Landgate

Logon to > MyLandgate

History of metropolitan suburb names - S


The following information is a summary of origins for suburb names within the Perth metropolitan area. Please select the first letter of the suburb you wish to see:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

SAFETY BAY

Safety Bay derives its name from a small bay of that name. The original "bay" was a small cove on the north shore of Warnbro Sound now encompassed by Safety Bay Road, Berry Street and Janet Road. It was noted by Surveyor General John Septimus Roe in 1837 as "a safe well protected boat anchorage" and he gave it the appropriate name of Safety Bay. A headland near the present junction of Safety Bay Road and June Road was named "Point Shelter". Later the cove was renamed "Peel Harbour" and when it ultimately became land locked, "Peel Basin", but the name Safety Bay stuck and gradually came to be applied to all the northern portion of Warnbro Sound. "Peel Basin" was reclaimed in later years and houses now stand where Roe once recorded soundings of up to 7 fathoms.


SAINT JAMES

The suburb name of Saint James is named after the London park of that name, which in turn commemorates Saint James the apostle. The name was proposed by the Canning Road Board, and was approved in 1957. Many of the streets in the area are named after British Prime Ministers and Members of Parliament.


SALTER POINT

This suburb takes its name from the feature with the same name on the Canning River. The point was named after Hannah Salter, daughter of Mr Charles Salter, who was born at Canning Bridge in 1851. She later married Thomas Buckingham and lived at Kelmscott. The suburb name had been in use for many years before being approved in 1990.


SAMSON

Samson is named in honour of one of Fremantle's most noted families. Lionel Samson arrived at Fremantle in 1829, and the business he established there, Lionel Samson and Sons Pty. Ltd., is the state's oldest established family business. Two of his descendants have been Mayor of Fremantle, with Sir William Frederick Samson serving for over twenty years in the 1950's and 60's.


SAN REMO

The name of this suburb is derived from "San Remo" estate, a developers name. It was approved as a suburb name in 1989.


SAWYERS VALLEY

Sawyers Valley derived its name from the trade most commonly practised by those who settled there. A sawpit, with hand sawyers hard at work and a settlement of thatched "V" huts (so called from their resemblance to an inverted letter "V") was noted in the area as early as the 1860's. The timber trade was the mainstay of the place for many years. A railway station named Sawyers Valley was opened here in 1884.


SCARBOROUGH

In 1885, a visiting Sydney journalist explored the coastline as Scarborough and gave much publicity to the high qualities of the ocean beach. Encouraged by the publicity, some Perth land and estate agents investigated the possibilities of the area. Eventually the land was sold to a Patrick Callaghan of Melbourne in October 1892. Callaghan soon after, subdivided the land and sold a few of the blocks in Melbourne and although it is not known if he advertised the land as "Scarborough" it is possible to attribute the origin of the name to him. He named one of the streets in his subdivision Scarborough Road, later to become Drabble Road and it is believed the name of the suburb originated from this road. It is probably derived from the English seaside town of the same name.


SECRET HARBOUR

Secret Harbour was a locally used name approved in 1984. The name was used for a propsed marina development which was to include a small boat harbour. The suburb does not now include a harbour.


SERPENTINE

The rural suburb of Serpentine derives its name from the Serpentine River on which it is located. The river was was discovered in 1832, and named because it is such a winding river in its lower reaches.


SEVILLE GROVE

This suburb was formerly part of Armadale, and was approved in 2002. The area was formerly known for its citrus orchards, and Seville is a variety of orange.


SHELLEY

Formerly part of Riverton, Shelley was approved as a separate suburb in the mid 1960's. It is believed the name refers to shells found on the shores of the Canning River here.


SHENTON PARK

This suburb name honours one of Western Australia's most notable nineteenth century citizens, Sir George Shenton. Shenton was from a prominent colonial family, and was an astute businessman and politician. He served three terms as Mayor of Perth, and his home "Crawley Park" is now part of the University of Western Australia. Hedied in 1909.


SHOALWATER

Shoalwater is named after the adjacent bay of this name. The bay was named by J.S. Roe in 1829, and the name is descriptive, referring to the shallow water in the bay. The Bay extends from Cape Peron to Mersey Point.


SILVER SANDS

Suburb of the Town of Mandurah proposed by the town council and approved in 1989. Named after "Silver Sands Estate", a promotional name for the area and adopted because of persistent local usage.


SINAGRA

This new suburb, formerly part of Wanneroo, is named after the Sinagra family, migrants from Italy who arrived in the Wanneroo area in the 1920's. Sam Sinagra owned a shop in Wanneroo, and the family were prominent citizens. The suburb name was approved in 1994.


SINGLETON

Singleton is named after Captain Francis Corbet Singleton who came to this district in 1839. Singleton was appointed to the first Board of Road Directors in 1840, and had extensive lanholdings in the Murray District. Singleton was declared a townsite in 1956.


SORRENTO

A private subdivision of freehold land known as 'Sorrento' was surveyed here in 1929. It is assumed that the name was taken from the Italian seaside town of Sorrento which is located south of Naples opposite the Isle of Capri.


SOUTHERN RIVER

The suburb of Southern River was proposed by the Shire of Gosnells in 1968. The Southern River after which the suburb is named runs through the suburb, and is a descriptive name. The name was approved in 1969.


SOUTH FREMANTLE

South Fremantle derives its name from its location as the southern suburb of the City of Fremantle. The name has been in use for the area since at least the 1880's.


SOUTH GUILDFORD

South Guildford derives its name from its location south of Guildford.


SOUTH LAKE

Name proposed by Taylor Woodrow Homes Builders Pty. Ltd and the City of Cockburn in March 1982 after a previous suggestion ("Oxley") had been rejected because of duplication. Situated to the south of North Lake, hence the name. Approved in August 1982.


SOUTH PERTH

South Perth derives its name from its location south of Perth. The area was identified as a separate suburb of Perth as early as 1831, and was the site of Perth's first mill in 1833.


SPEARWOOD

This suburb derives its name from the Spearwood bush which is as a common shrub in the area. When the area was subdivided by real estate entrepeneur James Morrison in 1897 he used the name Spearwood Gardens Estate, the first time the name was used. The Spearwood area soon became one of Perth's major market gardening areas.


STIRLING

Stirling is named after Admiral Sir James Stirling, the first Governor of Western Australia. Approved as a postal district name in April 1976 at the request of the Stirling City Council, the suburb was formerly part of Balcatta.


STONEVILLE

Stoneville is named after Sir Albert Edward Stone, Chief Justice of Western Australia in 1905 when the place was named. The name was chosen by the local residents who were developing the district for fruit growing


STRATTON

Named for John Peter Stratton (1888-1966), farmer and businessman who owned some of the land in this suburb and was president of the Western Australian Trotting Association 1930-1966. Proposed as a suburb to replace Wexcombe by the Shire of Swan, and approved in 1989.


SUBIACO

It was in 1851 that WA's Benedictine community moved from Guildford to an area near Lake Monger they named New Subiaco after an Italian town about 33 miles from Rome in the Sabine Mountains. The 'New' was dropped when the Perth - Fremantle railway was opened and a station provided for the convenience of the monastery. The land in the suburb was first developed by the government in 1885.


SUCCESS

The suburb of Success is named after the ship commanded by Captain James Stirling when he visited and explored the Swan River in 1827. The name was approved for the suburb in 1973, although the boundaries have since been changed. In 1968 the PMG discussed the naming of the area with the Cockburn Shire Council who suggested "Omeo", apparently after a ship that went ashore at Coogee around the turn of the century. Investigation showed that this name was duplicated in Victoria and eventually, the name Success was proposed.


SWANBOURNE

The name Swanbourne commemorates the home of Thomas Francis Fremantle, 1st Baron Cottesloe.. He was the brother of Captain Charles Howe Fremantle RN. after whom Fremantle is named. Swanbourne was at first referred to as Cottesloe Beach, and the first homes in the area were built around 1890.


SWAN VIEW

Suggested as a name by Surveyor F.S. Brockman in 1894, when the Government subdivided land in the area. The name is descriptive, referring to the views of the Swan Valley to be had from the higher land in the area.

Return to Top


Western Australian Land Information Authority