Claremont, Western Australia


Claremont is a western suburb of Perth, Western Australia, on the north bank of the Swan River.

History

Prior to European settlement, the Noongar people used the area as a source of water, for fishing and for catching waterfowl.
In 1830, John Butler, a settler, set up an inn at Freshwater Bay to attract travellers on the road from Perth to Fremantle. A wetland became known as Butler's Swamp. After the arrival of convicts in the colony in 1850, work began on constructing the Fremantle Road. The government allocated land on the foreshore and at Butler's Swamp to 19 Pensioner Guards and their families, and a permanent convict depot operated at Freshwater Bay.
A state school and church were built in 1862, and a community gradually developed around what is now Victoria Avenue. A settler named James Morrison acquired property at Swan Location 702 and named it Claremont Estate after his wife, Clara. During the 1870s, several prominent families, including the Triggs, Sandovers, and Stirlings, acquired land in the district near the future site of Christ Church Grammar School, with some of their homes later purchased and used by the school.
In 1881, the railway line from Perth to Fremantle was built, along with a station at Butler's Swamp; the name of the station was changed to Claremont in 1883. The focus of the community shifted to the area between the railway line, Fremantle Road and Bay View Terrace. The Freshwater Bay school ceased to play a central role; it became a boarding house nicknamed "’Appy ‘Ome" in 1892.
Land speculators purchased property in the area and subdivided blocks into varying sizes, resulting in a wide class diversity within the suburb. By around 1903, the entire suburb—except for a dozen or so streets—had been subdivided, and by the Second World War, the community was firmly established.

Geography

Claremont is bounded by Airlie Street to the south; Stirling Highway, Parry Street and Stirling Road to the west; Alfred Road to the north and Loch Street and Bay Road to the east. A large part of Claremont is residential, although a significant shopping area is located along Stirling Highway, and the Claremont Showground and the eastern half of Lake Claremont are within Claremont's boundaries.
Claremont has grand homes in the Agett Road and Richardson Avenue areas on the south side of Stirling Highway.

Population

At the 2016 census, Claremont had a population of 8,148 people. 61.1% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 8.5%, South Africa 1.9%, China 1.9% and New Zealand 1.7%. 78.3% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin at 2.1%. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 32.2%, Anglican 21.3% and Catholic 19.1%.
Of the employed people in Claremont, 6.4% worked in hospitals. Other major industries of employment included higher education, combined primary and secondary education, legal services, and cafes and restaurants.
Of occupied private dwellings in Claremont 46.5% were separate houses, 25.3% were semi-detached and 27.5% were flats or apartments.

Facilities

Claremont includes the Claremont Showground and the Claremont Oval, home ground of the Claremont Football Club, as well as a significant shopping area along Stirling Highway, most concentrated on the St Quentins Avenue precinct.
Several private schools including Methodist Ladies' College, Christ Church Grammar School, Presbyterian Ladies' College, John XXIII College and Scotch College are either in Claremont or within of the suburb boundary. Claremont also contains a small private hospital and one state primary school; Freshwater Bay Primary School, as well as a number of jetties on the Swan River.
The Perth Royal Show, an annual agricultural show, is held at the Claremont Showground. The showground also hosts several large events and music festivals throughout the year.
The suburb contains a number of heritage-listed sites, including the Claremont Post Office and the weatherboard Anzac Cottage.
The Claremont Quarter shopping centre opened in 2009.

Transport

Claremont is served by the Claremont railway station and Loch Street railway station at regular times, as well as the Showgrounds railway station during special events. Various buses, including the CircleRoute, travel along Stirling Highway and through Claremont's northern and southern sections. All services are operated by Transperth.

Bus

Rail

Politics

Claremont is part of the federal division of Curtin. The federal seat is held by the independent Kate Chaney. It was typically regarded as a safe seat for the Liberal Party until the most recent election, as it had been continually retained by the Liberal Party with the exception of former Liberal member Allan Rocher as an independent politician between 1996 and 1998 and the current member Kate Chaney. For the parliament of Western Australia, Claremont is divided between the state electoral districts of Cottesloe and Nedlands, both held by the Liberal Party. The current mayor of Claremont is Jock Barker.

Notable residents