Chippers Leap facts for kids
Chippers Leap is a famous big granite rock on Greenmount Hill in Perth, Western Australia. You can find it on the northern side of Great Eastern Highway. It's located near the areas of Swan View and Greenmount. This special rock is known for a dramatic event that happened there a long time ago.
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What is Chippers Leap?
Chippers Leap is a large rock formation made of granite. It's a well-known landmark in the Perth area. The rock gets its name from an exciting story about a man named John Chipper.
The Story of John Chipper
On February 3, 1832, John Chipper and an 11-year-old boy named Reuben Beacham were driving a cart. They were traveling from Guildford to York on the old York Road. During their journey, they faced a dangerous situation with some local Aboriginal people.
John Chipper was injured while trying to escape. He was hurt by spears as he tried to get away. To save himself, he bravely jumped from the rock. Chipper then ran about 4 miles until he reached the house of Governor James Stirling at Woodbridge.
How the Road Changed
In the early 1930s, the Main Roads Board planned to build a new road. This road would become the Great Eastern Highway. The first plans showed the road going right through Chippers Leap. However, the Western Australian Historical Society stepped in. They asked for the plans to be changed. Because of their efforts, the road was built close to the rock instead. This helped to save the rock and made it more visible to people passing by. The highway itself was built in the 1960s.
Remembering the Event
On February 3, 1932, exactly 100 years after John Chipper's leap, a special ceremony took place. The Western Australian Historical Society put up a plaque to remember the event. About 200 people gathered at the rock for the dedication ceremony.
The plaque tells the story:
ON THE 3RD OF FEBRUARY 1832. JOHN CHIPPER AND REUBEN BEACHAM A BOY OF FOURTEEN, WHILE DRIVING A CART FROM GUILDFORD TO YORK, WERE ATTACKED BY NATIVES NEAR THIS SPOT. BEACHAM WAS KILLED BUT CHIPPER ALTHOUGH SPEARED, ESCAPED AND LEAPED FROM THIS ROCK, NOW KNOWN AS CHIPPER'S LEAP, AND EVENTUALLY REACHED GOVERNOR STIRLING'S HOUSE AT WOODBRIDGE
