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History of metropolitan suburb names - W


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

WAIKIKI

Waikiki is a developers name which was officially adopted in 1974. It was named after the popular Hawaiian holiday resort which is famous for its surfing beaches.


WALLISTON

The name of Walliston honours the area's first settlers, John and Emma Wallis. The Wallis's moved to this district in the 1880's, and were prominent citizens of the district. The area was also known as Wallis' Crossing, Wallis' Landing and 12 Mile Siding, and finally resolved as Walliston in 1915.


WANDI

This suburb was approved on March 14th, 1978 and commemorates a highly regarded Aboriginal stockman who drove sheep in the Cockburn Sound area for Anchorage Butchers around the 1920's.


WANGARA

The name of this suburb was created by combining the names of the two main roads adjoining it - Wanneroo and Gnangara. The name was approved in 1980.


WANNANUP

Wannanup is the original Aboriginal name for part of the suburb previously approved as Florida.. Florida became divided by the Dawesville Channel resulting in the City of Mandurah renaming the northern area to Wannanup. The name change was approved in 1996


WANNEROO

In the early days of the Swan River Colony, the district of Wanneroo represented an "outer" region and it is not until 1834, that an excursion into the area by any explorers or settlers is recorded. In that year, a party of four led by John Butler, travelled about 35 miles north from Perth to search for lost cattle and passed through the area just to the east of Lake Joondalup. Butler stated that the aborigines of the area were "those Wanneroo men who frequent Perth in company with the Yellowgonga tribe." It is not known when early settlers started using the name "Wanneroo", but, as early as 1842, a Surveyor recorded "road to Wanneroo" and in 1844, James Dobbins gave his address as Wanneroo. A government townsite was gazetted as "Wanneru" in August 1907 and it was not until May 1953 that the spelling was amended to "Wanneroo".


WARNBRO

The suburb of Warnbro derives its name from Warnbro Sound, the bay on the shores of which the suburb is located. Warnbro Sound was surveyed by Surveyor General J S Roe in 1837, and in 1838 he recorded the name, but it is not known why the name was chosen.


WARWICK

This suburb is located on land granted to the Midland Railway Company in exchange for building the Midland to Walkaway railway. It was named Warwick in 1969, after the major road through the area, Warwick Road. The road was shown on maps as early as 1950, and could be named after a London road of this name.


WATERFORD

Subdivided and developed by the Christian Brothers of Clontarf who submitted a list of Irish street names for the area in December 1979. The South Perth City Council, concerned over the incongruity of such names in a suburb with an Aboriginal name (Karawara), enquired whether it was intended to apply a separate name to the Christian Brother's Estate. The developers suggested renaming the area south of Manning Road 'Waterford' after the town in south east Ireland where Edmund Rice founded the Christian Brothers teaching order. This was approved in December 1980.


WATERMANS BAY

This suburb is named after Alfred Waterman, a fisherman who built the first house in the area in 1908. He named his house “Zephyr”. The beach front adjacent to his house became known as Watermans Bay, a well known fishing spot. The suburb name was approved in 1954, was changed to Waterman in 1962, and then back to Watermans Bay in 2004


WATTLE GROVE

This suburb possibly takes its name from a farm which was known to be in the area around 1920. Another account states the area was named in the early 1900's as wattle trees lined both sides of Welshpool Road. The district was described as "where the groves of wattle are" by early settlers.


WATTLEUP

This suburb was named in 1962, and takes its name from Wattleup Road, a road in use in the district since 1931 when land was subdivided here. In 1961, the name "Wattleup Gardens Estate" was used for a subdivision, and led to Wattleup being approved as the suburb name.


WELLARD

The suburb of Wellard commemorates an early settler, John Wellard, who in 1860 owned Serpentine Farm about 7.5 kms southeast of the suburb. A government townsite with this name was declared here in 1923, and was cancelled in 1960. Wellard was approved as a suburb name in March 1978.


WELSHPOOL

This suburb derives its name from Welshpool Road. The name of the road was known as early as 1889, and one account states that an early market gardener, Benjamin Dewing was born in Welshpool in Wales, and named his property after the Welsh town. The area was known as Welshpool as early as 1895, but in 1908 local residents petitioned to have the Welshpool station changed to Canterbury.


WEMBLEY

Named after Wembley, England. Intensive subdivision of the Wembley area commenced in 1909, and originally the subdivision was regarded as part of Leederville. In 1924, the Perth City Council requested that it be renamed Wembley Park after the suburb of Greater London where the Empire Exhibition was being held at the time. The name was gazetted in 1924 and was later shortened to Wembley.


WEMBLEY DOWNS

Land in the suburb of Wembley Downs was first subdivided in 1927, but the area was mainly developed in the 1950's. The name is derived from the adjacent golf course which in turn derives its name from the suburb of Wembley. Attempts to change the name in 1959 to avoid confusion with Wembley were unsuccessful.


WESTFIELD

This suburb takes its name from Westfield Road, a main road through the area. A railway siding on the Fremantle-Armadale line which was built in 1906-08 was also named Westfield.after the road. The suburb, which was formerly part of Kelmscott, was named in 1978.


WEST LEEDERVILLE

This suburb name is descriptive, being derived from its location to the west of Leederville. Although locally used for a considerable time, the name was only officially adopted in 1998


WESTMINSTER

Westminster was formerly part of Balga, and was approved as a suburb in 1994. The name is derived from “Westminster Gardens”, an estate developed in the area in the 1930’s, and also the name of one of the primary schools in the area.


WEST PERTH

This suburb name is descriptive, being derived from its location to the west of Perth.


WEST SWAN

This suburb name is descriptive, being derived from its location on the western side of the Swan River.


WHITBY

The name is derived from Whitby Falls, located within the area. The falls area about 60 metres in height and have been locally known by this name since 1848. Originally known as "Mundajill", was renamed "Whitby Falls Estate" after being purchased by Henry Mead in 1848. Approved as a suburb name in 1988


WHITE GUM VALLEY

No record exists as to why this suburb was so named. The common white gum of the Darling Range does not grow in this area, although it is possible some Maiden Gums (Eucalyptus Lane-Poolei, known as salmon white gums) grew in the area.


WHITEMAN

Name proposed by the Shire of Swan after Mr L. Whiteman, one time owner of land and developer of a park in this area. The name was approved in 1981.


WILLAGEE

The suburb of Willagee takes its name from Willagee Swamp, the Aboriginal name of a feature now reclaimed. The area was developed in the early 1950's, and the name approved in 1954.


WILLETTON

In November 1964, the Shire of Canning proposed this area be named Burtsdale after Septimus Burt who purchased the land in 1882. The name Willetton was proposed for the adjoining Postal District, the bulk of which was in Canning Location 21 assigned to Henry Willett in June 1832. In August and September 1965, the Shire suggested that the name Lynwood replace Willetton and the name Willetton replace Burtsdale. These amendments were approved in December 1965.


WILSON

Development of the Wilson area began in 1954 when the State Housing Commission resumed some land and T.M. Burke Pty Ltd subdivided some adjoining land. In December 1954, the Canning Road Board proposed the area be named Wilson Park to commemorate Mr G.H. Wilson, a late member and Chairman of the Road Board for a period of 43 years and also an extensive landholder in the area, as the late member of Wilson and Johns Pty. Ltd. Florists and Nurserymen. This name was to apply to the overall area of both developments, but the State Housing commission wished to designate their area as Beeloo, an Aboriginal name recently adopted as the name of the local Electoral District. Dispute over the name continued for over three years, and it was not until January 1960 that the name Wilson was approved for the suburb.


WINTHROP

The suburb of Winthrop was originally part of the Applecross Pine Plantation, owned by the University of Western Australia since 1904. The name Winthrop was proposed in December 1977 by the City of Melville and supported by the University of WA, who were developing the land. It is named in commemoration of Sir John Winthrop Hackett, the first Chancellor of the University of WA.


WOODBRIDGE

Woodbridge was formerly part of Midland, although was often referred to as West Midland. The suburb was named in 2001, and derives its name from Governor Stirling’s original 1829 land grant which he named after his wife’s family property near Guildford in Surrey, England. The National Trust property “Woodbridge” is located in the suburb.


WOODLANDS

This suburb name was approved in 1961, and derives its name from Woodlands Estate. Many of the street names in the area are the names of trees, in keeping with the woodlands theme of the area.


WOODVALE

The suburb of Woodvale derives its name from the area being rolling undulating country with many stands of good timber. The area was cleared between 1963 and 1968, apparently for grazing purposes, and then developed for housing in the early 1970's. The suburb name was approved in 1973.


WOOROLOO

Wooroloo is an Aboriginal name, first recorded in 1841 when a site for townsite to be named "Worriloo" was surveyed. Other spellings of Worrilow and Warriloo are also recorded, but by the 1890's the Wooroloo spelling was commonly used. A railway stopping place named Wooroloo was established in 1897, and a government townsite of this name declared in 1913.


WUNGONG

This suburb derives its name from a government townsite on the Perth Bunbury line between Armadale and Byford. The Wungong Brook flows past the south west corner of the town. The townsite of Wungong (pronounced "Woongong") was proclaimed on 12th March 1909 and was named after the nearby Wungong Brook. The course of this brook was first traced by Alfred Hillman in January 1835.

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