A Complete History of Churchlands Green
- Editor
- Apr 11
- 10 min read
Churchlands Green has a rich history that involves several Western Australian colleges as well as the establishment of Police Horse Stables.
The current Churchlands Green site was also part of a controversial subdivision of Herdsman Lake in the 1920s.
CLAREMONT TEACHERS COLLEGE
The history of Churchlands Green can be traced all the way back to the opening of the Claremont Teachers College in 1902.
The Claremont Teachers College was Western Australia's first tertiary teaching institution. Up until the 1950s, it was the only place in Western Australia where teachers could gain formal qualifications. The Claremont Teachers Colleges continued until 1981, when it was absorbed into the Western Australian College of Advanced Education (WACAE).
In 1989, the WACAE Claremont Campus became Edith Cowan University (ECU). The Claremont building was the acquired by the University of Western Australia (UWA) in 2004.
The campus is now named The University of Western Australia, Claremont Campus and still exists today along Bay Road in Claremont. It is currently home to UWA's Centre for English Language Teaching, the Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB), and a number of other academic groups.
The campus was placed on Western Australia's State Heritage Register in 1992.
According to records, the Claremont Teachers College expanded to include locations in Graylands (Mount Claremont) and Churchlands in the 1950s. This expansion was a key decision in the context of Churchlands Green today.
SUBDIVISION OF HERDSMAN LAKE
In the 1920s, the current Churchlands Green site was part of a controversial subdivision of Herdsman Lake.
In 1920, the 1,073 acres (433 hectares) of swamp land that made up Herdsman Lake was acquired by the State Government from the Roman Catholic Church. This led to a Soldier Settlement Scheme which involved the development of agricultural lots (on the lake bed) and residential lots (on the fringes of the lake). As part of the subdivision, the government undertook an extensive project to drain the lake. This included the construction of a tunnel from Herdsman Lake into the ocean near Floreat Beach, a distance of 3.5 kilometres. Work commenced on the Herdsman Lake Tunnel in 1921.
Over the span of the 1920s, the government invested £116, 362 into the area (around $10 million today). In 1928, the lake was subdivided into 38 agricultural lots, each allied with a residential lot on higher ground on the western side of the lake, for selection.
A map of Herdsman Lake in 1928 shows this initial subdivision of Herdsman Lake around the current Churchlands Green site.
The initial subdivision scheme was unsuccessful with only 6 lots sold, 3 of which were forfeited within five years.
The need to win back some of the government’s expenditure on the drainage of the lake led to a second attempt at subdivision. After the failure of the 1928 subdivision, the decision was made to facilitate settlement by constructing 40 cottages on the new subdivision before the reopening of the land for selection, in November 1930.
The recast subdivision created lots along the perimeter of the lake, each including higher land along the margins suitable for the construction of houses.
The settlers faced considerable difficulties from the beginning due mainly to the poor condition of the soil and the lot sizes.
Herdsman Lake was used for livestock grazing, opportunistic market gardening, and as a compensating basin for urban drainage throughout the 1940s and 1950s. The lake area was still used for cattle grazing up until the 1970s.
These lots within the current Churchlands Green area would have become redundant by the 1970s when the Churchlands Teachers College was established.
In 1976, the Metropolitan Regional Planning Authority contributed to the Herdsman Lake Concept Plan. This led to the restoration of the lake into the vast and thriving wetland that we see today.
Settlers Cottage on 180 Pearson Street, Churchlands, is the last remaining of the 40 identical cottages built on the perimeter of Herdsman Lake, in the early 1930s. It was placed on the state government's permanent Register of Heritage Places in 1995.
Today, Settlers Cottage is located less than 1 kilometre from Churchlands Green. It symbolises a period of economic hardship for many early settlers, which in many ways, has led to the fortunate lifestyle that Western Australians live today.
POLICE HORSE STABLES
In 1938 (and during the subdivision activity of Herdsman Lake), the Department of Agriculture's Heavy Horse Stables moved from Shenton Park to Wembley (now Churchlands) on Herdsman Parade (now Pearson Street).
This relocation occurred before the expansion of the Claremont Teachers College, so these stables formed the first major land use of the current Churchlands Green area.
It was at the Wembley (Churchlands) Stables where the government's heavy horses were cared for and trained to assist with road works. Then in the early 1950s, Police horses were moved out of the main Central Police Station on Roe Street to the Wembley (Churchlands) site. These stables then became Police Stables from 1953 to 1976.
The Wembley (Churchlands) Stables were located around the northern border of where Churchlands Green sits today. The stables would have also occupied the land where Abbey Brook Estate is currently located.
During World War 2 (1939-1945), there were additional stables built on Cromarty Road near where Churchlands Primary School exists today. These stables were built as a backup in the event that the Roe Street stables were bombed.
CLOSURE OF CHURCHLANDS STABLES
In 1972, the Churchlands Teachers College was established close to the Churchlands Police Stables. This, along with the planned re-routing of Pearson Street, was likely in initiating the closure (and relocation) of the Churchlands Stables in 1976.
After various negotiations, the Churchlands Police Stables were carefully pulled down in 1976 and rebuilt at Murdoch University. The plan was to use the stables as part of the School of Veterinary Science's Equine Treatment Facility. These stables are still used today by Murdoch University's School of Veterinary Medicine.
A staff member who worked at the Edith Cowan University Churchlands Campus, discussed how artefacts from the stables were found during the construction of new university buildings. The staff member recalled that "during earthworks, many old vehicle registration plates, horse shoes, and bottles were uncovered".
Sadly, much of the old site of the Churchlands Police Stables (on Pearson Street) is now unused and desolate. Only a few small remnants of these stables remain, most of which are barely visible.
THE RISE OF EDITH COWAN UNIVERSITY
As mentioned earlier, the Claremont Teachers College expanded to the Churchlands site in the 1950s. These new college buildings were in close proximity to the Police Horse Stables.
Aerial photographs show college buildings present at the Churchlands location in 1965. This was also the year that Churchlands Primary School commenced operations within these college buildings.
In 1972, the Churchlands Teachers College was formally established at the site. Also at this time, Churchlands Primary School was relocated to its current location.
Following the closure and relocation of the Churchlands Stables in 1976, the current Churchlands Green site saw the continued development of the college. In 1981, the Churchlands Teachers College became part of the Western Australian College of Advanced Education (WACAE), or colloquially, 'wacky'.
In 1986, construction of the nursing building began at the WACAE Churchlands Campus, with the WACAE School of Nursing moving to Churchlands in October of 1988.
The WACAE and Edith Cowan University (ECU) Churchlands Campus' graduated around 300 nurses each year up until December 2007. The School of Nursing then moved to its current home at the ECU Joondalup Campus, which became the School of Nursing and Midwifery.
In 1991, WACAE was officially granted university status and in that same year changed its name to Edith Cowan University (ECU). This was in honour of Edith Dircksey Cowan - the first woman to be elected to an Australian Parliament.
Edith Cowan (2nd of August 1861 - 9th of June 1932) was an Australian social reformer who worked tirelessly for improvements in the social conditions experienced by women, children, families, the poor, the under-educated, and the elderly.
In 1920, Edith Cowan was awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in recognition of her achievement in the passing of the Women's Legal Status Bill, which became an Act in 1923. This Act opened legal and other professions to Western Australian women for the first time.
Edith Cowan also appears on the back of Australia's fifty dollar note.
ECU CAMPUS CONSOLIDATION
In 1998, ECU developed a bold ‘Campus Consolidation’ strategy that involved the eventual closure of the ECU Churchlands Campus.
The Campus Consolidation strategy involved the relocation of its Claremont and Churchlands campuses to a new headquarters in Joondalup. This was a courageous and unprecedented move for an Australian university and reflected great foresight by ECU’s leaders at the time.
By 2002, ECU had moved its headquarters from Churchlands to Joondalup and land use options for the 20-hectare Churchlands site were fully explored. This led to the announcement of plans for a premium residential development.
By 2003, the WA Planning Commission began the process of changing the land use zoning from University Purposes to Urban. The City of Stirling also agreed to rezone the land for mixed residential use. These amendments were finalised in 2004.
Site works were initially planned to commence in late 2004, whilst staged demolition of some campus buildings were scheduled for early 2005. The University's final exit from Churchlands was expected in 2007.
In the end, it was July of 2008 that saw the ECU Churchlands Campus formally closed. The last remaining activities re-located to the ECU Mount Lawley and ECU Joondalup campuses.
Photos indicate that site works actually began in around 2006. The construction of houses appeared to start around 2008.
CHURCHLANDS GREEN IS BORN
NS Projects (now Bridge42) was given the task to manage the redevelopment of the 20-hectare site into a 258-lot residential development. The new estate was to be named Churchlands Green.
The project spanned from 2005 to 2013 with the lots being sold off by Time Conti Sheffield, a renowned Perth property company. Houses were required to adhere to specific design guidelines, centred around low-maintenance, luxurious living.
In 2010, Churchlands Green received the Urban Development Institute of Australia (WA) Award for the Best Residential Subdivision. As the award implies, this subdivision was one of the best projects in the urban development industry that year.
In October of 2010, Edith Cowan Reserve, the main public open space at Churchlands Green, was officially opened. This event was entitled 'Tunes Amongst the Trees' and included performances by local musical group as well as attendance by relevant dignitaries. By 2015, the Churchlands Green residential estate was virtually complete. The estate was the end product of a courageous strategy by Edith Cowan University leaders, all the way back in 1998.
In terms of finances, the development appeared to be hugely successful for Edith Cowan University. The project involved costs of $53 million but a whopping $181 million in revenue.
CHURCHLANDS GREEN TODAY
Today, Churchlands Green contains over 300 dwellings and is characterised by modern, low-maintenance homes. The exquisite stone masonry work featured throughout the estate is symbolic of the sophisticated lifestyle that residents enjoy.
The estate also features an array of academic inspired sculptures that honour the former Edith Cowan University Churchlands Campus. These memorials include a refurbished campus amphitheatre, stainless steel plaques, and concrete-cast sculptures of stacked books.
These sculptures can all be found in and around Edith Cowan Reserve.
Residents of Churchlands Green enjoy close proximity to many established amenities and recreational activities such as Herdsman Lake, Floreat Beach, and Wembley Golf Course.
The estate is also close to some of the most reputable schools in Perth. These include Churchlands Primary School, Churchlands Senior High School, Newman College, and Hale School.
The proximity of Churchlands Green to quality education is fitting when one considers the rich academic history of the estate - a history that spans over 100 years. Churchlands Green tells a fascinating story. It has seen questionable government planning, early settlers cottages, Police Horse Stables, and the evolution of one of Western Australia's most prominent universities.
The estate today is a grand visual display of modern design, with low-maintenance gardens and luxurious interiors.
Perhaps the best example of the changes that the Churchlands Green site has seen, is the contrast between the accommodations of the 1920s and the 2020s.
By taking a short walk from Churchlands Green to Settlers Cottage, the contrast in housing, comfort, and convenience is strikingly visible.
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