Red Gum Trees, Pepper Mint Grove, Perth, Western Australia ca. 1870-1880
By Remembering the Past Australia / March 11, 2022 / Australia / 0 Comments
Place:
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Date:
ca. 1870-1880
Historical Information:
This image is part of the Colonial Office photographic collection held at The National Archives UK.
At the time of European settlement and for some years after, Pepper Mint Grove was thickly wooded with tuart, jarrah, red gum, banksia as well as the peppermint trees which gave the suburb its name.
In 1830, John Butler, an innkeeper, was given a grant of 250 acres (1 km²) on Freshwater Bay, after unsuccessfully attempting to secure land at Claremont. From this location, he operated “The Bush Inn”, a stone house he had built and rigged out with native mahogany, commonly known as jarrah. After a series of arguments with the colonial authorities of the day, Butler left for Sydney in October 1835 but did not dispose of the property.
After the death of Butler’s wife, Ann, in 1886, a syndicate of businessmen, including Alexander Forrest and George Leake, persuaded Butler’s children to sell the land. In 1891, it was subdivided and lots were sold for £7 to £12 each. Two of the earliest residents were Edward Vivien Harvey Keane, Lord Mayor of Perth, and John Forrest, Premier of Western Australia. Just four years later, residents got a road board, later to become the Peppermint Grove Shire Council – to this day, the smallest in Australia at just 1.1 km². [Wikipedia]
Description:
Showing the Red Gum Trees, Pepper Mint Grove, Perth, Western Australia. Original photo ca. 1870-1880.
From the collection of:
