Gwelup, Western Australia

The name "Gwelup" refers to a small swamp located within the southern portion of the suburb. It was derived from the Noongar word "Gwelgannow" meaning "to shift position". Hence, Lake Gwelup was referred to as "the lake that shifts position". The name first appears in Lands Department records in 1878 as "Gwelup Swamp".^[3]

Throughout the wetland regions, aboriginals hunted for kangaroo, emu, snakes, tortoise, mudfish, gilgies and water birds and their eggs, to name a few food sources. Aboriginal sites are known to have existed in a few locations in the Gwelup-Balcatta region.^[4]

Land near Lake Gwelup was first granted to Thomas Mews in 1831. It passed through several owners before being acquired by Henry Bull of Sydney in 1891. Gwelup was subdivided by Henry Bull during 1898 and 1899; however, development was relatively slow and the land was used mainly for market gardens in the early years. In the 1960s, the area which presently accommodates The Willows Estate also offered a 6 hectare peat deposit which was mined for local agriculture.^[5] From the 1970s, Gwelup transformed from a rural area to a modern residential suburb. Only a few market gardens along North Beach Road remain as a reminder of earlier times.^[6] The Mitchell Freeway's extension to Erindale Road in 1984 and to Ocean Reef Road in 1986-87 facilitated the area's development.

The triangle bounded by Lake Gwelup, Porter Street and North Beach Road is the oldest residential section, having been opened up by the Metropolitan Region Planning Authority in 1967 for urban development^[7] - other parts were built and settled in the late 1990s when the swamps were drained. Controversy has arisen as to the effect of both the draining and of some building practices on the groundwater in the catchment region.^[8]

[edit] Geography

Gwelup is bounded by Lake Gwelup and Lake Karrinyup to the west, the Mitchell Freeway to the east, Old Balcatta Road to the north (Reid Highway, accessible via Duffy Road, is located just a few hundred metres further north) and Karrinyup Road to the south. Due to Gwelup's swampy nature and the Lake Gwelup Reserve, considerable tracts of land remain undeveloped.^[9]

At the ABS 2001 census, Gwelup had a mostly white middle-income population of 2,324 people living in 940 dwellings.^[1] The type and style of residential dwellings contained within Gwelup varies considerably, ranging from early market garden cottages to recently designed two-storey developments. New subdivisions, including Karrinyup Waters, Settlers Green and The Willows, contain modern architecturally designed homes. Along North Beach Road, there are remnants of older, rural-style housing. These character homes are gradually being renovated or replaced by new developments.^[6]

[edit] Facilities

Gwelup is a residential suburb, with the Gwelup Plaza neighbourhood shopping centre which meets daily shopping needs. Nearby Karrinyup Shopping Centre provides other services.^[9] The suburb contains Lake Gwelup Primary School, originally opened in 1914 in two wooden school buildings which are now heritage-listed,^[10] and Gwelup falls within Carine Senior High School's catchment area.

Gwelup has significant areas of public open space scattered throughout the residential area, offering meeting places and recreational opportunities for the local and wider community. Lake Gwelup, a 75 hectare reserve vested in the City of Stirling and centred on the 25 hectare Lake Gwelup Wetland,^[4] preserves a significant part of the natural environment, while allowing passive recreation. There are also tennis courts and cycle paths located on the Lake Gwelup Reserve.

Careniup Swamp, the wetland which gave its name to nearby Karrinyup, was formerly bounded by Gribble Road, Balcatta Road, North Beach Road and the freeway. Much of it was drained for housing in the mid-1990s, but the northwestern section of it has been preserved as a wetland and recreation area.^[11]

[edit] Transport

Gwelup's northern and southern sections respectively are served by Transperth 424 and 427 bus routes from Stirling railway station, which is a 9-minute commute to the Perth CBD. The 424 service links the suburb with Karrinyup Shopping Centre.^[12] All services are operated by the Public Transport Authority.

In 1925, the North Beach Bus Company was started by Alf Lehman with crimson charabancs. It was taken over by the James family in 1928, in an era when REO buses drove over plank roads through the wetlands between modern-day Tuart Hill and North Beach. The company was taken over by the MTT on 30 September 1961.^[13]

[edit] Politics

Gwelup is a reasonably affluent suburb with many "mortgage belt" families and socially liberal voters. It consistently supports the Liberal Party at both federal and state elections.

2004 Federal Election Source: AEC
	Liberal	58.7%
	Labor	29.8%
	Greens	6.11%
	CDP	2.16%
	Democrats	1.17%

2001 Federal Election Source: AEC
	Liberal	50.5%
	Labor	31.9%
	Greens	6.82%
	Democrats	4.80%
	One Nation	3.36%

1998 Federal Election Source: AEC^[14]
	Liberal	51.8%
	Labor	32.3%
	One Nation	6.02%
	Greens	4.40%
	Democrats	4.07%

2005 State Election Source: WAEC
	Liberal	50.4%
	Labor	34.8%
	Greens	10.2%
	CDP	4.52%

2001 State Election Source: WAEC
	Liberal	38.8%
	Labor	37.2%
	Greens	8.73%
	Democrats	5.57%
	Independent	5.24%

[edit] See also

City of Stirling

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b 2001 Census Data by Location Name (State Suburbs), Australian Bureau of Statistics, released 19 November 2002. Accessed 2006-11-18
^ REIWA Suburb Profile
^ Department of Land Information. History of suburb names - G. Retrieved on 2007-01-17.
^ ^a ^b Friends of Lake Gwelup. A Brief History of Gwelup. Retrieved on 2006-09-27.
^ "North Suburban Supplement", The West Australian, 20 July 1961, accessed at Battye Library, Perth.
^ ^a ^b City of Stirling. Suburbs - Gwelup. Retrieved on 2006-09-15.
^ "Metropolitan Region Scheme - Notice", Western Australia Government Gazette, 17 May 1967, pp. 1967:1631.
^ Stirling Times, various editions, 2004 and 2006
^ ^a ^b Map 311, 2007 StreetSmart directory, Department of Lands and Surveys, Perth.
^ Education Department of WA. Lake Gwelup Primary School (School Overview). Retrieved on 2006-11-18.
^ (1981) Bulletin No. 87: System 6 parks and reserves : Guide to the Darling system report. Perth: Department of Conservation and Environment. Accessed at Battye Library, Perth.
^ Northern 61 timetable, Transperth, effective 10 December 2005; Northern 62 timetable, Transperth, effective 8 August 2005. Accessed 2007-01-17
^ "North Suburban Supplement" (p.10), The West Australian, 31 Aug 1961. Also see p.10, ibid., 21 Sep 1961 article by Mr H. Willoughby-Lance. Accessed at Battye Library, Perth.
^ Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) (1999). Election Statistics (1993, 1996, 1998) (CD-ROM). Kingston, ACT: AEC.