Boya, Western Australia

Boya Perth, Western Australia
Boya
Population:	614 (2006 census)[1]
Postcode:	6056
LGA:	Shire of Mundaring
State District:	Midland
Federal Division:	Hasluck
Suburbs around Boya: Koongamia Greenmount Greenmount Helena Valley Boya Darlington Helena Valley Helena Valley Darlington

Coordinates: 31°54′50″S 116°03′29″E / 31.914°S 116.058°E / -31.914; 116.058

Boya is a locality on the Darling Scarp, in the Shire of Mundaring, Western Australia. On the south side of Greenmount Hill, and just west of Darlington.

The name of Boya was not a local Aboriginal word, but was imposed by government officials in the early twentieth century.

It was crucial as a site of quarries. The Mountain Quarry and the Government Quarry were both important blue stone quarries in their time. The harbour and moles at Freemantle were built using stone from the Government quarry.

The Government Quarry (on the south eastern part of the locality) was variously named during its time of operation: Mr O'Connor's quarry, the Fremantle Harbour Works Darlington Quarry, the Public Works Quarry, the Government Quarry, and it is currently known as Hudman Road Quarry.

Being at the edge of the Greenmount National Park and the Hudman Road Quarry, the locality has been subject to serious threatening bushfires from these locations in recent years.

In the history of the early Eastern Railway - which passed through Boya, Boya was the location of 'Cape Horn' a notorious curve where runaway trains derailed a number of times in the early twentieth century. Fortunately with no loss of life, as the crews jumped from the trains as soon as they realised that they could not control them.

The railway line formation is in part a walk path and walkers can see the "Cape Horn" curve which is directly opposite the intersection of Marriot and Coulston roads.

The community has a rich architectural variety of houses due to the challenge of steep and rocky blocks.

Notes

1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Boya (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/LocationSearch?collection=Census&period=2006&areacode=SSC51191&producttype=QuickStats&breadcrumb=PL&action=401. Retrieved 2008-10-05. 

References

• Elliot, Ian Mundaring - A History of the Shire'. 1983 ISBN 0-9592776-0-9
• Spillman, Ken Life was meant to be here: community and local government in the Shire of Mundaring. 2003 ISBN 0-9592776-3-3
• Watson, Lindsay The railway history of Midland Junction.' 1995 ISBN 0-646-24461-2

External links

• Mundaring and Hills Historical Society Website
• Boya on Geoscience Australia