Burswood Resort & Casino

Statement of Significance

Crown Resort and Casino has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons: • The place has aesthetic value as an example of innovative architecture that has changed the horizon viewed from the north side of the Swan river. Extensive parklands enhance the aesthetic impact of the Casino and Hotel Complex; and • The place has historic value for its associations with early pioneers and developers of the land such as Henry Camfield and Dallas Dempster.

Physical Description

Crown Perth (previously known as Burswood) is a resort and casino complex located along the Swan River and bounded by Great Eastern Highway to the south, Victoria Park Drive to the east and a grassed reserve to the north. The original hotel building was constructed in the 1980s and is a unique pyramidal form, designed to maximise views of the river. Later developments, such as the Crown Towers (2016) are located further north of the 1980s building and are a contemporary architectural style. The complex is shielded from Great Eastern Highway by manicured gardens (Kagoshima Park) that include a heritage trail, Citizens of the Year Lake and sculptures such as the Swan Shell. The site of the former Burswood Dome is now used for car parking.

History

The Burswood Casino is built on the site of the original land allocation of Henry Camfield. Henry Camfield arrived in the Swan River Colony in 1829. After some difficulty, Camfield received a grant of 1,000 acres that included some land on the river flats. Camfield named his property 'Burrswood' after a grand property from his English home. The difficulties he faced included extreme temperatures, bad timing for crops, mosquitoes and transport problems. He built a wattle and daub hut and supplemented his diet by shooting birds - emu, cockatoo, pelican, and swan, among others. Reading Camfield's letters in chronological order it is easy to recognise his positive attitude eventually sinking into depression owing to the hardships of raising crops on poor land. Camfield left his land to take up a government appointment, first as Postmaster General then as Resident Magistrate of Albany. Camfield rented his land to tenant farmers. One of the most successful was Solomon Cook who developed a large market garden and piggery. Cook bought the land from Camfield in 1871 but died soon after. Burswood became known as Burswood Island as a result of some dredging of the river flats. Navigation along the river had been difficult owing to the mudflats, forcing the settlers to use flat bottomed boats. Settlers put pressure on the government to bypass Herrisson Island by cutting a canal through land jutting out at Burswood. The canal that created the 'island' of Burswood was excavated in 1831-32 but as early as 1839 proved inadequate. When the Swan River was improved in 1925 the Canal disappeared. Burswood's other claim to early fame was the site of WA's first golf course in 1895. The course was later relocated to South Perth in 1908. Another sporting pursuit held in the vicinity was horseracing which began in 1899 on a track named Goodwood. However, this track was taken over by the nearby Belmont Racecourse. The WA Turf Club sold Goodwood Race Course to the State Government in 1950. From the turn of the century until the 1980s the name of Burswood was linked with waste products. For a number of years, prior to WWI (1906-1912), sewage filtration beds were constructed. The poor image that Burswood conjured up owing to the association with the filtration site led to the local train station being changed from Burswood to Rivervale. After the treatment plant was closed down in 1934, Burswood became a rubbish tip from 1946. It was a busy scene of landfill, numerous seagulls and domestic rubbish until the 1970s. The Casino development, headed by Dallas Dempster, was a joint venture including Tileska Pty Ltd and Malaysian Genting Berhad. Despite its controversial beginnings the Casino opened on the 30 December 1985 with a first flush of 12,000 people. The river flats have since been landscaped into manicured parks and gardens, attracting many visitors. Facilities include bicycle paths, children's playgrounds and a heritage trail (marked by bronze statues). The Casino is visited by both local, national and international people in pursuit of entertainment of great variety, which includes not only the gambling but music, restaurants, sporting events and exhibitions. Surrounding the resort and casino is the Burswood Park and public golf course. In 2011, the Burswood Complex was rebranded as Crown Perth. InterContinental Burswood became Crown Metropol Perth from 27 June 2012, while the Holiday Inn Perth Burswood was officially rebranded Crown Promenade on 20 June 2012. In December 2016, the Crown Towers building was opened, increasing the casino’s hotel capacity to 1,200 rooms.

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