Edith Cowan University Churchlands Campus
- Editor
- Apr 9
- 4 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
The Edith Cowan University (ECU) Churchlands Campus officially operated from 1991 to 2008. The campus has a fascinating history that began in the early 1900s.
Claremont Teachers College
The origins of the Edith Cowan University Churchlands Campus 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.
The Move to Churchlands
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.
Aerial photographs show college buildings present at the Churchlands location in 1965 but not in 1961. This indicates that the expansion into Churchlands may have been later than the 1950s.
1965 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.
In December of 1981, the Claremont Teachers College, Nedlands College of Advanced Education, Mount Lawley College of Advanced Education, and the Churchlands College of Advanced Education amalgamated to form the Western Australian College of Advanced Education (WACAE), or colloquially 'wacky' . Subsequently, WACAE had campuses in Churchlands, Claremont, Mount Lawley, and Nedlands. 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.
The Renaming to Edith Cowan University
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, Churchlands Green.
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 2009.
ECU Churchlands Legacy
The closure of the Edith Cowan University Campus marked the end of 50 years of educational service in Western Australia. The campus has produced a significant number of graduates that continue to contribute to Western Australian life today. Today, Churchlands Green 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, the main public open space at Churchlands Green. Edith Cowan University now has campuses in Joondalup, Mount Lawley, and Bunbury, with ECU City (in Perth's CBD) set to open in 2026.
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