The West Australian of Wednesday, 29th October, 1924 contained a long article about Water Supply, under the heading Proposed new Scheme and Boiler Deterioration. The first paragraph was as follows:

Two expert witnesses were examined by the Legislative Council’s Select Committee on water supply, sitting at Parliament House yesterday. One submitted a new scheme for supplying the metropolitan area; the other criticised the use of bore and also of Mundaring water for locomotive boilers.

Later on the following paragraph appeared:

Mr E. A. Evans, Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Railways Department, strongly denounced bore water for use in locomotives. Until, in 1915, the department obtained a supply of water from Walter’s Brook, at Mt Lawley, the setting up of a condensing plant in Perth for water for locomotives was under consideration. Walter’s Brook water carried from 8 to 11 grains of salt per gallon, whereas bore water contained as much as 53 grains.…

This article describes the whereabouts and history of Walter’s Brook.

Where is Walter’s Brook?

From The West Australian of Saturday 1 May 1937, under the headline, Builders of the State, The Early Farmers, we see the following extract:

…luxuriant vegetables and melons were raised by Thomas Walters (formerly a gardener on a lord’s estate in England) at Walter’s Brook (the trickle that runs from the Mt. Lawley subway down to the river at East Perth).

From the State Library a sales map of the Mount Lawley River Estate dated 1910 was examined and there, clearly marked, is Walter’s Brook together with ‘Agricultural Gardens’ – between Gardiner and Pakenham streets and going over Joel Terrace.

As early as 1833 Walter’s Brook is shown on contemporary maps.

So, who was ‘Walter’?

Some research indicates that it was named after landowner Thomas Richard Carey Walters (1803-1874) who, according to the 1868 Bicentennial Dictionary, arrived in the colony 12 March 1830 per Warrior with his wife Caroline (1803-1840).

However, it is more likely to be Walter Boyd Andrews (1792-1847) who, according to the 1868 Bicentennial Dictionary, also arrived in the colony 12 March 1830 per Warrior with his family, consisting of his wife Elizabeth (1793-) and four children, together with two servants. He was granted 5,000 acres, selected 129 acres Swan district and 500 acres in Avon district. Note the significance of 129 acres is the size of the area known today as Location A4 being the area around Banks Reserve.

Walter was the Chairman of Perth Town Trust in 1842, Agent for the Bank of Australia and appointed to Survey Office in April 1847. He died age 55 years of ‘diseased bowels’ and is buried at grave number 442 in the original East Perth Cemeteries.

It would appear to be a very likely that the Thomas Walters, previously quoted in the newspaper article above, was indeed a gardener for a Lord and probably leased the ground from Walter Andrews to grow his ‘luxuriant vegetables and melons’. However this is conjecture.

Walter’s Brook History and Usage

Pre-1829

From a report on an ethnohistorical investigation into the Aboriginal heritage of the Town of Vincent, Rodney Harrison, 2000, we are informed that the Aboriginal people periodically camped along the foreshore of the Swan River and were obviously attracted by the abundance of food and the fresh water of Walter’s Brook which was possibly known to them as ‘Jal’yeendip’.

1897

In the Daily News of 20 December 1897 there was, under the heading Boundaries of Perth, the following article:

In the ‘Government Gazette’ of Friday last are published descriptions of the boundaries of the municipality of Perth and of the North and East Ward in view of certain alterations made by the Executive Council.

Our interest is in a later paragraph where Walter’s Brook is mentioned as a boundary…

East Ward – Bounded on the westward by the centre of Lord-street and the Old Guildford-road, to its intersection with the east side of the Eastern Railway reserve; on the northward and eastward by the said side of the Eastern Railway reserve southward to the centre of Walters Brook downwards to the right bank of the Swan River, etc.

1897

A map dated about 1897 shows a meandering brook emerging from a swamp.

Some interesting points from this map are:

The fence around the area at the mouth of the brook. Was this the extent of Thomas Walter’s gardens referred to in the earlier newspaper cutting?
The arrowed building. Was this a dwelling or perhaps a shed for the gardener’s tools?
The area is designated A4. Note on the west side of the railway dwellings are beginning to be built in Norwood. Joel Terrace and Gardiner and Pakenham streets are not yet surveyed.

1911 map showing storm water drainage pipes emptying into Walter’s Brook.

Compare the above meanderings with the 1911 map showing the brook contained within a channel between the back of the houses of Gardiner and Packenham streets.

Today Walter’s Brook has been canalised and is mostly underground in a channel made of wood and brick. It also carries the storm water drainage of Clarence Street and surrounds.

This work appears to have been undertaken in the early 1900s.

1909

An item referring to a meeting of the Perth Roads Boards in The West Australian for 2 June 1909 states:

Walter’s Brook – The Town Clerk of Perth wrote asking what steps the Board were taking with regards to clearing Walter’s Brook, near Mt. Lawley. It was resolved to call a meeting of the residents to discuss the matter.

1932

A long and interesting description of the main metropolitan loco depot in East Perth is the subject of an article in The West Australian dated 5 July 1932 which describes the workings of the repair shop and headquarters for some 69 locomotives. The section of the article of interest to us is as follows:

Immediately after coaling, the engines are examined by drivers, and before they continue on to the great 80ft turntable their tanks are filled with water. In the selection of a site for an engine depot a satisfactory water supply is one of the most important things to be considered. East Perth is fortunate in having an excellent supply taken from Walter’s Brook, a little creek which, unknown to most inhabitants of Perth, outcrops from Mt. Lawley and thence runs under the line to the Perth powerhouse, a few hundred yards from the sheds. From this source the railway depot alone takes a quarter of a million gallons daily, and the electricity power house also makes use of the supply. A climb up the iron ladders at the power house shows the water to be picked up from the brook by electrically driven pumps and then passed through filter tanks to increase its suitability for engine use.

Red circle take-off point for railway use – start of 9 inch pipe to loco sheds.
Blue circle take-off point for electricity use – start of 12 inch pipe to power house.

Presumably these pipes still exist underground today but are no longer used.

1948

On several occasions in September 1948 The West Australian carried the following advertisement (below left):

The West Australian of 15 September 1948 obliged us with a picture of the removal of the original wooden bridge over Walter’s Brook (above right). Presumably it had been in service there since 1912. Today, as one proceeds down Joel Terrace one would not know that one was crossing a brook – Walter’s Brook.

Walter’s Brook Today

A Letter to the Editor of The West Australian in 1912 signed by HW Hodgson and dated April 12 proposed the area now known as Bank’s Reserve be turned into a Botanical Garden:

…but there is one other spot which would, I think, be most suitable for a botanical garden. I refer to the spot known as Walter’s Brook, which starts at the Mt. Lawley railway station and runs down to the river, at which place there is a fine area of flat, level ground, which could be planned to form lawns and flower and shrub plots. There are springs of water at the head of the Brook, and altogether I think the situation is very suitable and be made one of the beauty spots of Perth. I hope the matter will be fully discussed from all points and that the City of Perth will before long have a botanical garden worthy of the name – Yours etc.

Over one hundred years later Mr HW Hodgson’s vision has been realised. The City of Vincent have restored, stabilised and replanted the banks of Walter’s Brook to improve the quality of water entering the river together with revegetating and upgrading the playground area of Bank’s Reserve. Take a look – it’s impressive.

As of 2024 the following pictures show the extent of Walter’s Brook – not much can be seen of the actual running water in the brook as it is mostly covered over.