Floral Wreath
Lathlain, Perth,
Western Australia
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.)
Lathlain ( 31°57'58?S, 115°54'25?E; post code: 6100) is an inner south eastern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the Town of Victoria Park.
Lathlain's development commenced in the 1890s when Peet " Co subdivided and sold lots in the "Victoria Park Station Estate" east of the railway station, with quarter-acre blocks on sale for £25-£30. A brochure advertising the state claimed the lots were "So near Perth, near the Station and so near the Trams" (although the tram service never quite eventuated). Residential development was slow, and Gallop records in his historical notes that "bush land with some heavy timber and the occasional stray cow from Belmont greeted the post-war generation who built the suburb.
The suburb's name honours Sir William Lathlain, the Lord Mayor of Perth from 1918 until 1923. The name was in general use since the 1950s, after a park of this name was built there, but was not gazetted until 1981. It was first proposed in 1953 for the Perth Football Club to move to vacant land at Lathlain in November 1953, and the Perth City Council supported the scheme. The ground was built, as residents started to move into the area and a primary school (1956) was built. On 11 July 1959, the club moved into the premises, and went on to win premierships in 1966-1968 and 1976-1977.
Lathlain is bounded by Great Eastern Highway to the northwest, the Armadale railway to the southwest, Roberts Street to the southeast and Orrong Road and Graham Farmer Freeway to the northeast. The suburb is almost entirely residential, although and a number of parks can be found - most notably Lathlain Park and Lee Reserve.