Mount Lawley, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Mount Lawley is an inner suburb of Perth
, Western Australia
. Most of the suburb lies within the Local Government Area
of the City of Stirling and small portions are in the City of Vincent and City of Bayswater. In 2006, the Town of Vincent applied to the Local Government Advisory Board to absorb all of Mount Lawley into its boundaries but this was ultimately rejected.
Mount Lawley was named in honour of Sir Arthur Lawley
, the Governor
of Western Australia
from May 1901 to August 1902. His wife, Lady Annie Lawley, agreed to the naming of what was then bushland in her husband's name on the condition that no licensed hotels be built in the suburb.
The south-eastern corner borders the Swan River
, the southern boundary stretches through to Hyde Park, and the west and northern boundaries are Fitzgerald Street and Central Avenue.
Although it is reducing, Mount Lawley still has a fair number of properties with quarter acre blocks (1,011 m²) which was the common subdivision size for most of the suburb's existence. This has been maintained by strict zoning regulations imposed by the City of Stirling in which a special "Mount Lawley Heritage Protection Area" management plan has been implemented. The plan sets much of the suburb as R-20 Zoning and defines permissible building standards such as set-backs and boundary easements. The Heritage Protection Area plan was developed in recognition of the large stock of original "Federation
", Art Deco
and California Bungalow
homes which have been generally well maintained or restored. The 'Mount Lawley Society' actively lobbies the council and residents to maintain and enforce the standards.
There is a historical ambience to many streets – although contemporary homes and multi-dwelling subdivisions such as units are becoming more common.
Sporting facilities and lifestyle attractions for residents include a trendy cafe strip centred on Beaufort and Walcott Streets with many restaurants,, a well known bookshop and video
/DVD
hire and sale outlet (Planet Video/Planet Books), and the Astor Cinema
, which has been converted to a theatre and shows a mixture of music and comedy acts, as well as art film|art house films. The Mount Lawley Bowling Club is the only sporting club with permanent premises in the suburb, but Perth Soccer Club has clubrooms for their juniors at Forrest Park.
in the north and then Perth in the south. There are also a number of bus routes which service the area.
Approximately 13% of Mount Lawley residents use public transport to travel to work.
The main collector roads in Mount Lawley are Beaufort Street running North-South, leading into Morley
in the north, and heading directly towards Perth city in the south. Walcott Street is another collector road, running East-West dissecting Mount Lawley and North Perth, leading commuters towards a main arterial, Wanneroo Road
. Guildford Road and Railway Parade are two important arterial roads that provide service to the Graham Farmer Freeway
, Tonkin Highway
and the Great Eastern Highway
. They run South-West - North-East, and terminate in East Perth in the south, while providing a service to Midland and Guildford
in the north.
Mount Lawley is predominantly a white collar
suburb. In 2006 managers, professionals and clerical & administrative workers comprised 64% of the work force in Mount Lawley.
61% of Mount Lawley residents were Australian born. The next largest country of birth was the United Kingdom
at 9%, followed by Italy
at 4%.
42% of families in Mount Lawley were a couple household with no children, while 43% of families were a couple with children (living at home).
as well as the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
.
The suburb is home to Mount Lawley Senior High School
(MLSHS), a state school which opened in 1955 which was extensively renovated with $40 million of Government funding in 2005-06.
In addition to MLSHS, the suburb hosts the Anglican girls school Perth College
, a private K-12
campus for both day
and boarding
students.
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...
. Most of the suburb lies within the Local Government Area
Local Government Areas of Western Australia
The Australian state of Western Australia is divided into 141 local government areas...
of the City of Stirling and small portions are in the City of Vincent and City of Bayswater. In 2006, the Town of Vincent applied to the Local Government Advisory Board to absorb all of Mount Lawley into its boundaries but this was ultimately rejected.
Mount Lawley was named in honour of Sir Arthur Lawley
Arthur Lawley, 6th Baron Wenlock
Arthur Lawley, 6th Baron Wenlock, GCIE, KCMG was a British politician, soldier and administrator who served as the administrator of Matabeleland, Governor of Western Australia, Lieutenant-Governor of Transvaal and Governor of Madras.Lawley was born in 1860 to 2nd Baron Wenlock and his wife, Lady...
, the Governor
Governor of Western Australia
The Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia's Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor performs important constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:* presiding over the Executive Council;...
of 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...
from May 1901 to August 1902. His wife, Lady Annie Lawley, agreed to the naming of what was then bushland in her husband's name on the condition that no licensed hotels be built in the suburb.
The south-eastern corner borders the Swan River
Swan River (Western Australia)
The Swan River estuary flows through the city of Perth, in the south west of Western Australia. Its lower reaches are relatively wide and deep, with few constrictions, while the upper reaches are usually quite narrow and shallow....
, the southern boundary stretches through to Hyde Park, and the west and northern boundaries are Fitzgerald Street and Central Avenue.
Character
Federation architecture
Federation architecture refers to the architectural style in Australia, which was prevalent from around 1890 to 1920. The period refers to the Federation of Australia on 1 January 1901, when the Australian colonies collectively became the Commonwealth of Australia...
", Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
and California Bungalow
California Bungalow
California bungalows, known as Californian bungalows in Australia and are commonly called simply bungalows in America, are a form of residential structure that were widely popular across America and, to some extent, the world around the years 1910 to 1939.-Exterior features:Bungalows are 1 or 1½...
homes which have been generally well maintained or restored. The 'Mount Lawley Society' actively lobbies the council and residents to maintain and enforce the standards.
There is a historical ambience to many streets – although contemporary homes and multi-dwelling subdivisions such as units are becoming more common.
Facilities
Although primarily residential, the suburb has a diverse range of shopping facilities, cafes and restaurants situated mainly along Beaufort Street close to the Walcott Street intersection. There are two primary schools, two secondary schools, adult education facilities as well as private hospitals and aged care facilities.Sporting facilities and lifestyle attractions for residents include a trendy cafe strip centred on Beaufort and Walcott Streets with many restaurants,, a well known bookshop and video
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
/DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
hire and sale outlet (Planet Video/Planet Books), and the Astor Cinema
Astor Cinema
Astor Cinema is located at 659 Beaufort Street, Mount Lawley, Western Australia. It comprises a single, two and three-storey masonry Inter-war Art Deco style theatre and retail building.-History:...
, which has been converted to a theatre and shows a mixture of music and comedy acts, as well as art film|art house films. The Mount Lawley Bowling Club is the only sporting club with permanent premises in the suburb, but Perth Soccer Club has clubrooms for their juniors at Forrest Park.
Public transport
Mount Lawley is well positioned to take advantage of public transit in Perth. The Mount Lawley train station is situated to the east of the suburb, and provides access to MidlandMidland, Western Australia
Midland is a suburb in the Perth, Western Australia metropolitan area, as well as the regional centre for the City of Swan local government area that covers the Swan Valley and parts of the Darling Scarp to the east. It is situated at the intersection of Great Eastern Highway and Great Northern...
in the north and then Perth in the south. There are also a number of bus routes which service the area.
Approximately 13% of Mount Lawley residents use public transport to travel to work.
Road infrastructure
The majority of the Mount Lawley road network is laid out in the regular grid pattern, which was the popular method at the time of subdivision. There is a small area east of Beaufort Street, which has more curved streets that follow the contour of the land.The main collector roads in Mount Lawley are Beaufort Street running North-South, leading into Morley
Morley, Western Australia
Morley is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, situated approximately northeast of Perth's central business district within the City of Bayswater local government area. It contains the Centro Galleria, Perth's second-largest commercial shopping centre, constructed in 1994. The Morley bus station...
in the north, and heading directly towards Perth city in the south. Walcott Street is another collector road, running East-West dissecting Mount Lawley and North Perth, leading commuters towards a main arterial, Wanneroo Road
Wanneroo Road
Wanneroo Road is an important arterial road in Perth, Australia. It is about 75 kilometres long. It links Perth with the City of Wanneroo, and the Towns of Yanchep and Lancelin...
. Guildford Road and Railway Parade are two important arterial roads that provide service to the Graham Farmer Freeway
Graham Farmer Freeway
The Graham Farmer Freeway is a major part of the metropolitan road infrastructure in Perth, Western Australia. It is long and links Rivervale and East Perth with West Perth, bypassing Perth's central business district...
, Tonkin Highway
Tonkin Highway
Tonkin Highway, at , is a limited access dual carriageway in Perth, Western Australia, connecting Reid Highway in the north with Thomas Road in the south. Mostly a 4 lane highway, some sections of the highway are to a 4 to 6 lane freeway standard; the remainder of the highway has been designed to...
and the Great Eastern Highway
Great Eastern Highway
The Great Eastern Highway is a major road between the Western Australian cities of Perth and Kalgoorlie. It is a key route for vehicles accessing the eastern wheatbelt and the eastern goldfields...
. They run South-West - North-East, and terminate in East Perth in the south, while providing a service to Midland and Guildford
Guildford, Western Australia
Guildford is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located 13 km northeast of the city. Its Local Government Area is the City of Swan.-History:Guildford was established in 1829 on the Swan River, being sited near a permanent fresh water supply...
in the north.
Demographics
The median individual income for Mount Lawley residents in 2006 was $630 per week, while the median family income was $1842 per week. The median age of Mount Lawley residents was 36 years.Mount Lawley is predominantly a white collar
White-collar worker
The term white-collar worker refers to a person who performs professional, managerial, or administrative work, in contrast with a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor...
suburb. In 2006 managers, professionals and clerical & administrative workers comprised 64% of the work force in Mount Lawley.
61% of Mount Lawley residents were Australian born. The next largest country of birth was the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
at 9%, followed by Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
at 4%.
42% of families in Mount Lawley were a couple household with no children, while 43% of families were a couple with children (living at home).
Education
Mount Lawley hosts a campus of Edith Cowan UniversityEdith Cowan University
Edith Cowan University is located in Perth, Western Australia. It was named after the first woman to be elected to an Australian Parliament, Edith Cowan, and is the only Australian university named after a woman....
as well as the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts , Edith Cowan University was established in 1980 to provide performing arts tuition comparable to the highest calibre of national and international training benchmarks to be able to meet industry needs around the globe.The school is located in the...
.
The suburb is home to Mount Lawley Senior High School
Mount Lawley Senior High School
Mount Lawley Senior High School is a state high school in the Perth suburb of Mount Lawley, Western Australia.- Notable alumni :* Holly Deane-Johns* Marcus Graham* David Helfgott* Tammy MacIntosh* Nikita Rukavytsya* James Smillie* Graeme Snooks...
(MLSHS), a state school which opened in 1955 which was extensively renovated with $40 million of Government funding in 2005-06.
In addition to MLSHS, the suburb hosts the Anglican girls school Perth College
Perth College, Western Australia
Perth College is an independent Anglican day and boarding school for girls located in Mount Lawley, an inner northern suburb of Perth, Western Australia...
, a private K-12
K-12
K–12 is a designation for the sum of primary and secondary education. It is used in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand where P–12 is also commonly used...
campus for both day
Day school
A day school—as opposed to a boarding school—is an institution where children are given educational instruction during the day and after which children/teens return to their homes...
and boarding
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
students.