Daglish, Western Australia

Daglish is a suburb located approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) west of the central business district (CBD) of Perth, the capital and largest city of Western Australia, and 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east of the Indian Ocean. It is part of Perth's affluent western suburbs. Daglish is bounded to the south-east by Railway Road, to the south by Lonnie Street, to the west by Selby Street, and to the north by Dakin Street, Wilsmore Street, Roberta Street, Jersey Street, Troy Terrace and Hay Street. To the east is the suburb of Subiaco, to the south and west is Shenton Park, and to the north is Jolimont.[2]

Daglish lies on Spearwood Dunes, which formed around 40,000 years ago. The dunes consist of brown sand lying over yellow subsoil, with Tamala Limestone below. These dunes are part of the greater Swan Coastal Plain.[3][4] Low lying areas of Charles Stokes Park and Cliff Sadlier VC Memorial Park were wetlands.[5]^: 4

Prior to European settlement, the area was inhabited by the Mooro group of the Whadjuk Noongar people. They were led by Yellagonga and inhabited the area north of the Swan River, as far east as Ellen Brook and north to Moore River.[6] Lakes and wetlands across the region, including low-lying areas of Charles Stokes Park and Cliff Sadlier VC Memorial Park, were a source of food for them, and are places of spiritual importance.[5]^: 4

In 1871, a railway line between Fremantle and Guildford was first proposed, following on from the success of railways in Sydney and Melbourne. In 1874, two possible routes were suggested: one traveling north of the Swan River, and one travelling south of the river. In July 1878, the northern route was chosen. Construction on the railway began in 1879, and it was opened on 1 March 1881, as the Fremantle to Guildford railway line.[6]^: 11

Henry Daglish is the namesake of the railway station and suburb of Daglish

Map of Daglish in 1925

In response to population growth in Subiaco, Daglish railway station opened in 1924. It was named after Henry Daglish, who was a former Mayor of Subiaco, member for the electoral district of Subiaco and Premier of Western Australia. Daglish was a resident of Subiaco for 22 years before he died in 1920.[6]^: 32[7]

In 1925, the Subiaco Council negotiated with the Minister for Works to acquire the land east of the station to create a suburb also named Daglish.[8]^: 243 The suburb was subdivided and sold, mainly to young couples, attracted to the proximity to King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women which was just across the railway line, and railway workers who commuted to the Midland Railway Workshops.[6]^: 33[8]^{: 243–244} The land sold covered the area bounded by Stubbs Terrace, Cunningham Terrace, Millington Avenue, Troy Terrace and Robinson Terrace.[9] The land was more expensive than neighbouring suburb West Subiaco (now called Shenton Park), but still cheaper than most areas of Perth.[8]^: 244 The following year, the council negotiated with the Water Supply for the suburb to be connected to the water mains. The electricity network was also extended to the suburb.[6]^: 33[8]^: 244

Initial development was slow, with less than a dozen houses were completed by 1928. The first area developed was the area nearest to the railway station. The suburb was surrounded by bushland to the west and the north.[8]^: 244 A few roads were surfaced with slag; the rest were just sand tracks, which frequently caused vehicles to get bogged.[6]^: 33[8]^: 246 The development of the suburb was done under the garden suburb principles, with large areas of public open space, and curved streets. All homes were made of brick, and most homes did not have a front fence. Architectural styles used include Inter-War Californian Bungalow, Old English, Mediterranean and Spanish Mission, Functionalist and Art Deco.[9]

In 1928, the townsite of Daglish was declared.[10] In 1933, the Workers' Home Board, which was the state's public housing authority, chose Daglish as a suitable site for its development. Over the following years, many homes in Daglish were built by the Workers' Home Board.[6]^: 34[8]^: 247[9] The board's involvement meant that houses were built to a high standard.[5]^: 5 From 1935 to 1945, streets further away from the station such as Troy Terrace, Robinson Terrace and Cunningham Terrace were developed.[9]

The 1960s saw the extension of Cunningham Terrace north-east of Millington Avenue, and the development of land between Troy Terrace and Cunningham Terrace. This was a result of the sale of University of Western Australia endowment land. The new development had a different character to the earlier sections of Daglish, with flats mixed in with houses. A large area of land north-west of Cunningham Terrace, used as a water compensation basin, was turned into a park in 1969 and 1970. This is now known as Cliff Sadlier VC Memorial Park. The final part of Daglish to be developed was the land north-west of the park, which was subdivided and sold in the early 1970s. This was fully filled in with houses by the end of the 1980s.[8]^: 315[11] In the early 1980s, the City of Subiaco sealed all laneways in Daglish, which were previously made of dirt.[12]

Today, most of the original homes are still standing. The uniform streetscape is rare compared to many other older areas of Perth, where houses have been demolished to make way for newer buildings. It is the only remaining example in Western Australia of the garden suburb movement. The City of Subiaco established the Daglish Conservation Area on 4 February 2003 to recognise the heritage of Daglish, and the National Trust of Western Australia declared Daglish as a place of cultural heritage significance in July 2019. These heritage listings do not apply restrictions on the development of property in the suburb. In 2017, the City of Subiaco proposed that parts of Daglish be designated as Heritage Areas under a new town planning scheme. This would have introduced restrictions in order to preserve the heritage of Daglish, however, after feedback from the community, this proposal did not eventuate. Due to its proximity to a train station, Daglish was listed by the state government as a possible place for infill and high density development, however the Subiaco council does not support this.[9][13]

Daglish's population at the 2016 Australian census was 1,419.[14] This is a decrease from the 1,494 recorded at the 2011 Australian census,[15] and an increase from the 1,242 recorded at the 2006 Australian census[16] and the 1,215 recorded at the 2001 Australian census.[17] 49.3% of residents were male, and 50.7% were female. The median age was 39 years, above the state's average of 36.[14]

At the 2016 census, 63.3% of Daglish households were families, below the state average of 72.7%; 31.3% were single person households, above the state average of 23.6%; and 5.4% were group households, above the state average of 3.8%. Of those family households, 35.5% were couples without children, 47.3% were couples with children, 14.8% were a single parent with children, and 2.4% were some other type of family. These figures are all close to the state averages of 38.5%, 45.3%, 14.5% and 1.7% respectively.[14]

Out of the suburb's 659 dwellings, 571 were occupied and 88 were unoccupied. Out of the 571 occupied dwellings, 336 were detached houses, 130 were semi-detached and 105 were apartments or flats. The average number of bedrooms was 2.8, below the state average of 3.3. The average number of people per dwelling was 2.3, below the state average of 2.6. 204 dwellings were owned outright, 161 were owned with a mortgage, 202 were rented, and 9 were other or not stated.[14]

At the 2016 census, the median weekly personal income was $876, compared to the state average of $724 and national average of $662; the median weekly family income was $2,444, compared to the state average of $1,910 and national average of $1,734; and the median weekly household income was $1,710, compared to the state average of $1,595 and the national average of $1,438. Professionals and managers were the most common professions for those employed living in Daglish, at 44.0% and 14.7% of residents respectively. Clerical and administrative workers were 9.7% of those employed, community and personal service workers were 9.3%, and sales workers were 6.5%. Blue collar jobs were low, with technicians and trades workers at 7.7%, labourers at 5.1%, and machinery operators and drivers at 1.5%. Major industries that residents worked in were hospitals (9.1%), higher education (6.0%), cafes and restaurants (4.0%), primary education (3.8%), and engineering design and engineering consulting services (3.6%). 48.1% of residents aged over 15 had a bachelors degree or above, significantly higher than the state average of 20.5%.[14]

The most common ancestries that people identified with at the 2016 census were English (27.9%), Australian (22.9%), Irish (8.1%), Scottish (6.7%), and Chinese (4.4%). The population of Daglish is predominantly Australian born, with 60.7% of residents born in Australia, which is around the state average of 60.3%. The next most common places of birth were England (8.7%), New Zealand (2.3%), Malaysia (2.3%), India (1.8%), and the Netherlands (1.3%). 40.8% of residents had both parents born in Australia and 35.7% of residents had neither parent born in Australia. The most common religious affiliations were no religion (42.4%), Catholic (17.9%) and Anglican (14.2%). 7.7% of residents did not state their religious affiliation.[14]

Cliff Sadlier VC Memorial Park

The largest park in Daglish is the Cliff Sadlier VC Memorial Park. It was originally a water compensation basin, controlled by the Metropolitan Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage Board.[8]^: 315[18] Before Daglish's development, the area was a small wetland.[5]^: 4 Known unofficially by locals as "Daglish Park", it was neglected and littered with rubbish. The City of Subiaco received permission to turn it into a park in 1969. Grassing and planting of ornamental trees was mostly complete by the end of 1970, with paths, fitness equipment and a playground added over the following years. At first, it was known as Daglish Reserve, but in 1980, it was renamed to its present name, in honour of Clifford Sadlier, who was a Victoria Cross recipient and resident of Subiaco.[8]^: 315[18][19] To this day, the park is still a water compensation basin. The park floods during large rainfall events.[20] Since 2020, the City of Subiaco has been working on turning a stormwater conveyance channel into a "living stream". The benefits of this are an improvement in water quality, better flood and erosion control, a better ecosystem, and better aestetics.[21][22]

Other parks in Daglish are Charles Stokes Reserve, named after Sergeant Charles Stokes, who served in World War I,[23] Daglish Park, Hickey Avenue Park and McCallum Park.[24][25] At Hickey Avenue Park is Daglish Tennis Club. Formerly known as Hillcrest Tennis Club, it formed in 1930. With only three courts, it is the smallest tennis club in Perth.[26]

Daglish does not contain any schools, however there are several schools close by. Daglish is in the catchment area of Jolimont Primary School, which is just north of the suburb.[27] Jolimont Primary School is a public school for students from Kindergarten to Year 6.[28] The suburb is also within the catchment area of Shenton College, which is just west of Daglish.[29] Shenton College is a public school for students from Year 7 to Year 12.[30]

Daglish railway station in August 2021

At the 2016 census, 55.5% of Daglish residents travelled to work in a car, compared to the state average of 70.4%; 15.8% travelled to work on public transport, compared to the state average of 9.2%; and 6.4% walked to work, compared to the state average of 2.8%.[14]

Three major roads travel through Daglish: Hay Street, Nash Street, and Selby Street. Hay Street is angled east –west. Travelling on it east leads to Thomas Street, the Mitchell Freeway, and the Perth CBD. Nash Street is also angled east–west. It commences at Selby Street, and heads east, over the railway line, changing name to Nicholson Road, before reaching Thomas Street. Selby Street is angled north–south. Travelling on it north leads to Wembley, and eventually Innaloo and Stirling.[2][46]

Daglish railway station is a station along the Fremantle railway line located on the southern edge of Daglish. This station is served by services operated by Transperth Train Operations under the Transperth brand name. Bus routes in Daglish are routes 27, 28, 998 and 999. Route 27 travels between East Perth and Claremont railway station via Nash Street. Route 28 travels between Perth Busport and Claremont station, via Hay Street.[47] Routes 998 and 999, also known as the CircleRoute, are a pair of bus routes which travel in a circle around Perth. Route 998 is clockwise, and route 999 is anticlockwise. They travel through Daglish along Selby Street.[48]

• List of streets in Daglish, Western Australia