Winthrop is a southern suburb of Perth, Western Australia

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....

, located within the City of Melville.

History

Winthrop was originally a pine tree plantation owned by the University of Western Australia

University of Western Australia

The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...

. The first blocks were sold in the early 1980s. After the first residents moved in, more blocks were sold off in a number of phases. Shortly after the first residents, a convenience store

Convenience store

A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...

 opened for business, which now includes a Post office, IGA store and a florist. Soon the Winthrop Primary school and Winthrop village shopping centre were opened. Blocks were so sought after that many people resorted to sleeping near the sales office for up to a week just to secure a position.

The name is most likely derived from that of the first Chancellor of the University of Western Australia, Sir John Winthrop Hackett. There are very few reminders of Winthrop's past as a pine plantation, with scattered remnants of pine trees being the only indication.

Transport

Road

Winthrop is bordered by 3 major roads: Leach Highway

Leach Highway

Leach Highway is a major dual carriageway arterial road in Perth, Western Australia, which varies between 4 and 6 lanes wide. The speed limit is either 70 or 80 km/h. It is located south of the Swan River and links Fremantle with Kewdale, a distance of ....

 to the north, Murdoch Drive to the east, North Lake Road to the west and Somerville Boulevard to the south, which connects North Lake Road to Murdoch Drive.

The main local neighbourhood distributors are: Winthrop Drive, dividing the east and west of Winthrop, and Jackson Avenue, which passes both Winthrop Primary School and the Winthrop Village Shopping Centre. Other minor tier roads include 'Hatherley Parade', 'Aitken Drive' and 'Ten Seldam Circle.'

Bus

There are numerous bus routes serving Winthrop. These are:

• 503 (Bull Creek - Murdoch)
• 504 (Bull Creek - Murdoch)
• 511 (Murdoch - Fremantle)
• 940 (Hamilton Hill - Wellington Bus Station)

Train

The closest train stations are Bull Creek and Murdoch, both situated 1.2 km east of Winthrop. Fremantle Train Station is located approximately 9 km to the west.

Education

The primary schools in or around Winthrop are Winthrop Primary School, Booragoon Primary School, Caralee Community School, Kardinya Primary School and Yidarra Primary School. Nearby secondary schools include Applecross Senior High School

Applecross Senior High School

Applecross Senior High School is public, co-educational High School, located in Ardross, a southern suburb of Perth, Western Australia.Founded in 1958, it has traditionally been one of the top public high schools in the state of Western Australia, and consistently ranks academically within the top...

, Corpus Christi College, Melville Senior High School, Murdoch College, Winthrop Baptist College and Somerville Baptist College.
Nearby tertiary institutions include Murdoch University

Murdoch University

Murdoch University is a public university based in Perth, Australia. It began operations as the state's second university in 1973, and accepted its first students in 1975...

, Murdoch Institute of Technology, and Challenger Tafe.

Nature

Winthrop has many parks, with the central area of the suburb containing "Winthrop Park" (pictured looking ESE over above). It is bordered by pine trees.

There are few areas left of the original pine plantation, the largest of which is located near Winthrop Park.

To the north-east of Winthrop there is the Piney Lakes Reserve. There are a number of trails through it and a guided footpath. The Piney Lakes conservation centre hosts school visits, and aims to maintain the natural ecosystem in the area.

The Piney Lakes Nature Reserve is home to a number of native birds including Willie Wagtail

Willie Wagtail

The Willie Wagtail is a passerine bird native to Australia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, and eastern Indonesia. It is a common and familiar bird throughout much of its range, living in most habitats apart from thick forest...

s, Warbler

Warbler

There are a number of Passeriformes called "warblers". They are not particularly closely related, but share some characteristics, such as being fairly small, vocal and insectivorous....

s and Cockatoo

Cockatoo

A cockatoo is any of the 21 species belonging to the bird family Cacatuidae. Along with the Psittacidae and the Strigopidae , they make up the parrot order Psittaciformes . Placement of the cockatoos as a separate family is fairly undisputed, although many aspects of the other living lineages of...

s. Southern Brown Bandicoot

Southern Brown Bandicoot

The Southern Brown Bandicoot , also known as the Quenda from the local Noongar tongue from South Western Australia, is a short-nosed bandicoot found mostly in southern Australia....

s were last spotted in the Reserve in 1995, but it is doubtful they still inhabit the area.

A natural wetlands houses many native flora and fauna and is open to the public.