult education systems and their social function has all but disappeared.

Integrity/Authenticity

High

Condition

Good

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Bellevue RSL War Memorial, RSL Club

Uses

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Creation Date

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House

Uses

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Creation Date

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Statement of Significance

The place is representative of early 20th century housing.

Physical Description

Hipped roof house with a bullnose verandah with decorative timber brackets.

History

The development of the locality of Bellevue during the 1890s took place with the realisation that significant clay deposits were present in the Bellevue area and these began to attract commercial interest.

Integrity/Authenticity

Fair

Condition

Fair

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House

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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Statement of Significance

The place is a good, intact, and rare example of early 20th century terrace housing.

Physical Description

The single level terrace has a hip roof, dormer gables and a dropped pitch verandah running the full length of the building. The face brickwork walls and chimneys have been painted and the roof cladding replaced.

History

The development of the locality of Bellevue during the 1890s took place with the realisation that significant clay deposits were present in the Bellevue area and these began to attract commercial interest.

Integrity/Authenticity

Moderate-High

Condition

Good

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Terrace Houses

Uses

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House

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Statement of Significance

The place is a good, and intact, example of early 20th century terrace housing. It has some rarity value for this.

Physical Description

The single level terrace has a hip roof, dormer gables and a dropped pitch verandah running the full length of the building.

History

The development of the locality of Bellevue during the 1890s took place with the realisation that significant clay deposits were present in the Bellevue area and these began to attract commercial interest.

Integrity/Authenticity

High

Condition

Good

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Munday Swamp Bushland

Parent Place or Precinct

04560 Perth Airport Bushland

Uses

Creation Date

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Chequers Hotel

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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Chittering Park Homestead

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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Statement of Significance

The place has the ability to yield information about the method of constructing cob walling, a distinctive earth building technique with strong vernacular traditions.

Physical Description

Chittering Park Homestead is a single-storey residence, set in an aesthetic landscape consisting of native bush, with prominent blue gum trees. The walls are constructed of pug about 450mm thick. Stamped on one of the rear walls are impressions which could be the builder's trademark (a 'W' is clear) and other markings that may be cattle brands. The steeply sloping hipped roof extends over the main building and is projected over to form verandahs. The original roof cover was of jarrah shingles. In the early 1920s the roof was recovered with corrugated iron. The original house did not have ceilings and these were added in later years.

History

The building is a rare example of both a cob building and a mid-19th century homestead residence, and which has retained a very high level of integrity and authenticity.

Integrity/Authenticity

High

Condition

Fair

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Chequers Hotel

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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Statement of Significance

The place has aesthetic value for the remaining evidence of the Federation Queen Anne style and detail and the more prominent demonstration of the Inter War Funtionalist style. The place is associated with the establishment and phases of development in Bullsbrook throughout the 20th century. The major development of the hotel in 1939 is a demonstration of the impact of the establishment of Pearce Air Base in the vicinity and how it impacted on local business and the community. The place has social value for the community as the venue for formal and informal gatherings since the early 20th century.

Physical Description

Chequers Hotel presents as a substantial single storey building of two main building phases which demonstrate distinctive architectural styles. The original section which faces Great Northern Highway demonstrates Federation detailing with timbered gables, bracketed window awnings and sills, casement windows with top lights. The original windows all have leaded lights. The original brick finish with rendered strong course has been rendered over to tie it in with the later addition along Bullsbrook Road frontage. Changes to the original section have occurred obscuring some of the early detail but the timbered gable and rendered chimney are strong remnants of the early structure. The roof to the original section was hipped which continued down to form the verandah between the two gables. This roof form has been retained in its current presentation. The Bullsbrook Road frontage has a completely different aesthetic showing art deco architectural features including the dominant rendered entrance which comprises three flat arch openings in a stepped façade with a deep parapet containing a rendered name panel. The covered entrance projects forward of the main building line creating a statement entrance. The rest of the façade is quite simple in its presentation with a series of horizontally emphasised openings containing large fixed pane windows and multipaned casement with horizontal glazing bars. Each window has a flat window canopy above supported on solid rendered brackets. The shallow pitched hipped roof incorporates small gablets which respond to the earlier architectural style of the original section of the hotel. A later addition has been constructed on the north east corner which has disrupted the symmetry of the Bullsbrook Road elevation. The corner addition presents as a largely blank rendered structure with simple casement windows. A similar styled plain block has also been constructed to the south east corner of the Great Northern Highway frontage.

History

This hotel has been built in several stages and its development parallels the growth of the Bullsbrook region. From readily available evidence and research provided by the Bullsbrook Residents and Ratepayers Association (BRRA) a hotel has been present at this site since 1914. In September 1913, David Brandon Reynolds (c1878-1949), a farmer of Bullsbrook applied to the Licensing Court for a Wayside House licence for his 10 room house of wood and iron. Inspector Halloran who appeared for the police opposed the granting of the licence on the grounds that the house was unsuitable as 'one of the rooms was only 7ft high, and the size of another was only 10ft by 7ft.' The licence was refused. (The West Australian, 18 Nov 1913, p.3; 3 December 1913, p. 8.) Reynolds a farmer, originally from Victoria had settled in Western Australia and in 1911 married Ida Gertrude Taylor in Katanning. In May 1914, Reynolds again applied for a Wayside House licence for 'the premises ... situated at the intersection of Gingin [now Great Northern Highway] and Bullsbrook roads, … House is constructed of brick, wood, and iron, and contains two sitting rooms and two bedrooms exclusive of those required by me and the use of my family. The premises belong to and are occupied by me, but are not now licensed. (The West Australian, 16 May 1914, p. 6.) The application was considered in September 1914, and supported by the police with the proviso that structural improvements were made. A report of the application in the local press included a statement from David Reynolds that the Bullsbrook area was progressing well and in recent years he had 'supplied a good number of people with refreshments and a lot of people had asked him to make this application.' Reynolds agreed to undertake the necessary structural improvements to the building and his application was approved. He named the hotel the 'Rosary Inn'. (The Swan Express, 29 September 1916, p. 2.) It is not clear when the original building was constructed but it is noted that between the 1913 and 1914 application the building included brick in its construction suggesting that the earliest part of the brick building which is extant, dates from 1914. The original timber structure have since been removed. Research undertaken by BRRA states that the original residence was constructed in 1910. In December 1916, the new licensee, Ernest Wood changed the name to the Bullsbrook Hotel and operated the place until c1925. (The Swan Express, 22 Dec 1916, p. 6; 6 February 1925. p.4.) During Ernest Wood's management of the place it had a good reputation with travellersand locals as noted in a newspaper article in March 1917 when a party of 22 Anzacs and 10 civilians 'ran out to Bullsbrook where the inhabitants gathered from far and near to do them honour and proffer them breakfast cheer. A magnificent breakfast was served to their party at the Bullsbrook Hotel.' (The Moora Herald and Midland Districts Advocate, 23 March 1917, p.3.) In March 1927, owner Walter Jermyn engaged architects E. Summerhayes and Son to prepare plans for the addition of bedrooms and a dining room to the existing hotel. The works were undertaken by Mr H. McNally at a cost of £2300. (The West Australian, 26 March 1927, p. 8.) Not long after the hotel licence was voided and later that year the ownership transferred to William Newton who successfully applied for a new licence. In August 1927, the works progressed and an image in the Westralian Worker shows a group of men in front of a brick structure with a distinctive five pane window under construction which is consistent with the Great Northern Highway elevation. (Westralian Worker, 26 August 1927, p.2.) The hotel continued to operate during the Inter War years but like most areas Bullsbrook suffered downturn during the economic depression of the early 1930s. It was the decision to establish Pearce airbase on the outskirts of the town in the mid 1930s that saw an improvement for businesses in the area. In 1939, William Newton engaged architect William Garnsworthy Bennett to design extensive alterations and additions to the Bullsbrook Hotel. W.G. Bennett was a prominent architect in Perth whose designs regularly demonstrated the Inter War Art Deco style. An item in the local press described the extent of the works. The new accommodation provides for a new saloon bar and parlour adjoining the existing bar, and the main extensions, which face Pearce Aerodrome, will include a porch, entrance hall and lounge, with office accommodation, two new lounges, dining room, new kitchen, servery, store, freezing room, staff dining room, house bar and staff quarters. Ten additional bedrooms, together with the necessary bathroom accommodation, will also be provided. The architect is Mr W. G. Bennett. (The West Australian, 11 March 1939, p.4.) The establishment of RAAF Base Pearce lead to an increase in the population of Bullsbrook with defence force staff and their families accommodated nearby. The Bullsbrook Hotel was an important gathering place for the community and BRRA research states that facilities in the hotel were planned to take on a military function should the war escalate in Western Australia. Since the 1939 additions, there have been minor alterations and additions. Aerial photography since 1965 shows that verandahs and awnings have been added and removed and roof cladding has been regularly updated. In c1997, the place was renamed Chequers Hotel and it is likely to have coincided with the construction of a new addition on the north east corner of the building during the 1990s. Since that time the main hotel has undergone minimal changes although new structures have been added within the property boundary.

Integrity/Authenticity

Authenticity: Moderate to high Integrity: High as the place continues to be used as a hotel.

Condition

Based on a streetscape inspection the building appears to be in fair to good condition.

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Pearce Aerodrome & Adjacent Bushland

Child Places

• 16879 RAAF Base Pearce

Uses

Creation Date

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Child Places

• 16879 RAAF Base Pearce

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RAAF Base Pearce

Parent Place or Precinct

18713 Pearce Aerodrome & Adjacent Bushland

Values

The place is the main Royal Australian Air Force base in Western Australia.

The place remains the primary facility for the training of RAAF air force personnel in Western Australia.

The place was established in the Inter-War period, in order to train army and air force personnel, and provide security against any future seaborne attacks on Western Australia.

Physical Description

RAAF Base Pearce at Bullsbrook is inclusive of an Art Deco style red brick entrance gateway, which is sited adjacent to the Great Northern Highway. The base contained a number of other Air Force related structures, including accommodation facilities.

History

In 1928, an evaluation of the Australia Air Force (AAF) in Western Australia was undertaken by Air Marshal Sir John Salmond of the Royal Air Force (RAF). Salmond’s Report recommended that an Air Station should be established near Perth, and that a Citizens Air Force (CAF) should be established with a squadron in Western Australia, which should cooperate with the training of Army Units and provide addition security against seaborne attacks. No action was undertaken until 1934, when the Director of Air Force Works and Building selected a suitable site 28 miles (45km) northeast of Perth, and 640 acres (260 hectares) was purchased in December 1934. The site in Bullsbrook was situated adjacent to the Great Northern Highway to Geraldton to the east, and the Perth Geraldton Railway on the west. Construction of the Air Base began in 1936, and was estimated to cost $2,000,000. The name ‘Pearce Air Force Station’ was chosen to commemorate Sir George Foster Pearce, KCVO, P.C. a Western Australian Senator. Pearce was the Minister of Defence between 1910 and 1921, and while in this position, he was responsible for introducing amendments to the Defence Act which implemented compulsory training and provisions for military colleges, and also passed Australia’s first Naval Defence Act of 1910, which established a Naval Board and naval college. In September 1936, Wing Commanger R. J. Brownell was selected to take charge of, and the open, the RAAF branch in Western Australia. Brownell and his family took up residence in the unfinished Sergeants’ Mess at the base in 1937, which was without power or water for the first few months. He was joined later the same year by the first party of troops.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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Statement of Significance

The red brick buildings dating from the 1930/40s represent the form and aesthetic that is associated with the significant history of World War II associations in the district. The former red brick entry gates are a landmark feature along Great Northern Highway; The place was established in the Inter-War period, in order to train Army and Air Force personnel, and provide security against any future seaborne attacks on Western Australia; and The place remains the primary facility for the training of RAAF personnel in Western Australia.

Physical Description

The RAAF Base Pearce at Bullsbrook has an area of almost 1,000 hectares and is located approximately 35 kilometres north northeast of Perth along Great Northern Highway. The majority of the buildings and associated infrastructure and support services are located in the eastern portion of the property. Runways occupy the central and south-eastern portion of the property. The control tower is located to the south west of the main hangers and maintenance workshops. The original entry to the RAAF Base Pearce at Bullsbrook comprises an Inter-war Functionalist style entrance gatehouse, which is sited slightly north of Brearley Street. It is no longer used as an entry point to the facility. The gatehouse building has a hipped tile roof and is constructed in red bricks laid in stretcher bond. The façade has a central vehicle entrance bay with two lower administration wings either side. A regular rhythm of white timber sash windows with horizontal mullions adorn the façade, some with a flat concrete awning above. The entrance gates, within the central bay, are constructed from iron in a geometric pattern. The base contains a number of other Air Force related structures, including accommodation facilities. The facilities dating from the original building campaign are distinguished through the use of red brick and white painted timber sash windows.

History

In 1928, an evaluation of the Australia Air Force (AAF) in Western Australia was undertaken by Air Marshal Sir John Salmon of the Royal Air Force (RAF). Reporting that the RAAF was totally unfit for war, he listed among its deficiencies, poor training, equipment and conditions of service, before making recommendations for a modest program of development spread over nine years. One of Salmon’s recommendations was that an Air Station should be established near Perth, and that a Citizens Air Force (CAF) should be established with a squadron in Western Australia, which should cooperate with the training of Army Units and provide additional security against seaborne attacks. Due to limited finances no action was undertaken until 1934, when the Director of Air Force Works and Building selected the subject site then comprising 640 acres (260 hectares) in Bullsbrook. Construction of the Air Base began in 1936, and was estimated to cost $2,000,000. The name ‘Pearce Air Force Station’ was chosen to commemorate Sir George Foster Pearce, KCVO, P.C. a Western Australian Senator. Pearce was the Minister of Defence between 1910 and 1921. In 1938 the Air Force Base buildings on the Perth to Geraldton Road (now known as Great Northern Highway) were completed and an Open Day was held on Empire Day, 28 May 1938, attended by 25,000 people. Other buildings on site were completed in the following years. Following the outbreak of World War Two in September 1939, pilot training was intensified and a rapid program of building was undertaken to provide living quarters and classrooms for the influx of Air Crew trainees and ground staff. Following the end of World War Two, the Pearce Air Base resumed the task of training pilots should the RAAF need to expand rapidly in response to an emergency. The original entrance gates to the base were closed in 1987, and a new more flexible entrance was provided. The RAAF Base Pearce continues to operate today as an Air Force Training Facility.

Integrity/Authenticity

Good

Condition

Good

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Remnant Bushland & Wetland

Uses

Creation Date

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Statement of Significance

The remnant bush and wetlands support a diversity of flora and fauna and create an aesthetically rich landscape.

Physical Description

A block of dense remnant bush and wetland in intact condition, with a small modified area accommodating a dwelling and its curtilage.

History

Remnant bush and wetland indicative of the region prior to European settlement.

Integrity/Authenticity

High

Condition

Good

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Melaleuca Park

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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The Barnard Spring's Trough & Wetland

Uses

Creation Date

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Statement of Significance

Barnard Springs Trough and wetland are of scientific and educational importance. The place represents a diversity of species, plant communities and presence of endangered species. The wetland and remnant vegetation support an array of aquatic life including long-necked tortoises. The place is of aesthetic and recreational significance. The trough and dam are of historical significance and are rare and fragile. The place is associated with Barnard Drummond Clarkson, a pastoralist, farmer and explorer who was the property owner in 1896.

Physical Description

The site consists of an historic dam and stock watering trough carved from two sections of trees and includes a feeder pipe between the dam and the trough. A permanent natural spring feeds the dam which feeds the natural wetland after passing through the pipe and trough. There are also other small springs in the wetland. The flooded gum forest is also a significant vegetation complex which is rare.

History

According to local sources, the spring in Bullsbrook was a watering place before the trough was built for stock travelling to the metropolitan markets. The year the dam and trough was built is unknown.

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West Bullsbrook Hall

Creation Date

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Statement of Significance

The place has considerable historic and social value reflecting the optimism and community spirit of the early twentieth century, and its subsequent additions and change of use indicate changing patterns of community life; The place represents the practice in regional areas of adapting civic buildings for various uses over time, having originally been built as an Agricultural Hall, serving as a temporary school (1924), an RSL Hall (1940s), a CWA Hall (1963-2003) and for regular religious services; The building is an example of the trend for local communities, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, to construct public halls for community use with the assistance of the State Government 'Grant in Aid' Scheme; It has historical associations with the early development of Bullsbrook and with early pioneers of the district; and The hall contributes to the community's sense of place, as it has remained in use as a community based facility associated with the working, social and recreational life of the local community since 1904.

Physical Description

The Hall is located within the West Bullsbrook town site and is accessible from Turner Road. There is a small, graded car park, children's playground and an external toilet block at the site. The Hall is a single storey brick and iron building with a gable roof form. A lower scale entry portico protrudes the northern elevation. Both the entry portico and main gable end have an unpainted cement render finish, which has been scored to resemble coursed stone. The northern gable end has fixed louvers at its apex and has the lettering 'BULLSBROOK HALL'. The entry gable has a circle metal sign attached at the apex with the CWA insignia and the words 'FOR HOME AND COUNTRY'. The side elevations are exposed brick and are divided into five bays with buttresses. The eastern side has four timber casement windows with security screening and a double door, where as the western elevation features five windows only. There is a skillion roofed kitchen addition at the southern end of the Hall.

History

Although settlement dates back to the 1850s, most development occurred in Bullsbrook after the Midland Railway was opened in 1895. By 1898 the area was in the need for a school for its growing population. In 1903, M Jacoby MLA of Mundaring wrote to the Public Works Department requesting funding for a public hall in Bullsbrook. The local community had raised funds for the hall and a local resident Mr S Copely had donated land. A subsidy of £140 was provided for the construction of the Hall under the State Government 'Grant in Aid' Scheme. The hall went out to tender in 1903. The brick hall was built for a total cost of £192.40 and soon became a site of local dances, functions and even a wedding. In 1910 the Midland Railway Company opened up land, which bought new settlers to the district. By 1925 it was considered necessary to enlarge the hall with timber and iron additions constructed the following year. Functions such as dances were increased when the Pearce Air Base opened in 1938. In the same year the hall was handed over to the Swan Roads Board, previously it had been vested to members of the Bullsbrook Progress Association. Since this time the hall has been used for a range of purposes including; as a temporary school, an RSL Hall, a CWA Hall and for religious services. In 2012 the City of Swan granted the Bullsbrook Residents and Ratepayers Association a 24-month lease of the hall to use as a historical museum.

Integrity/Authenticity

High

Condition

Moderate

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