This has been the land of the Wadjak people for many thousands of years. This area is known as Wu-rut Woorat
Nitja Whadjuk Moort Boodjar Nyungar Boodjar Ngulla Birdiyia’s Ngulla Moort Djinoong koorlinjy nitja Nyungar Boodjar Wur-ut (Woorat)
The Nyungar families and Birdiyias walked and looked after the land that we walked. This is land of Wadjuk people and Nyungar Country, since the dreamtime. This name Wu-rut Woorat.
Now stands a colonial farmhouse on an ancient land.
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About Peninsula Farm
Located on the banks of the Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River), in the now urban suburb of Maylands, Peninsula Farm at Wu-rut Woorat is a place of great historical importance to our state. It offers a unique opportunity to explore the first years of European settlement in Western Australia and reflect on a landscape that provides a tantalising glimpse into the past.
The on-site café has had significant upgrades and the new business owners are Danny and Tania Taylor, a dynamic husband and wife team and founders of Perth’s iconic BODHI Spa group.
Peninsula Farm tells many stories – of connection to Country and family, of changes to land use over time and of the constancy of the Derbal Yerrigan. It was one of the first farms in the Swan River Colony and is one of the earliest Perth metropolitan residences still standing.
The entire peninsula was granted to colonists arriving aboard the Tranby in 1830 and became known as the ‘Peninsula Farm’. Joseph Hardey was allocated a share of this land and he with his wife Ann built the house you see today in 1839, after losing the previous two houses to flooding.
The National Trust took over management of the Peninsula Farm in 1977. Today it is opened to the public by volunteers and an in-demand destination for school excursions.
Book now to explore the house and wander the grounds to enjoy the beautiful views of the riverscape and imagine what life was like in and before the days of the Swan River Colony.
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History
Peninsula Farm remained in the Hardey family until 1913. Joseph Hardey and his son Richard, who took over management of the property in the late 1860s, were highly influential in the religious, business and political activities of the colony. However, Peninsula Farm tells more than just their stories.
It also tells of their wives and daughters, the women and servants who ran the house and the workers who ran the farm. It tells of farming, and how families and the young colony sustained themselves. And it tells the stories of dispossession and dislocation of the Whadjuk Noongar people, as the Swan River Colony grew and more of their land was carved up for new owners.
Peninsula Farm was purchased by Harold Cheshire in 1951, to keep and train racehorses. Over the years the house was added to, expanding outwards and upwards. At the same time, the farm became smaller and smaller. Incredibly, the house and remnant land survived major subdivision as Perth became more urbanised.
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Conservation
As one of Perth’s oldest residential buildings, Peninsula Farm requires significant conservation and maintenance.
Lotterywest funding will enable the National Trust to significantly improve the visitor experience at Peninsula Farm by undertaking a cultural landscape plan and interpretation. This approach considers the broader context of the built heritage place, learning about how society and settlements have evolved within a natural environment.
Part of this work will include consultation with Whadjuk Noongar community members to ensure interpretation reflects the many peoples who have called the peninsula home.
You can donate to our Peninsula Farm Heritage Appeal via our Donate page.
