The History of Bayswater, Part One: c50,000 BC - 1929.

Aboriginal people have lived in the Bayswater area for thousands of years. The remains of a campsite have been found at nearby Upper Swan which are believed to be between 40,000 and 53,000 years old. When Europeans first arrived in the area, the entire South-West region of Western Australia was occupied by the Nyungar people. These people were nomadic hunter-gatherers, and they altered and regulated the environment through systematic burnings.

The first European exploration of the Swan River took place in 1697, by the Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh. This was followed by the French during the next century, and then the English in 1827. The English, encouraged by James Stirling's naive report on the area's fertility, decided to establish the 'Swan River Colony'. The land along the Swan River was divided into a number of narrow strips of land which would later shape the pattern of suburban development.

However, most of the land in Bayswater was either of very poor quality, or waterlogged or both. After a short period of occupation, land in the Bayswater area was abandoned as the English settlers moved on to more productive areas. In the meantime, the traditional Aboriginal hunting and gathering patterns began to deteriorate as the rule of the settlers became harsher and they were forced to turn to rations for food.

Until the 1870's, a period of 'absenteeism' occurred. The owners of the Bayswater land were often living in the eastern colonies, or even overseas. The only obvious evidence of colonisation in the district for much of this time was a track which ran through the area between Perth and Guildford. This track would later become known as Guildford Road.

In 1881, the Perth to Guildford railway line was built, passing through Bayswater. As with many areas along the railway line at this time, Bayswater underwent enormous changes. A minor property boom occurred, and subdivision of the original land grants began. The first property to be developed was between Drake and Lawrence Streets; this was called the 'Bayswater Estate'. Land speculation intensified when gold was discovered in the eastern parts of the colony. The goldrushes attracted thousands of people from the Eastern colonies and from overseas, and many of these eventually settled in the Bayswater area.

In 1887, the Perth Road Board decided to construct a track between North Perth and what is now Bassendean. This later became known as Walter Road, and it later became the focus of the small, semi-rural communities of 'Morley Park' and ‘Hampton Park’. The district was still sparsely settled at this time. Land was still relatively cheap, and many people bought a number of adjacent blocks in order to have land to farm. Although there were still few residents in the area, those that were present managed to pressure the Board of Education into building a small school by 1894.

However, provision of basic services often lagged well behind demand. As new residents continued to arrive, pressure on existing resources became acute. Many of the local residents felt that they were not properly represented by either the Swan or the Perth Road Boards, between which the area was split. Pressure for local representation came to fruition in 1897 with the gazettal of the Bayswater Road Board.

The First World War had a huge impact on Bayswater, with many men going to Europe to fight and die. Almost everyone had a family member or relative who was enlisted. Although the war was on the opposite side of the world, it was the centre of life for the people of Bayswater. Military convoys along Guildford Road and shelling practice on the river flats were constant reminders of the war.

The 1920’s brought new development to Bayswater, with many houses being built in the new suburb of Bedford following the extension of Beaufort Street as far as Coode Street. At the other end of the district, factories were beginning to dominate what would become the industrial area, with the Cresco factory being built in 1928. Occasionally Aboriginal camps would still be set up on the outskirts of the Bayswater townsite during the 1920’s, and one 'old men's camp' existed on Guildford Road for years.