Darlington
Perth, Western Australia
Darlington railway platform
Coordinates31°54′04″S 116°04′52″E / 31.901°S 116.081°E / -31.901; 116.081
Population3,725 (SAL 2021)[1]
Postcode(s)6070
Area11.9 km2 (4.6 sq mi)
Location20 km (12 mi) from Perth
LGA(s)Shire of Mundaring
State electorate(s)Kalamunda
Federal division(s)Hasluck
Suburbs around Darlington:
Greenmount John Forrest National Park Hovea
Boya Darlington Glen Forrest
Helena Valley

Darlington, Western Australia, is a locality in the Shire of Mundaring on the Darling Scarp, bisected by Nyaania Creek and north of the Helena River.

Location

About one kilometre to the west of Darlington and lower on the Darling Scarp lies the locality of Boya. Between Darlington and Boya there are two abandoned quarries: C. Y. O'Connor's "Fremantle Harbour Works Quarry",[2] now known as "Hudman Road Amphitheatre", and the Mountain Quarry which is also called Boya quarry.[3] They are situated on the southern slope of Greenmount Hill which is defined by the Great Eastern Highway to the north, and the Helena River to the south. The boundary with Glen Forrest to the east has shifted a few times.

Geology

Darlington is located upon the escarpment of the Darling Fault which trends north-south across the south-west of Western Australia, defining what is known as the Perth Hills.

History

Darlington developed as a locality from the establishment of the Darlington Winery in the late nineteenth century.[4][5] Unlike Glen Forrest and Greenmount, Darlington was unplanned. Darlington Hall was originally built for the winery.

From 1890 to 1954, Darlington was served by the Mundaring Loop on the Eastern Railway, which bisected the town.[6][7] Darlington was included in "picnic" and "excursion" train itineraries in the 1930s and 1940s.[8] In 1966, the line was officially closed by act of parliament and the tracks removed. The Railway Reserves Heritage Trail, or "bridle trail" as it is known by locals, now occupies the former railway route, and has become a popular walking and bike trail.

Darlington had extensive orchards during the early 20th century. D. H. Lawrence stayed in a local guest house for a short time during his visit to Australia. Guest houses were also used as convalescent homes during the Second World War. By the mid-20th century, many artists had lived in or been associated with the small community. By the late 20th century, the break-up of farms and orchards, with the resulting subdivision of land, had contributed to an increase in the local population.

Parks and reserves

  • Darlington Oval - home ground of Darlington Junior Football Club
  • Darlington Skate Park - skate park

Population

In the 2016 census, there were 3,656 people in Darlington. 65.4% of people were born in Australia. The next most common country of birth was England at 14.0%. 90.3% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 40.9%, Anglican 19.3% and Catholic 13.9%.[9]

Identity

Very early on, because of its altitude and separation from the Swan Coastal Plain, Darlington became established as a popular picnic area, country drive destination, and a place for holiday homes.

Writers, artists and others seeking to be separate from Perth's extensive suburban sand plain had sought the location for its natural surroundings. The artists gained the most publicity for their residence, while the writers and others tended to keep their privacy.

Some of the community groups are over 40 years old. For example, the Darlington Residents and Ratepayers Association evolved from the earlier Darlington Progress Association,[10] the Darlington Arts Festival as well. The tennis, cricket[11] and other sports clubs have similar heritage.

A newer arrival, the Darlington Club, is less than two years old and as a social club, is involved in sustaining community involvement and use of the Darlington Hall.[12]

It is one of the few hills communities to be served by several primary schools—the Darlington Primary School (state school),[13] Tree-Tops Montessori School, and Helena College.[14]

The Darlington Arts Festival, an annual event, has been going for more than 40 years. It includes art exhibitions and other events on the Darlington oval.

The 2006 "Trek the Trail" event was organised on the Railway Reserve Heritage Trail and went from Mundaring to Darlington, and included events on the oval.

The Darlington Review is a monthly publication of some 50 years standing, featuring stories, news, advertisements and other material of local interest. It is one of the few of its kind to serve any hills community for such a long time and is delivered to each address in the locality.

Notable former residents

See also

Bibliography

  • [Brief note on the history of the scouts in Darlington, the first group formed in 1923] Darlington review, Feb.1993, p 7.
  • Elliott, I., Mundaring, A History of the Shire, Mundaring, 1983 ISBN 0-9592776-0-9
  • Wiltshire, T., A Place in the Hills, Darlington's First Fifty Years, Darlington, 1997 ISBN 0-646-34251-7
  • Snell, Ted Darlington and the Hills [videorecording] - in State Reference Library
  • Spillman, K., Life was meant to be here, Mundaring, 2003. ISBN 0-9592776-3-3

References

  1. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Darlington (WA) (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022. 
  2. ↑ "FREMANTLE HARBOUR WORKS". Western Mail. Vol. XVIII, no. 885. Western Australia. 13 December 1902. p. 49. Retrieved 7 November 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ↑ "BOYA COMPLAINT AT BLASTING". The West Australian. Vol. 50, no. 15, 004. Western Australia. 24 July 1934. p. 19. Retrieved 7 November 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ↑ Darlington Village History from website archived
  5. ↑ "THE VINEYARDS OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA". The West Australian. Vol. XXVIII, no. 8, 295. Western Australia. 2 November 1912. p. 12. Retrieved 7 November 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ↑ "Mundaring Meeting Protests Against Closure of Loop Railway Line". The Swan Express. Vol. LV, no. 1. Western Australia. 14 January 1954. p. 1. Retrieved 7 November 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ↑ "MUNDARING TRANSPORT ENDS SOON". The West Australian. Vol. 70, no. 21, 059. Western Australia. 19 January 1954. p. 7. Retrieved 7 November 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ↑ "COUNTRY TOWNS and DISTRICTS THE DARLING RANGES". Western Mail. Vol. XLVII, no. 2, 434. Western Australia. 6 October 1932. p. 8. Retrieved 7 November 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Darlington (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 December 2018. Material was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
  10. ↑ "Darlington". The Swan Express. Vol. XXXI, no. 2. Western Australia. 8 November 1929. p. 6. Retrieved 7 November 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ↑ Burns, Cliff; Darlington Social Cricket Club (issuing body.) (2014), Darlington and surrounds : social cricket in Darlington : essentially a history of the Darlington Social Cricket Club (Third ed.), Darlington, WA Darlington Social Cricket Club, ISBN 978-0-9806454-3-9
  12. ↑ Not to be confused with the earlier name for the Darlington Golf Club - "DARLINGTON CLUB". The West Australian. Vol. XLIII, no. 7, 749. Western Australia. 2 April 1927. p. 15. Retrieved 7 November 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ↑ Wiltshire, Trea; Darlington Primary School (W.A.) (1982), 1912-1982, Darlington Primary School : a short history, Darlington Primary School, ISBN 978-0-9592759-0-2
  14. ↑ Helena College (1990), Reflections, Helena College, retrieved 7 November 2016
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