Baskerville, Western Australia

Infobox Australian Place | type = suburb
name =Baskerville
city =Perth
state =wa


caption =Westfield Winery Cellar
lga =City of Swan
area =6.8
postcode=6056
pop =
dist1 =31 | location1=Perth
dist2 =13 | location2=Midland
est =
fedgov =Pearce
stategov=Swan Hills
propval =
near-nw =Belhus
near-n =Brigadoon
near-ne =
near-w =Henley Brook
near-e =Gidgegannup
near-sw =
near-s =Millendon
near-se =Red Hillcoord|-31.8|116.019|type:city(100)_region:AU-WA_scale:50000|format=dms|display=title

Baskerville is an outer northeastern rural suburb of Perth, Western Australia, in the Swan Valley region, 31 km from Perth's central business district via Midland and Great Northern Highway. Nearly all of it is under cultivation with viticulture being the main economic activity, and several well-established Swan Valley wineries are based here. Its Local Government Area is the City of Swan.

History

The name Baskerville was given by William Tanner, a prominent Perth citizen and landowner, to Swan Location 5 when he took up a grant there in 1831. He never lived on the properties, however, and left the Swan River Colony in 1835. In the 1880s, the land was acquired by Walter Padbury, who employed his relative, Henry Hardwick, to manage it. In 1886 a homestead was built for him on what is now Memorial Avenue in the west of the suburb. [cite web|url=http://www.cityofswan.com/heritage/view_municipal.asp?MUNICIPAL_ID=178|title=Heritage - Baskerville Homestead|author=City of Swan|date=14 December 1995|accessdate=2006-11-17] LandInfo WA|m|B|2007-05-15]

After World War I, the Government decided to commence a soldier resettlement scheme in the Swan Valley region, and subdivided it into lots of about 10-50 acres which would be operated as small farms. However, many of the soldiers had no agricultural experience, and sold the land to new migrants, particularly those from Yugoslavia and Italy who had experience in viticulture. A 1953 map by a CSIRO viticultural expert shows nearly all of Baskerville was used for grape growing, with some citrus orchards on the riverfront near what is now Amiens Crescent. [cite book|last=Bourke|first=Michael J.|title=On the Swan : a history of Swan District, Western Australia|year=1987|publisher=UWA Press|location=Nedlands, WA|pages=306|id=ISBN 0=8556-4258-0. Accessed at Battye Library, Perth.]

Although the name of Baskerville was commonly in use for the area, it was not approved for the suburb until 1992.

Geography

Baskerville is a narrow strip of land, starting on a curve in the Swan River and measuring approximately 800 m north-south by 7.5 km east-west, with Haddrill Road providing the centre line. A small area of native forest exists to the east of the suburb, accessible from Joshua Mews. No explicitly residential areas exist in the suburb.Streetsmart|maps=Map 256-257] The ABS 2001 census did not survey Baskerville. [ [http://www8.abs.gov.au/censusoutput/[e-mail]/CDbyGeogType!OpenView&Start=1&Count=1000&Expand=5&RestrictToCategory=State%20Suburbs#5 2001 Census Data by Location Name (State Suburbs)] , Australian Bureau of Statistics, released 19 November 2002. Accessed 18 November 2006]

Facilities

A hall, pavilion and oval are located on Memorial Avenue, a fuel station is located on Great Northern Highway and many of the small family run wineries, including an organic winery, on Memorial Avenue and Haddrill Road offer cellar door tastings. Belvoir Amphitheatre, an open-air concert venue, is just north of the suburb's boundary.

Transport

Great Northern Highway .

ee also

*Swan Valley, Western Australia

References

External links

* [http://www.swanvalley.com.au/home.html Swan Valley Wine Guide] (Swan Valley Tourism Council)