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Suburb of Perth, Western Australia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Applecross is an affluent riverside suburb of Perth, Western Australia, bounded by Canning Highway and the Swan River. It is located within the City of Melville.
Applecross Perth, Western Australia | |||||||||||||||
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![]() Jacarandas in bloom | |||||||||||||||
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Coordinates | 32°00′49″S 115°50′12″E | ||||||||||||||
Population | 7,228 (SAL 2021)[1] | ||||||||||||||
Established | 1896 | ||||||||||||||
Postcode(s) | 6153 | ||||||||||||||
Location | 7 km (4 mi) from Perth | ||||||||||||||
LGA(s) | City of Melville | ||||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Bateman | ||||||||||||||
Federal division(s) | Tangney | ||||||||||||||
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The suburb of Applecross takes its name from the Applecross peninsula in Wester Ross, Highland, on the northwest coast of Scotland. Many of the streets in the suburb have names from the area, including Carron, Gairloch, Ullapool, Kintail, Strome, Ardross, Alness, Kishorn, Glenelg, Duncraig, Dunvegan, Killian and Roskhill.[2]
The suburb of Applecross was originally assigned to Lionel Lukin on 28 May 1830. The land was finally acquired by Alexander Matheson, second son of Sir Alexander Matheson, 1st Baronet of Lochalsh, in February 1896. Matheson formed the Western Australian Investment Company Limited and instigated and named the subdivision of the area.
Matheson developed the waterfront land as gentlemen's residences. He operated a ferry service to bring day-trippers to the area from Perth for picnics, tennis and sailing. The difficulty in finding reliable water stymied further development and Matheson sold the land to the London and Australian Investment Company around 1903.[3]
In 1925, Thomas Burke (businessman) stopped at Fremantle on his return from England. He was persuaded to view the Applecross land held by the London and Australian Investment Company. Burke quickly realised the potential of the undeveloped land as an affordable, long-term investment for working Australians. He purchased 2,200 acres between the Swan River (Western Australia) and along the Perth-Fremantle Road (the precursor to Canning Highway) from Canning Bridge, Applecross, and towards Point Walter.[4]
For the next ten years, Burke bundled the land as ¼ acre blocks and sold them in estates: Applecross Estate, Kintail Road Estate, Canningview Estate, Ardross Park Estate, Wireless Station Estate, Rivermount Estate, Radio Park Estate, Melville Park Estate, and Lucky Bay View Estate. Some buyers built on their block. Others took Burke's advice and gambled it would increase in value significantly with the forthcoming establishment of better road connections with Perth via Canning Bridge. By 1960, the year after the opening of the Narrows Bridge (Perth), a block in the Kintail Road Estate purchased for £45 in 1940 returned £1,750.[4]
A distinguishing feature of the suburb are the jacaranda trees that line its streets and flower in the late spring. Planting of these and other exotic trees along the streets began in 1935.[5] In keeping with this theme, Applecross is home to an annual Jacaranda festival in late November.
In 1940, the suburb was the location of a "Patriotic Grand Prix", a once only usage of the streets of the suburb for a car race known at the time as a "Round-the-houses" race.[6][7][8][9][10]
A number of well known landmarks and facilities are in Applecross. These include:
Bus routes serving Canning Highway: