History of Mosman Park

The Perth Road Board was responsible for the area now known as the Town of Mosman Park, from 1871 until 1893, when some residents of Claremont petitioned successfully for their area to become a separate road district.

 

The new local authority (Claremont) controlled the district from the Subiaco part of Crawley, as far as North Fremantle. The following year, Cottesloe and Peppermint Grove residents made applications for separate road districts; however, only Cottesloe’s application succeeded. Sir John Forrest claimed that Peppermint Grove’s area of 250 acres was too small.

 

Nevertheless, in 1895, he granted the application which, by then, included the area now known as Mosman Park, and the Peppermint Grove Board came into being. Because of arguments over road building and preferences, the Peppermint Grove Road Board, under the chairmanship of Dr Jameson, divided the district into two.

 

The old Prospect Place, with its 250 acres, remained the Peppermint Grove Road District and the seceding part became known as Buckland Hill Road District. The first meeting of this new Board was held on 6 December 1899, in a shop in Mason Street (later Stirling Highway) between Willis and Stuart Street.

 

In 1907 the Road Board changed its name to Cottesloe Beach Road Board. This name remained for twenty-three years. In 1930 after many years of Government pressure, it was changed back to Buckland Hill and so it remained until the Mosman Park Road District was gazetted on 9 February 1937.

 

In 1961, the Local Government Act came into effect, and the district became known as the Shire of Mosman Park.

 

In the following year, 1962, the Shire was converted to a Town, and the present name of the Town of Mosman Park was adopted. Mosman Park is administered by a Town Council consisting of a Mayor and six Councillors.

 

If you would like to learn more about the History of Mosman Park the book 'Between River and Sea' is available for loan from The Grove Library.