Mason and Bird Tramway (fmr)

Author

City of Gosnells

Place Number

26624

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Location

Bickley Rd, Boyle Lane, Maddington Road and Hardinge Road ORANGE GROVE

Location Details

Other Name(s)

Mason and Bird Heritage Trail

Local Government

Gosnells

Region

Metropolitan

Construction Date

Constructed from 1864 to 1872

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type	Status	Date	Documents	More information
(no listings)

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type	Status	Date	Documents
(no listings)

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type	Status	Date	Grading/Management		More information
Type	Status	Date	Category	Description	More information
Municipal Inventory	Adopted	01 Jan 1998	Category 2	Category 2 A place of considerable cultural heritage significance to City of Gosnells with a high degree of integrity/authenticity that is worthy of recognition and protection through provisions of the City of Gosnells Town Planning Scheme. Planning application needs to be submitted to the City of Gosnells for any proposed development. Recommend: Conservation of the place is highly desirable. Any alterations or extensions should reinforce the significance of the place.

Statement of Significance

The alignments of the roads have historic value for their association with the Mason Mill and the Mason Bird tramway which developed the timber industry in the colony and the first in the district.
The alignments of the roads have historic value for its association with early settler Benjamin Mason and architect Francis Bird who were significant to the establishment of the region.

Physical Description

The Mason Bird Heritage Trail originates at the Bickley Reservoir and consists of a walking trail through native bushland and extending through to the site of the former Mason’s Mill in Carmel. The majority of the track falls within the Shire of Kalamunda.

The original path of the tramway within the Shire of Gosnells is now followed by Boyle Lane and Maddington Road which is of typical road construction.

History

In the early 1860s Benjamin Mason, a merchant of Perth, established a timber station on the Canning River at Mason's Landing. Timber from the surrounding area was pit-sawn and then transported on flat-bottomed barges via the Canning and Swan rivers to Fremantle or Perth. Realizing the limited potential that the area held compared to the thick stands of jarrah available in the Darling Range, Mason applied for a licence to cut timber near Bickley Brook, in what is today the suburb of Carmel. Upon obtaining his permit in 1864 Mason built his second timber mill, the Hills Station (also known as Mason's Mill).

In 1870 Benjamin Mason took Francis Bird, a wellto-do young architect, newly arrived from England, as a partner. Bird put some £25,000 into the business and is considered to have been the designer of the timber tramway which stretched from Mason's Landing to the Hills Station. The 14km track was built by convict labour and took seven months to complete, at an estimated cost of £300 per mile. The tramway was opened by Governor Weld on 8 February 1872, and was the second railway to be opened in the state.

Part of the tramway included a timber bridge over the Bickley Brook which is extant. The timber from Mason's Mill was used in a variety of projects throughout Perth and surrounds. The company was one of the largest in the state but struck financial difficulties and was dissolved. The track ceased to be used as a tramway c.1882.

The track was known as 'Hardinge Road' after Thomas Henry Hardinge who owned property nearby. Evidence of the former track was still visible in the 1970s and a walk trail was established in 1988 as a bicentennial project.

Integrity/Authenticity

High

Condition

Good

Associations

Name	Type	Year From	Year To
Francis Bird	Architect	1870	1882

References

Ref ID No	Ref Name	Ref Source	Ref Date
		WA Heritage Committee, Mason and Bird Heritage Trail Brochure, 1988.
	Pickering Brook Heritage Group website	http://pickeringbrookheritagegroup.com/home.html

Place Type

Historic Site

Uses

Epoch	General	Specific
Present Use	Transport\Communications	Road: Other
Original Use	FORESTRY	Other

Historic Themes

General	Specific
PEOPLE	Early settlers
OCCUPATIONS	Timber industry

Creation Date

23 Feb 2021

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

11 Mar 2021

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.