Parkwood, Western Australia

Parkwood was first settled by Henry Willett of Willett & Co, who was granted Canning Location 21 on the Canning River (which included nearby Lynwood) and settled in the area in June 1832. In November 1964, the Shire of Canning proposed the names "Burtsdale" and "Willetton" for Willetton and Lynwood/Parkwood respectively, the name Burtsdale honouring Septimus Burt, who purchased the land in 1882. In August 1965, developers at Lynwood requested the name "Clovercrest Estate", but finally agreed to "Lynwood". The name Willetton was shifted westwards and Lynwood was gazetted in December 1965.^[3]

[edit] Geography

Parkwood is bounded by High Road to the north and northeast, Nicholson Road to the east, Roe Highway to the south and Willeri Drive to the west.^[4]

At the ABS 2001 census, Parkwood had a population of 6,620 people living in 2,488 dwellings, nearly all of which are detached houses on single lots. A significant minority of the population is of Malaysian Chinese origins, including migrant families from Christmas Island.

[edit] Facilities

Parkwood is a residential suburb with a scattering of parks of varying sizes. It contains the Lynwood Senior High School (1974) and the Parkwood Primary School (1975, originally as West Lynwood), which contains one of Perth's seven primary-school-level Intensive English Centres. The program is designed to assist refugees, displaced children and others with low English literacy, many of whom have special needs.

The Riverton Forum shopping centre (now rebranded "Stockland Riverton"), located in northwestern Parkwood on High Road, is across the road from the Canning Arts Centre and the Riverton Leisureplex. The Riverton Leisureplex is a large facility with sporting, fitness and recreation facilities first opened on 9 November 2001,^[5] is operated by the City of Canning and includes the council's largest library. A tavern, the Riverton Gardens Hotel, is located on land used until the early 1980s as a public golf course.^[6]

The southeast is served by a neighbourhood shopping centre and community and sports centre, which back onto Whaleback Golf Course, an 18-hole public golf course. The facility first opened on 9 January 1981 on a buffer reserve between the Canning Vale industrial area and the housing developments in Parkwood and Lynwood, and was significantly upgraded in December 2002.

[edit] Transport

Parkwood is served by bus services to/from Cannington and Perth's CBD, including Transperth routes 75 and 879. There is also a Transperth school bus (number 7, shared by other school buses along different routes) to/from Willetton Senior High School, as well as other school buses.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] References

^ 2001 Census, Australian Bureau of Statistics
^ REIWA Suburb Profile
^ Department of Land Information. History of suburb names - L. Retrieved on 2007-01-17.
^ 2006 StreetSmart directory, Department of Lands and Surveys, Perth.
^ http://www.canning.wa.gov.au/lplex/
^ UBD directories, 1972-1984