MAIDA VALE

Maida Vale is part of the Foothills / Plains area of the Shire of Kalamunda and is bordered by the suburbs of Forrestfield, High Wycombe, Kalamunda and Gooseberry Hill.  Maida Vale is primarily a residential area with some hobby farms, recreational areas and nature reserves.

The population of Maida Vale is approximately 4 300.  Features of Maida Vale include a primary school (Maida Vale Primary School), Hillview Golf Course, parks/ovals including Maida Vale Nature Reserve, the Seventh Day Adventist Church Ground and Caravan Park, a heated swimming pool, netball, basketball, tennis courts and a skate park.

Attractions

Romancing the Stone and Little Covent Garden

When Tom Hogg moved to Number 3 Lillian Road, Maida Vale in 2000, the half hectare property was a ‘jungle mess’.  With no landscaping background, the self taught stone mason transformed the block into a multi-award winning garden and amphitheatre called ‘Romancing the Stone’ and ‘Little Covent Garden’ respectively.   The theme of the garden is romance, the sound of running water (provided by the winter creek) and fragrance.  The garden is also littered with statues, curios and hand painted signs displaying positive adages that reflect Tom’s community minded approach in its creation. When asked why he built the garden, Tom simply says he had the idea and had to see it through.  He also says that there is something very rewarding in achieving an end result and being able to share that with other people – and share that he certainly has!

Little Covent Garden (the amphitheatre) seats 200 people and is free to anyone to use for performances.  For the past three years, The Amanda Young Foundation (a non-profit community organisation dedicated to reducing deaths in WA from meningococcal disease, supporting survivors of the disease and supporting the development of young people into WA’s future leaders), has held an annual concert to raise funds, as have the Princess Margaret Hospital Cancer Fund and The Royal Flying Doctors.  Every year, in early October, Tom and his partner Jan hold an Open Day with the proceeds going to charity.  Over the past 10 years Romancing the Stone and Little Covent Garden has raised over $100 000 for charity.

For more information or to find out details about the next event, you can contact Tom at [email protected]

Zanthorrea Nursery

Zanthorrea Nursery is a family-owned garden centre located in Maida Vale.

The tranquil surroundings of Zanthorrea Nursery’s hills garden centre make choosing plants a pleasure. Whether you are wandering around the display gardens or enjoying a picnic while the children discover the playground, the emphasis at Zanthorrea is on relaxation. Zanthorrea specialise in Australian natives, which are among the world’s most lovely and hardy plants. You can choose from over 600 varieties of Australian plants. Zanthorrea is an accredited nursery, so their plants are guaranteed to be clean, healthy and ‘hardened off’ before you take them home.  The Nursery also has an excellent gift shop.

Hillview Golf Course

A picturesque, 27-hole course located on Old Midland Road, the Hill View Public Golf Course includes an all-grass driving range, tavern and fully-stocked golf shop. The course welcomes ladies and men of all ages, and 5% of all green fees are donated directly to the Activ Foundation, supporting Western Australians with disabilities.  Hillview Golf Course promotes a healthy lifestyle, providing clinics, lessons and advice for golfers of all skill levels.  Facilities and services include – a kiosk, barbecues, tavern, a range of golfing packages, coaching and lessons and on-site event catering and functions.

Advent Park Campground, Caravan Park & Convention Centre

The Seventh-day Adventist Christian camp site caters for church camps, school camps, conferences, seminars and meetings, functions, rallies and recreation camps. The site also has 35 powered caravan sites and can store caravans or cars at a minimal cost.

The site consists of a well shaded and grassed park of 10 hectares in a quiet setting. There are 48 rooms with sleeping for 159 people; 1 motel style unit with 5 ensuite rooms with sleeping for 15 people (each room opens on to a communal kitchen/dining area); a fully equipped commercial kitchen is available for larger groups and a smaller campers kitchen is available for small groups; a games room with pool and table tennis provided; volleyball court, 1/2 court basketball, soccer oval and plenty of space for ball games; BBQ; laundry; payphone; and ablution block.

History

The formation of Maida Vale as a suburb has unique origins.  The name was officially approved and district officially recognised in 1910 when the handful of residents residing in that part of the foothills requested the Under Secretary for Lands to have a distinct name for their locality due to the difficulty in providing an address for the mail service. Although a distinct community, up until that point, the residents of Maida Vale had their mail addressed to “off Kalamunda Road, near Guildford” which was very indefinite.  A meeting was held by the already formed Primary Producers Association and two names were proposed – ‘Nelty’ and ‘Maida Vale’ – the latter being the name given to the property of local resident Mr McCormack (that property was on land which today is the Seventh Day Adventist Park).  The vote was even, and the name ‘Maida Vale’ was chosen by the deciding vote of the chairman, Mr John McCormack.  Maida Vale was also the name given to one of the four wards of the Darling Range Road District.

In its pioneering days, Maida Vale was largely a produce area.  The main land use was fruit cultivation (the main fruits grown in the orchards were apples, oranges, lemons and plums).  It is believed that the earliest apricots to appear on the Perth market in stone fruit season came from Maida Vale.

The first houses in Maida Vale were fairly primitive consisting of a timber frame covered with hessian. The hessian was painted with a limewash to make it waterproof and wide verandas were built all around to keep the weather off.

In 1910, the Maida Vale Recreation Ground was established on the corner of Midland and Kalamunda Roads.  Facilities included a tennis and football ground.  The Maida Vale Sports Club laid down a cricket pitch in 1922.  In 1912, the first Maida Vale School opened near the present High Wycombe supermarket and moved to its present site near the Maida Vale Recreation Ground in 1926. In the late 1950’s, real estate developers Sloan Homes and General Agency opened up the “High Wycombe Estate” and that part of Maida Vale became what is today known as High Wycombe.

Notable characters in Maida Vale’s early history include:

William Henry Mead

The first private settler in the area, at the age of 24, Mr Mead and his wife took up 40 acres near the foot of Gooseberry Hill Road in 1873. His block was known as ‘Greenvale’. A prominent pioneer, Mr Mead is described as a ‘short, stocky, resilient and self-reliant’ fellow who went by the nickname “Cocky”.  Mr Mead was from a farming family who were among the pioneers of Northam.  He leased a further 2 000 acres in addition to his 40 acre block on which he ran sheep with the aid of a shepherd. Mr Mead, along with his neighbour Mr John Farrant were founders of the Darling Range Vine and Fruitgrowers’ Association in 1895 and the subsequent Darling Range Roads Board which were, essentially, the first attempt by the settlers to form some sort of organisation for the advancement of the community. Mr Mead was the first Chairman of the Darling Range Roads Board and was instrumental in the area’s early development.

The McCormacks

1. McCormack took up 100 acres (part of which is now the Seventh Day Adventist Camp) on Kalamunda Road around the early 1900’s.  The property was called ‘Maida Vale’, after the Maida Vale in England, as this was where Mr McCormack came from. His son, W.H. McCormack, ran the property whilst his father ran a carrying business in Perth.  By 1913, the property was a flourishing orchard.  Before the Church of England Hall was built on Kalamunda Road, dances for the locals were held at the McCormack residence at the centre of which was a large room where many a get together was held by the early pioneers.

The Maddersons

Pioneering residents of Maida Vale since 1913, (and then High Wycombe), the Maddersons’ were primarily orchardists who resided on a 30 acre block on Edney Road. They purchased their first truck in 1926 and became carriers for the whole district until the end of the Second World War.  They also helped to develop the place, especially the roads.  Peter Madderson recalls orchards (stone fruit, figs and oranges), an olive oil farm, pig and dairy farming and wood cutting as being the main activities in the area.

Mr Percy R. Emms

Came out from England in 1909, loaded his wife and three daughters and a milking goat on a horse and cart and made his way to their property near Wittenoom Road.  He started up a poultry farm and a Reserve has been named after the family in honour of the good work they did for the district.

Mr E.H. Myerson

Was the first lay preacher at the first Church of England on the corner of Boonooloo and Kalamunda Roads.  Myerson lived at the foot of the hills in Maida Vale and was Mr John Butcher’s neighbour.

Mr John Butcher

The first postman for Maida Vale, Mr Butcher rode a horse to Guildford every Tuesday to collect the mail.  The horse was actually a wild brumby which was caught in the hills by some of the Maida Vale boys.

Mr Henry Berry

Was an orchardist who had 98 acres on Brewer Road and Maida Vale Road.  He named his property ‘The Priory’.  It still exists today on the corner of Priory and Kalamunda Road.  In 1918, the Maida Vale Post Office operated from this house.  Miss Davies was the first Post Mistress.

Mr A.V. Burtinshaw

Owned the property adjacent to the McCormacks’.  He had a flourishing orchard and a small canning facility and raisin drying enterprise.