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The Town of Victoria Park locality has had a very transient, yet interesting, geographical journey during its relatively short history.

The journey began back in 1831 following a grant of 972 acres to colonist, Mr John Butler.

At that time the area was known as ‘Location 36’. The boundaries were the Swan River, Berwick Street to Kent Street and down to the water at Rivervale.

John Butler was also granted another plot of land now known as Peppermint grove.

In the Perth Gazette, 17 January 1835 a to let advertisement read ‘Cattle and sheep will be taken on ley at the Eagles Nest Farm on the flats near Perth, where there is the richest of pasturage’. This was John Butlers location 36 Victoria Park.

John Butler died in 1841 in NSW and his wife Anne Butler was granted the Victoria Park site in December 1850, Anne was the first woman landowner in the state, but it did not give her the right to vote or to stand for parliament.

 

Victoria Park around the turn of the Century 1900 included;

> Golf course (on the Burswood) This was moved to South Perth in 1908

> Race course (Goodwood Race course Burswood)

> Gambling (two up )

> Two Hotels (The Broken Hill and The Victoria Park Hotel)

> A school

> Disused Canal

> Two railway stations (The Goodwood and Victoria Park Station)

> Burswood sewage filter beds (1910) – The piped sewage from the City

> A yacht club

 

Compared with The Town of Victoria Park today;

> Race course (Belmont Park)

> Entertainment precinct (Burswood & Crown Casino)

> Five hotels –Rivervale, Burswood, Carlisle, Balmoral, Broken Hill and the Victoria Park Hotel

> Two senior citizens centres

> 14 schools

> A Herbarium

> Two major shopping centres

> One of the longest main street strip shopping areas in Australia, namely Albany Highway.

> More restaurants per kilometre situated on Albany Highway than anywhere in Australia

> 5 railway stations

> Technology Park

> A university – Curtin University

> Two major sporting venues – Perth Hockey Stadium & The State Tennis Centre (with more to come)

> An arts centre – The Victoria Park Centre for the Arts

> The Victoria Park Library and History Centre

> Over one hundred sites or buildings of heritage value

> And many parks and outdoor recreation areas including skateboard parks, ping pong tables, basketball courts, cricket grounds, hockey grounds, swimming centres, lawn bowls, soccer fields , Australian Rules football ovals and croquet.