Swan View
Uphill battle . .
Until relatively recently, Swan View boasted the only railway tunnel in Western Australia. Crossing the Darling Range was a daunting task on the 1880s Eastern Railway line, with gradients of 1 in 30. Gold discoveries in the 1890s resulted in increased traffic and heavier trains. A new line was laid, taking advantage of the more gentle gradients of the Jane Brook valley, but requiring a tunnel.
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Image: Entrance to Swan View Tunnel 2015.
Fired up
Before the railway deviation was built through this area in the mid-1890s, it was virgin bushland. Accessibility by rail sparked a miniature land boom. The name Swan View was given to a government subdivision, and adjacent landholders jumped on the bandwagon, subdividing their land too. Despite the number of subdivisions and healthy sales of land, few homes were built.
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Sixties and Seventies Rock
Urban development in Swan View really only took off after the Second World War. Intensive subdivision released more than 3,000 housing lots, and brick and tile residences replaced paddocks and orchards.
State Registered Places in Swan View:
