Bellevue, Western Australia

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


caption=
lga=City of Swan
lga2=Shire of Mundaring
size=3.3
postcode=6056
pop=1668 (2006 census)Census 2006 AUS|id=SSC51146|name=Bellevue (State Suburb)|quick=on|accessdate=2008-10-05]
dist1=23 |location1=Perth
dist2=4 |location2=Midland
est=1880s
fedgov=Hasluck, Pearce
stategov=Midland
near-nw=Midland
near-n=Midvale
near-ne=Swan View
near-w=Midland
near-e=Koongamia
near-sw=Hazelmere
near-s=Helena Valley
near-se=Boyacoord|-31.899|116.023|type:city(1668)_region:AU-WA_scale:30000|format=dms|display=title

Bellevue is an eastern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its Local Government Areas are the City of Swan and the Shire of Mundaring, and it is located at the foot of the slopes of Greenmount, a landmark on the Darling Scarp that is noted in the earliest of travel journals of the early Swan River Colony.

Community

Bellevue has been afflicted by dissection by the Roe Highway, railway, and substantial changes in the eastern parts of Midland. The Bellevue Primary School was closed and amalgamated with the Koongamia Primary School to form the new Clayton View Primary School slightly up the hill towards Greenmount.

However it is a significant community despite the depredations of the transport routes and changes. It was the location of the original offices of what became the Mundaring Shire Council.It was also the location of the Catholic Church that preceded the St Anthony's church in Greenmount.

Geography

Bellevue is bounded by the Helena River to the south, Great Eastern Highway to the north and Military Road and Cowie Close to the west. The suburb is an even mix of residential, industrial and parkland (mainly along the Helena River).

Change

Bellevue has changed over the duration of its existence due to a number of factors - the extensive claypits of the early twentieth century (most having been since filled in),and the industrial locations adjacent to the railway lines. The creation of the standard gauge railway and the removal of the railway station in the mid 1960's removed it from the railway map. Construction of the Roe Highway embankment in the western part removed a section of the suburb. The Midland Military Markets were located in the west of the suburb, but were destroyed by a fire in April 2007. [Swan Valley Tours website, [http://www.swanvalley.com.au/att/m.html Markets in the Shire of Swan] , retrieved 23 July 2007] [ABC News, 25 April 2007, " [http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/04/25/1906299.htm Blaze Destroys Perth Markets] ". Accessed 23 July 2007.]

Railways

Originally known as the convert|24|mi|km|sing=on siding in 1896. On 24th May 1897 it became known as Bellevue. It was the railway station at the foot of the hills through which the Eastern Railway climbed. First for the line that proceeded east to Greenmount, then Boya, Darlington and on to Mundaring. Then for the line through Blackboy Hill, Swan View, the Swan View Tunnel and on to Chidlow. The third and final route of the railway that goes through the Avon Valley passes over the site where the railway station was located.

During the First World War the branch line to the Helena Vale Race course was used for transporting troops between Blackboy Hill and Fremantle.

Although the old Mundaring Loop was closed for passenger traffic in 1954, trains were still utilising the line to Boya, where the Mountain Quarries siding was still in use. This operation closed in 1962.

Up until the 1960s it was the terminus of the passenger services from Perth. For a brief couple of years (1960-1962) a new railway station was made at Koongamia which was half-way to the old Greenmount Railway station. The suburban service now terminates at Midland.

References

Further reading

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External links

* [http://www.mhhs.org.au/ Mundaring and Hills Historical Society Website]
* [http://www.ga.gov.au/bin/gazd01?rec=287231 Bellevue] on Geoscience Australia