Perth By Rail:
Along the Midland Line, WA
The Perth suburban railway service to Midland line runs on the Eastern Railway Line through Perth's eastern suburbs. Travelling from Midland, the trains terminate at Fremantle on the Fremantle line. The section of the Eastern Railway between Fremantle, Perth and Guildford was the first suburban railway line in Perth, opening on 1 March 1881.
The line was extended from Guildford to Chidlow's Well, opening in March 1884. Throughout the 1880s, the Eastern Railway line was extended beyond Guildford and Midland Junction along its first route to Chidlow and Northam. A second route varied after Bellevue proceeding to Chidlow via the Swan View Tunnel, Parkerville and Stoneville.
A third route saw the removal of the Bellevue Railway station in its construction, with the new Midland railway terminus replacing the older Midland Junction railway station. An anomaly of the Midland line timetables in the 1950s and 1960s was that Bellevue was nominally the terminus of the line until 1962. Koongamia, which was a new station prior to Greenmount on the original first route, was the terminus from 1962 to 1966. In that year, the stations on the first two Eastern Railway routes as well as the old Midland Junction railway station were closed and the new Midland station was constructed 200 metres to the west and became the new terminus.
Perth Railway Station
Between 2011 and 2014, the Fremantle line was sunk between Lake Street and the Horseshoe Bridge in the Perth CBD to allow for the redevelopment of the area. Perth station's former Fremantle to Midland platform became an island platform, with an additional platform and track built on the north side.
McIver
McIver station was opened in 1989. It was named after Ken McIver, a long serving steam engine driver and Labor member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for Northam and Avon from 1968 until 1986. The station was purpose-built to provide access directly to Royal Perth Hospital. Passenger can transfer to the Armadale/Thornlie line and the Airport line at McIver.
Claisebrook
Opened in 1883 under the name East Perth, Claisebrook station is a busy junction along the Midland and Armadale/Thornlie lines due to both lines running through the station and the Claisebrook railway depot being next door. McIver station is one of the two stations that service both the Midland and Armadale/Thornlie lines, with the other station being Claisebrook. Passenger can transfer to the Armadale/Thornlie line at Claisebrook.
The original railway station was built in timber with hardwood weatherboarding and external and timber lining. Rendered brick fireplaces were built in two of the rooms - possibly the waiting rooms and railway staff room and had very elegant rendered chimney caps providing a balance to the roof. The station was located centrally between the east and west bound tracks and provided access to both. In 1984 the station was relocated to Whiteman Park to be the Central Station on the light railway system there.
In 1969, a new railway terminal was built 600 metres away on the Midland line called East Perth, and caused this station to be renamed Claisebrook after a watercourse that is near the station. Between 2002 and 2003 the station was mostly rebuilt with new station structures, signage, platform finishes and a footbridge. It has received Airport line services since 9 October 2022.
Lake Monger
A string of lakes fed Claise Brook, which is now an underground drain for most of its original length, and empties into the Swan River at Claidebrook Cove, East Perth. The railway line between Perth and City West on the Fremantle line follows the course of the stream as it flowed out of Lake Irwin (around the East Perth subway) and into Lake Kingsford, which was to the north of Wellington Street from around Milligan Steeet to William Street. Lake Monger, named after John Henry Monger who acquired 200 acres beside the lake, is the only lake in the chain that still exists.
Claise Brook was named in 1827 by James Stirling after Dr Frederick Rushbrook Clause (1791-1852), surgeon of HMS Success. The name was later mis-spelt as Claise, and the name of the watercourse was gazetted as Claise Brook.
Banks Reserve and Swan River, East Perth
East Perth
East Perth station was opened in 1883. Transfers to the AvonLink, MerredinLink, Prospector, Transwa coaches and Indian Pacific can be made at East Perth. These services leave from the adjoining Public Transport Centre, built in 1969 to service both Standard Gauge as well as WA's Narrow Gauge (3 ft 6 in) trains that travel outside the Perth metropolitan area.
Public Transport Centre
The site occupied by East Perth station and the Public Transport Centre was formerly the East Perth Locomotive Depot. The station took the name of the previous East Perth station, which was renamed Claisebrook. The former East Perth railway station was removed on the change of the railway system in the late 1960s.
Love it or hate it (and many locals do), the Public Transport Centre is one of Perth's prime examples of Brutalist style architecture. Its detractors say the building was modelled on a skip bin. The building's original chocolate wood-panelled interior with orange carpet were very 1970s (the decade that fashion forgot); what appear to be two massive coin slots above the platform are a novel touch. The building is not the eyesore it could have been, but for some it is not the sort of design that projects warmth in its welcome to passengers arriving on the Indian-Pacific.
The Centre's four different facades are a response to the types of natural light that are particular to Perth. The large windows that face south allow natural light in, while the north facade was built in a manner that allows very little penetration of the bright sunlight/heat. The east and west facades have static louvers, which allow for views but limit the bright light during sunrise and sunset hours respectively.
Mount Lawley
Opened in 1907, Mount Lawley station services trains on both the Midland and Airport lines. Mount Lawley station is located on the eastern edge of Mount Lawley, about 300 metres from the Swan River. The railway's right of way lies between two major roads, Railway Parade and Whatley Crescent.
Mount Lawley is a grand old suburb whose heritage homes and mansions display the architecture of yesteryear, and whose avenues are tree lined with the blooms of the beautiful flowering Jacarandas during late spring. In recent decades, the suburb has taken on the role a cultural hub inhabited by hipsters, thanks in no small part to the many educational facilities established in the area which have a bent towards The Arts.
The social heart of Mount Lawley is unarguably based around the intersection of Beaufort and Walcott Streets and is primarily referred to by locals just as 'Beaufort Street'. It consists of a mix of cafes, restaurants, pubs, clubs, boutiques, specialty stores, small supermarkets, take-aways and the iconic art-deco Astor Theatre. Cinemas
Maylands
Maylands station first opened in 1896 with two side platforms. It was rebuilt as an island platform in the mid to late 1960s, as the Midland line was being converted from narrow gauge to dual gauge, which was not compatible with the side platforms. Maylands station underwent a refurbishment in 2001, in which disability access was improved and the station and surrounding area were beautified.
The suburb of Maylands occupies a peninsula 4 km to the east of the Perth city centre, formed by the river winding its way across the Swan River floodplain on its way to the indian Ocean. It is bordered by the suburbs of Mount Lawley, East Perth and Bayswater. Eighth Avenue has been transformed into a bustling and thriving cafe strip, populated by a mix of specialised retail shops, trendy cafes and restuarants presenting a mix of cuisines from all over the world.
Maylands Aerodrome Commemorative Park
Perth's first airport, Maylands Aerodrome, was opened in 1924 and West Australian Airways immediately moved their hangar from the Esplanade on the city foreshore to the new site and commenced building a large hangar. Maylands Aerodrome was where Charles Kingsford-Smith made his landing to complete the first non-stop flight across Australia. On 8 August 1928, the "Southern Cross" took off from Point Cook near Melbourne and set course for Perth, a distance of over 3,200 kilometres.
During World War II, Maylands Airfield was requisitioned by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Perth Airport was initially used as a military airfield during the Second World War, but soon afterward it became the main airport for Perth. Maylands continued as a base for general aviation operations, but the aerodrome became too small with the increase in light aviation traffic after the War. By the end of the 1950s, the Department of Civil Aviation decided that Maylands should be closed and ordered all the tenants to move. The land occupied by the aerodrome and adjoining brickworks is now parklands and a golf course.
Meltham
Meltham station is on the Midland line and Airport line, between Maylands and Bayswater. First promised in 1898, and after decades of campaigning by residents and the Bayswater Road Board, the station was finally opened in 1948. It underwent a refurbishment in 2012. Development of higher density buildings around Meltham station has been a contentious issue since the mid 2010s. The Airport line opened on 9 October 2022.
The subdvivision of Meltham Heights, consisting of the land around Hotham Street, was gazetted in 1937. With the area being working class, car ownership was uncommon, consequently, the agitation for a railway station was finally heeded. Development occurred in Meltham Heights, and construction of the station finally began in 1947.
Claughton Reserve, Bayswater
Bayswater
By 1888, there was a railway siding in Bayswater, but no proper railway station. In 1896, the railway line was duplicated. With this, came the construction of Bayswater station, at the centre of the Bayswater Estate. Bayswater station first opened with two side platforms, and an adjacent goods yard. It served as the junction station for the Belmont spur line between 1896 and 1956. The station was rebuilt as an island platform just to the north in the late 1960s when the Midland line was converted from narrow gauge to dual gauge; the standard gauge trains were unable to fit between the side platforms. Around that time, the goods yard closed.
In June 1885, increased interest in Perth's real estate market began, labelled a "land boom". William Henry Drake, the owner of Location U, died in Bayswater, London, in 1884. Stephen Henry Parker, using his power of attorney for Drake, placed Location U on the property market. In July 1885, the land was renamed the Bayswater Estate and subdivided, originally into 5-acre (2 ha) lots.
Belmont Spur Line
Between 1896 and 1956, there was a spur line off the Midland railway line to Perth Racecourse (now Ascot), Belmont. The single track spur branched off the main line where Whatley Crescent curves around at its eastern end into Newton Street near where Tonkin Highway intersects with Guildford Road.
The spur line followed what was then Belmont Road to the Swan River, which it crossed. All that remains today of Belmost Road is a small section that is now the end "elbow" of Wright Crescent. After crossing the river, the spur line continued for a short distance parallel to the northern end of Epsom Avenue before veering right, continuing alongside Mathieson Road. The Perth Racecourse station, at end of the line, terminated about 50 or so metres from Grandstand Road at the end of Hardey Road. Whatley Railway Station was located halfway along the Belmont Spur line immediately south of where Higgins Way meets Wyatt Road. The line was closed in January 1957 after the bridge over the Swan River was damaged by fire. No doubt it provided the perfect excuse to close the line.
Corridor used by the spur line to the east of Ascot Racecourse, at the western end of Ennis Place, Belmont
The line had an interesting history. The section from Bayswater to the river was part of the surveyed route for the original line to Bunbury which was to start at Bayswater. Before being built, the route was changed to the more direct one joining the Eastern railway at East Perth. Records are unclear as to whether the line from Bayswater to the river was built before the change in route and a new use for it (ie extend it across the river to the Racecourse) was found, or whether the line was purpose built to serve the racecource. The former seems the more likely scenario.
The section of the line from the junction at Bayswater to just past the point where the line became a single track was retained and was used to store the Midlands steam loco fleet before they were scrapped. Part of it is now a cycleway. Very little evidence of the line remains today apart from pieces of timber and concrete on the southern shoreline of the river that were part of the bridge. The formation betwern that point and Guildford Road is now under the embankment of Tonkin Highway. The emabankment for the railway bridge across the river has disappeared.
Ashfield
Ashfield station opened as a signal box named Cresco in 1930, with passenger facilities provided in 1954. The signal box remained until 1964. Ashfield is home to Ashfield Reserve, which also contains Ashfield Arena. It also contains Ashfield Flats, the largest river flat remaining in the Perth metropolitan area. The deepest point of the Swan River upstream from Melville Water occurs in Ashfield. It was in this area the farthest upstream recording of sharks occurred with one being caught in the late 1970s.
The suburb's housing was originally established as small collection of railway houses near the train line. In the late 1950s early 1960s the area experienced a small boom of housing (400 houses) mostly built by the then State Housing Commission partly funded by the sale of half the properties to individuals.
Bassendean
In August 1906 the West Guildford Roads Board lobbied for a railway station halfway between Guildford and Bayswater stations on the Midland line. The station opened in 1910 as West Guildford, being renamed in 1922. Upgrade works commenced in 2003 with the original building demolished and replaced at a cost of $5 million.
Bassendean is home to the Western Australian Rail Transport Museum which opened in 1974. The display has a collection of steam and diesel locomotives, some of which have been restored to operating conditions. The West Australian Model Railway Club is also housed within the complex. The display's centrepiece is a working scale model featuring engine characters from the children's series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.
Success Hill
Success Hill station was opened in 1960 to service football fans attending games at what was then known as Bassendean Oval. The station remains the recommended stop for those attending WAFL games at what is now named Steel Blue Oval, the home stadium of the Swan Districts Football Club.
The geographical feature, Success Hill, is a very important site to Whadjuk Nyoongars. Nyoongars believe the Waugal is present at the section where Bennett Brook enters the Swan River below Success Hill. It is also believed that Success Hill was an important meeting place for Nyoongars, serving as a great vantage point looking up and down the river. In 1960, Success Hill became a sand pit for construction work. Today Success Hill Reserve offers both open grasses areas and urban bushland areas. The location is also a popular fishing spot. Facilities at the reserve include, toilets, a children’s playground, barbecues and picnic facilities.
Guildford
The station opened in 1881 as the terminus of the original Eastern Railway from Fremantle. In the mid-1880s a second station was built, and a third in 1898. In 1960 the main station was demolished for a carpark, but the 1898 shelter and platform still remain.
Guildford is one of three towns established in 1829, the first year of European settlement in Western Australia, and its plan was based on the model of an English country town. The earliest town plan was prepared by H.C. Sutherland in 1829, the original town layout is still evident today.
The townsite is enclosed on a peninsula, formed by the Swan and Helena Rivers and was named by Captain James Stirling after his father-in-law's lectorate in Surrey, England. Kings Meadow is one of three areas designated King's Meadow on the original town plan for Guildford prepared by Sutherland.
Guildford is today a place where history lives on in quaint colonial buildings, where the influence of the English gentry is still played out on the polo field and where Devonshire Tea is served with a shameless disregard for cholesterol levels. Much of Guildford s original town plan, including the central church square, subdivisions and general land use, remains as it was, leaving a largely intact early 19th century English market town (apart from the railway line which disects it).
East Guildford
The station opened on 13 July 1896 as Woodbridge and served the Royal Agricultural Society's Woodbridge Showgrounds. It was renamed East Guildford on 1 April 1908. Since the change was at the request of the Guildford Municipal Council, the council was charged £35 5s 6d for the cost of changing the name on tickets and station signboards. The station was remodelled in the late 1960s.
Woodbridge
Woodbridge station opened in 1903 as West Midland, being renamed on 3 October 2004. It stands close to where the original Midland Junction station was located, with the original buildings shifted to Greenmount station in 1971.
The station takes its name from Sir James Stirling's Woodbridge Estate, which is nearby. Stirling, WA's first governor, was granted the property within a year of establishing the Swn River Colony. In 1883, Charles Harper purchased the portion of the estate known as the Woodbridge Farm, which had been developed for agricultural use, including wheat growing. The Harper family built the substantial two storey Woodbridge residence in 1884. The building was subsequently used as a preparatory school, and today is a museum operated by the National Trust. Its furnishings and displays reflect an aspect of life in the late Victorian era.
Midland
Midland railway station is the terminus of the Midland line in Perth. Western Australia. It is operated by Transperth and is connected with the feeder bus services that utilise the adjacent bus terminal in Midland. The present Midland station was opened in 1966. In that year, the stations on the first two Eastern Railway routes as well as the old Midland Junction railway station were closed and the new Midland station was constructed 200 metres to the west and became the new terminus.
Midland Junction railway station. Photo: courtesy Rail Heritage WA Museum, Bassendean
The Midland Junction railway station was an important junction station on the Eastern Railway of Western Australia until its closure in 1966. On 1st March 1886, Frederick Broome, then Governor of Western Australia, turned the first sod. It was in effect the point at which all rail services in the Western Australian network had to pass by – except for the South West line to Bunbury. It was also a stopping point for Western Australian Government Railways Railway Bus Services until its closure.
In the 1890s following the construction of the Eastern Railway second route, Midland Junction had regular metropolitan passenger services running through on to Chidlow and Mundaring until 1954. Services ceased from the Mundaring Loop or "first route" at that date, but the line was not closed by Parliament until 12 March 1965. The second route continued until the closure of the Bellevue to Northam line, on 13 February 1966.
The Midland Railway workshops and sheds were to the west on the area now developed with the Centrepoint Shopping Centre just south of the Midland Town Hall and original post office.
The Eastern Railway
The First Route over the Darling Scarp, from Guildford to Chidlow, was opened on 11 March 1884. The route ascended the escarpment around Greenmount Hill passing through Boya, Darlington, Glen Forrest, Mundaring and Sawyers Valley before turning north to Mount Helena.
