Armadale Settlers Common

Statement of Significance

The place is an attractive bushland reserve, incorporating walk trails, picnic areas and community buildings in its picturesque setting.
The place has historic value as one of only a few remaining public commons in Western Australia.
The place is valued by the community as a long-standing ‘‘commonage’’ - land that has been publicly owned and available since 1897 and is currently used for passive bushland recreation.

Physical Description

The site covers 383 hectares of the Darling Scarp and foothills in a block roughly bounded by Carradine Road, Canns Road and Albany Highway in Armadale. The place comprises a combination of natural bushland, picnic areas and the remains of former gravel pits, as well as Charcoal Hill, located at the north-western extreme of the site. A number of buildings are located off Triton Court, a road that branches east of Albany Highway, including the Field Study Centre and ‘‘Willow Heights’’ (refer to B05), which was relocated there from a nearby site. BBQ and picnic facilities are also in the vicinity of the buildings, overlooking Neerigen Brook.

History

What is now the Armadale Settlers’’ Common was gazetted as Reserve 4127 on 18 June 1897 for the purposes of ‘‘Commonage’’. This Reserve was vested in the Armadale-Kelmscott Road Board on 2 August 1912 with the use amended to ‘‘Common and Timber for Settlers’’. The Road Board officially accepted control of the Common on 28 August of the same year.
In the course of the 20th century, parts of the Reserve were used for various purposes including, from 1922 until 1971, for the quarrying of gravel. In addition, during the Second World War, part of the Common (then in private ownership) was used for charcoal production. Because of this, an area in the northwest of the Common is now known as Charcoal Hill.
In 1981, the purpose of the reserve was changed to ‘‘Parks and Recreation’’, and with incorporation of sections previously in private ownership, was revested in the Armadale City Council on 8 May 1981.
In 1988, the Armadale City Council established a committee to develop a Management Plan for the Common. This Advisory Committee first met on 12 April 1989 and has continued with regular monthly meetings since that time.
In that same year, well-known wildlife artist, Margaret Peroni, designed a logo for the reserve. This incorporated both floral and avian representations of the natural life of the Common; the small red- flowered shrub, Wilson's grevillea (Grevillea wilsonii), and the Western Spinebill (Acanthorhynchus superciliosus). These emblems represented the interconnectedness of the biota of the Common, with the use of a bird pollinator highlighting the importance of vertebrate pollinators in the Northern Jarrah Forest represented in the Armadale region.
In 1990, the first Management Plan was published, following extensive public consultation.
In early 1993, the Armadale Settlers' Common Field Study Centre was opened. Since that time that single structure has grown into a complex of buildings and is used by many environmental and community groups throughout the year. The year, 1993, also marked the release of a proposal for the establishment of the Darling Range Regional Park.
Following staff investigations and community consultation, in 1994, the City of Armadale adopted the Western Spinebill as the faunal emblem for the municipality.
Around this time, the Armadale City Council also entered into a ten-year lease with the State Government for the Common, with implementation of the Management Plan as one of the conditions of the lease.
The Centenary of the Common was commemorated with the planting of 100 trees in the Settlers' Grove in 1997. Early in the same year, Main Roads (W.A.) began work on the widening of Albany Highway through Bedfordale. As this would have meant the destruction of the (former) Plymouth Brethren Meeting Hall- known as ‘‘Willow Heights’’- the building was transported to the Armadale Settlers' Common Field Study Centre Complex on 4th October 1997. The next 18 months were spent restoring the building by re-roofing, rewiring and painting. ‘‘Willow Heights’’ is now being used as the Education Centre for the Common.

Integrity/Authenticity

High
High

Condition

Good

Uses

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

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.