Darlington, Western Australia
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| Darlington Perth, Western Australia |
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| Postcode: | 6070 | ||||||||||||
| Area: | 11.9 km² | ||||||||||||
| Property Value: | AUD $390,000 (march 2006) | ||||||||||||
| Location: | 20 km from Perth | ||||||||||||
| LGA: | Mundaring | ||||||||||||
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Darlington, Western Australia is a locality in the Shire of Mundaring, on the Darling Scarp, dissected by Nyaania Creek and north of the Helena River. The locality has an area of 11.9 square kilometres, and its postcode is 6070.
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[edit] Location
It is separated from the next locality lower on the scarp Boya by two Quarries - C. Y. O'Connor's 'Fremantle Harbour Works Quarry' (now known as 'Hudman Road Amphitheatre') and the Mountain Quarry (also named Boya quarry) on the southern slope of Greenmount Hill. It is defined by the Great Eastern Highway to the North, and the Helena River to the South. Its boundary with Glen Forrest to the east has shifted a few times.
[edit] Geology
Being at the edge of the Darling Scarp, and adjacent to the two quarries mentioned above in location Darlington has a collection of older stone houses constructed in the locally available rock types. Also a large number of properties in the area utilise local rock for retaining and border walls. Locally found granite and laterite rock has been untilised.
[edit] History
It evolved as a locality from the Darlington Winery in the late nineteenth century, as it was not planned - while Glen Forrest and Greenmount were. The local hall - the Darlington Hall evolved from the winery cellar building.
It was dissected by the Eastern Railway [1890 - 1954 traffic ceased, 1965/1966 the line was closed and removed], which in later years of operation was known as the 'Mundaring Loop'. The remaining formation is a very popular walking and bike trail, and is often known as the 'bridle trail' by locals. Its formal name is the Railway Reserve Heritage Trail. It had extensive orchards during the First World War era. It has also, due to its cooler climate 'in the hills' had numbers of guest houses D. H. Lawrence having stayed in one for a short time during his visit to Australia. These were also convalescent homes during the Second World War era. In the mid twentieth century a significant numbers of artists had lived or been associated with the small community. By the late twentieth century subdivisions of land, and the breakup of farms and orchards had increased the population density of the locality.
[edit] Identity
Because of its altitude and separation from the Swan Coastal Plain - it has been associated very early on as a picnic location, holiday home and country drive location.
Writers, artists and others seeking to be separate from Perth's extensive suburban sand plain had sought the location for its natural surrounds. The artists gained the most publicity for their residence, while the writers and others tended to keep their privacy.
Some of the community groups are over 40 years old - the Darlington Residents and Ratepayers Association havng evolved from the earlier Darlington Progress Association for instance, the Darlington Arts Festival as well. The Tennis, Cricket and other sports clubs have similar heritage. A newer arrival the Darlington Club is less than a couple of years old, and is involved in sustaining community involvement and usage of the Darlington Hall.
It is perhaps one of the few 'hills' communities to have a high number of primary schools—the Darlington Primary (Government), Tree-Tops Montessori, and Helena College schools.
The Darlington Arts Festival has been an annual event, and continues after over 40 years, to include art exhibitions and events on the local oval.
The 2006 'Trek the Trail' event was organised on the Railway Reserve Heritage Trail and went from Mundaring to Darlington, including events on the oval.
One of the few hills communities to have such a long standing publication, Darlington has had the Darlington Review for 50 years, as a monthly that is received at each address in the locality.
The Mundaring shire council has defined the locality by placing 'Locality of Darlington' signs on its entrance roads at the administrative boundary.
[edit] Notable residents
- George Temple-Poole
- D.H. Lawrence - short term
- A. O. Neville
[edit] Bibliography
- [Brief note on the history of the scouts in Darlington, the first group formed in 1923] Darlington review, Feb.1993, p 7.
- Elliott, I., Mundaring, A History of the Shire, Mundaring, 1983 ISBN 0-9592776-0-9
- Wiltshire, T., A Place in the Hills, Darlington's First Fifty Years, Darlington, 1997 ISBN 0-646-34251-7
- Spillman, K., Life was meant to be here, Mundaring, 2003. ISBN 0-9592776-3-3
[edit] External links
| Suburbs of the Shire of Mundaring | |
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Bailup | Bellevue | Beechina | Boya | Chidlow | Darlington | Glen Forrest | Greenmount | Helena Valley | Hovea | Mahogany Creek | Midvale | Mount Helena | Mundaring | Parkerville | Sawyers Valley | Stoneville | Swan View | The Lakes | Wooroloo |
