Wembley, Western Australia facts for kids

Wembley is a cool suburb located west of Perth, in Western Australia. It's part of the Town of Cambridge and has the postcode 6014.

Wembley is known for its main streets like Cambridge Street and Harborne Street. It's a busy area with many homes and families. You'll find schools here, including Bold Park Community School and Wembley Primary School. A big lake called Lake Monger is also right on the edge of the suburb.

Back in 2016, about 11,000 people lived in Wembley. Long ago, the Mooro people, part of the Noongar Aboriginal group, lived here for thousands of years. When Europeans arrived, Wembley started to grow with new land being given out. It was first called Wembley Park in 1924 and then just Wembley in 1935.

Wembley's Location and Surroundings

Wembley is about 5 kilometers (3 miles) north-west of Perth's city center. Important roads like Cambridge Street and Selby Street run through it. Two big lakes, Lake Monger and Herdsman Lake, are also nearby.

Wembley shares its borders with other suburbs. To the north, you'll find Churchlands and Glendalough. To the east, it's next to Mount Hawthorn and Leederville. Subiaco and Jolimont are to the south, and Floreat is to the west.

The Spearwood Dunes

Wembley sits on something called the Spearwood Dunes. These are like long, sandy hills that stretch across the Swan Coastal Plain. Underneath these dunes, there's a type of rock called Tamala Limestone.

Exploring Lake Monger

The peaceful shore of Lake Monger.

Lake Monger is one of the few natural lakes left in Perth. It was named after John Henry Monger, an early European settler. For the local Aboriginal people, this lake and other wetlands were super important. They used them for food, water, and even as camping spots.

When European settlers arrived, they saw lakes like Monger as useful but also sometimes in the way. As Perth grew, people talked about draining the lake or using it for farming. But in the end, they decided to make it a fun place for people to visit. They even filled in some parts of the lake with waste to create more land for recreation.

Wembley's Past: A Look Back

Aboriginal History in Wembley

The original people of this land are the Mooro. They are a group within the larger Noongar Aboriginal clan. They lived around the Swan River for at least 40,000 years! The Mooro people moved around with the seasons. In summer, they stayed near the lakes for water and food. In winter, they moved to higher ground to avoid the coastal weather. They called Lake Monger "Galup" and Herdsman Lake "Ngurgenboro."

European Settlement and Growth

The first European settlement in Perth, called the Swan River Colony, started in 1829. At first, things grew slowly. When Europeans arrived, the Mooro people, led by Yellagonga, moved closer to Lake Monger. Even though they were friendly at first, cultural differences led to some disagreements in the 1830s. One conflict happened near Lake Monger in 1830.

In 1832, some of the first land grants were given out. David Patterson and Henry Burgess each received land near Lake Herdsman and Lake Monger. Later, in 1846, the Catholic Church bought land in the area. They called this area New Subiaco. Monks built temporary shelters, planted olive trees, and even started a vineyard. A monastery was built in the late 1850s. This monastery later became an orphanage. The area where the monastery was located became known as Emerald Hill in the 1890s because many Irish Catholic families lived there.

Early Development and Changes

When the Perth-Fremantle railway opened in 1881, it helped Wembley grow. People living in Wembley could use the nearby Subiaco station. The population of Western Australia grew a lot during the Western Australian gold rushes in the 1890s. This meant more people needed homes, and Wembley started to develop more.

Lake Monger became a popular spot for fun activities. In 1902, a group was formed to look after the lake. They built playgrounds, jetties, and places for swimming. People enjoyed boating, yacht races, and fishing there.

Around 1909, different landowners started to divide their land into smaller plots for homes. This was called "subdivision." The area was officially named Wembley Park in 1924, after a suburb in London. This name was shortened to Wembley in 1935. Public transport also improved. A motor bus service started in 1923, and a tram station was built in Wembley in 1927. This made it easier for people to travel around Perth.

As Wembley grew, more places for fun and shopping opened up. The Wembley Picture Theatre and Wembley Picture Gardens opened in 1937 on Cambridge Street. The Wembley Hotel, built in 1932, also became a popular spot. In 1939, trolleybuses replaced the trams because they were cheaper.

Wembley After the Wars

After World War II, more people started owning cars. This led to more service stations opening in Wembley. The suburb continued to grow, with more services like health clinics. Nearby, the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held, which also brought attention to the area.

Wembley became a busy inner suburb. More young families moved in, and new apartment buildings started to replace older houses. In 1994, Wembley became part of the new Town of Cambridge. Cambridge Street, the main shopping area, has continued to develop with new businesses.

Shopping and Businesses

The main shopping area in Wembley is on Cambridge Street. Here, you'll find the Cambridge Forum International Food Court and many other businesses. The Wembley Hotel, a cool old building from 1932, is also on Cambridge Street. Many of these buildings are important to the area's history. You can also find businesses on Selby Street and Grantham Street.

Getting Around Wembley

Public Transport Options

Wembley has good public transport, mostly through bus routes. Here are some of the bus routes available:

•        Route 15: Goes from Perth Busport to Glendalough Station, serving Powis Street.
•        Routes 81 and 82: Go from Perth Busport to City Beach, serving Cambridge Street.
•        Route 83: Goes from Perth Busport to City Beach, serving Cambridge Street, Harborne Street, and Grantham Street.
•        Route 84: Goes from Perth Busport to City Beach, serving Cambridge Street, Harborne Street, Grantham Street, and Selby Street.
•        Route 85: Goes from Perth Busport to Glendalough Station, serving Cambridge Street, Selby Street, Flynn Street, Herdsman Parade, and Jon Sanders Drive.
•        Route 95: Goes from Subiaco Station to Glendalough Station, serving Harborne Street.
•        Route 998: This is part of the CircleRoute (clockwise), serving Selby Street. It goes from Fremantle Station and back.
•        Route 999: This is part of the CircleRoute (anti-clockwise), serving Selby Street. It also goes from Fremantle Station and back.

The closest train stations to Wembley are in Subiaco and Glendalough.

Roads and Driving

Many people in Wembley use cars to get to work. About 64.5% of residents travel by car, either driving or as a passenger. About 7.3% of Wembley residents travel to work by bus, which is higher than the average for Australia. Overall, about 12.9% of residents use public transport for their commute.

Schools in Wembley

Wembley is home to several schools:

• Wembley Primary School
• Lake Monger Primary School
• Bold Park Community School

Places of Worship

You can find different churches in Wembley:

• Westcity Church
• Wembley Uniting Church
• St Edmund's Anglican Church
• Churches of Christ
• Oceans Church
• Cambridge Baptist Church
• Our Lady of Victories Church

Who Lives in Wembley?

Wembley has a fairly large population of over 11,300 people. Here's a quick look at who lives there, based on information from 2016:

Age of Residents The average age in Wembley is 35 years old. This is a bit younger than the national average. Wembley has more people aged between 30 and 44 compared to other places.

Where People Are Born About 57.9% of people in Wembley were born in Australia. This is a little less than the national average. After Australia, the most common birthplaces are England (5.7%), Bhutan (3.4%), India (3.4%), New Zealand (2%), and Ireland (1.6%).

Languages Spoken at Home Most people in Wembley speak English. However, some also speak other languages. About 2.9% speak "Other Southern Asian Languages." Other languages include Mandarin (2.5%), Hindi (1.1%), Italian (1%), and Gujarati (1%).

Religious Beliefs When asked about religion, a large number of Wembley residents (33.9%) said they had no religion. After that, the most common religions were Catholic (22.9%), Anglican (11.8%), and Buddhism (5.1%).