Ballajura, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Ballajura is a suburb of Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....

, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

, in the City of Swan local government area. Ballajura is located 14 km north of the Perth CBD
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...

. The postcode for the suburb is 6066.

History

The Ballajura area was first settled in 1905, when Ernest Maltby Kerruish, an immigrant from the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...

, purchased land for a farm at the present site, which at the time was located in Caversham. He named it Ballajora, after a farm at Maughold on the Isle of Man. John Creer and Arthur Eaton, who also emigrated with Kerruish from the Isle of Man, joined him in clearing the land to build a house and begin farming the land. After a few years, Kerruish decided the soil was not fertile enough and moved his operations to an established vineyard in the present-day Caversham area, a few kilometres southeast.

The names Kerruish, Eaton, and Creer have been given to three of the four houses of Ballajura Primary School. The fourth is named after Matilda Bennett, a woman also of Manx
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...

 descent who was the wife of John Septimus Roe
John Septimus Roe
John Septimus Roe was the first Surveyor-General of Western Australia. He was a renowned explorer, and a Member of Western Australia's Legislative and Executive Councils for nearly 40 years.-Early life:...

, the first surveyor general of Western Australia under the first governor of the state, Sir James Stirling
James Stirling (Australian governor)
Admiral Sir James Stirling RN was a British naval officer and colonial administrator. His enthusiasm and persistence persuaded the British Government to establish the Swan River Colony and he became the first Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Western Australia...

. Bennett Brook, a stream which ran through the Ballajora farm, was also named after Matilda Bennett.

Community

In the 2001 Census of Population and Housing by the Australian Bureau of Statistics
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...

, the population of the Ballajura postcode area was 19,784, in an area of 9 square kilometres. Australian-born residents accounted for about 64% of the population.

The suburb has four primary schools (Ballajura, South Ballajura, Illawarra, and Mary MacKillop Catholic Primary School) and one high school (Ballajura Community College or BCC). No train line serves the Ballajura area, but it has several local bus services straight to the city.
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