Wireless Hill Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wireless Hill Park |
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Playground at Wireless Hill Park
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| Location | Ardross, Western Australia |
| Open | |
| Designated | 2 September 1997 |
| Reference no. | 3518 |
Wireless Hill Park is a large park in Ardross, Western Australia. It covers about 40 hectares (almost 100 acres). This park is special because it used to be home to the Applecross Wireless Station. This was one of the first radio stations in Western Australia.
Today, the old station buildings are still there. They have been turned into the Wireless Hill Museum. The park is also an important area of natural bushland. It is a protected site because of its history and nature.
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A Look Back at Wireless Hill's Past
In 1909, the Australian government decided to build radio stations along the coast. This was to help ships communicate. In 1910, a company called Australasian Wireless Limited won the job to build the Perth station.
Work started in 1911. The Applecross Wireless Station officially opened on 30 September 1912. It was a big step for communication in Western Australia.
How the Station Was Used
At first, Australasian Wireless ran the station. It offered a service for ships, sending them weather reports and news. They could also send medical advice to ships without doctors. The station also listened for distress calls from ships in trouble.
During World War I (1916-1920), the Royal Australian Navy took over the station. They needed it for wartime communication. The Navy took control again during World War II (1939-1945).
In 1947, a new group called the Overseas Telecommunications Commission (OTC) took charge. They managed all wireless stations in Australia.
From Radio Station to Park
Between 1967 and 1968, the OTC moved its operations to a new station. So, the Wireless Hill station closed in 1968. The land was then given to the City of Melville in 1969.
In 1971, the area was officially named Wireless Hill Park. Local people already called it that.
The Wireless Hill Museum Opens
In 1970, a group of amateur radio fans wanted to create a museum. They wanted to show the history of telecommunications. Work on the museum started in 1974.
The Wireless Hill Telecommunications Museum opened in 1979. It was part of Western Australia's 150th birthday celebrations. After some updates, it reopened as the Wireless Hill Museum in 2015.
The park and its buildings are now protected. They were listed on the Western Australian Register of Heritage Places in 1997.
The Wireless Hill Museum
Wireless Hill Museum, 2006
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| Established | 1974 |
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| Location | Ardross, Western Australia |
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Building details
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| Former names | Engine House |
| Alternative names | Engine Room |
| General information | |
| Groundbreaking | 1911 |
| Opened | 30 September 1912 |
| Official name | Engine House (fmr) |
| Designated | 3 Aug 1992 |
| Reference no. | 3825 |
The Wireless Hill Museum is located in the original buildings of the old radio station. It teaches visitors about the history of communication.
Main Buildings and Structures
At the top of Wireless Hill, you can see three main buildings. They were built a long time ago:
- Engine House: Built in 1912, this building first held the generator. This generator powered the radio transmitter. Later, in 1942, the radio equipment was moved here. It then became known as the Transmitter Hall.
- Operator's House: Also built in 1912, this was where the radio equipment was kept until 1942.
- Stores Building: This building was added around 1915.
There was once a very tall antenna mast, about 120 meters high. It was held up by strong wires. In 1962, a shorter mast, 46 meters tall, replaced it. This was because new technology didn't need such a tall mast. The mast was removed in 1967. Today, you can still see one of the large concrete blocks that held the mast. It is now a viewing platform.
Four small houses were also built at the bottom of the hill. These were for the staff who worked at the station.
Radio Technology and Services
When the station opened in 1912, it used a special transmitter. It could send radio signals up to 25,000 watts. It also had a receiver that used a crystal detector.
At first, all radio messages were sent using Morse code. This is a system of dots and dashes. Voice transmission technology came later, in the 1920s. Even then, Morse code was still used for long-distance messages until the station closed in 1968.
In 1927, a "shortwave beam system" was added. This allowed direct radio communication between Australia and England. This was a huge achievement!
The station provided many radio services. It communicated with ships, sending weather forecasts and news. It also helped ships in trouble by monitoring distress calls. In 1921, the station even communicated with a ship 9,000 kilometers away. This was the longest distance for any Australian station at that time.
Wireless Hill also provided the first direct radio communication across Australia. It even talked to bases in the Antarctic in the 1950s and 1960s. The station's call sign was POP, and later VIP.
During World War I, the station listened to German radio messages. It even picked up propaganda from Germany.
Police radio for Western Australia (VK-1) was also sent from Wireless Hill. In the late 1920s, only two police cars in Perth had radios.
Western Australia's first commercial radio station, 6PR, broadcast from Wireless Hill from 1931 to 1950. Later, in the 1960s, the station helped with NASA space missions. It provided communication for US rescue planes over the Indian Ocean.
Today, Wireless Hill is still used for radio. Since 2002, Capital Community Radio has had its studios and one of its transmitters here.
Exploring the Bushland
Wireless Hill Park has about 38 hectares of natural bushland. It also has 2 hectares of grassy parkland. The bushland is home to many beautiful wildflowers, native plants, birds, and reptiles. It is a protected area called "Bush Forever" site 336. This means the state government wants to keep this bushland safe.
Much of the area was cleared when the radio station was built. But the bush has grown back naturally. You can find several walking paths through the park. It's a great place to explore nature.
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Grass trees
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Daviesia triflora
Aboriginal Heritage
Wireless Hill is on the traditional land of the Beeliar people. They knew the hill as Yagan Mia, or Yagan's Lookout. Yagan was an important Aboriginal leader who used this area as a home and a lookout point.
The park also has a scarred tree. Indigenous Australians used these trees to make tools or shields. They also used them to mark their territory.
