Streets/spring.html
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Spring Street
Obviously, there was a source of fresh water here, called Goodinup by the Nyoongar people of Mooro. It defined the western end of the town, as another spring did at the eastern end, as Lyon describes in an invaluable document about Nyoongar names, from which I quote at length:
Robert Menli Lyon:
Byerbrup, the high land, stretching along from Mount Eliza, through the centre of the town of Perth.
The camp of Yellowgonga, bearing this name, originally stood beside the springs at the West end of the town, as you descend from Mount Eliza ; and on this very spot did the 63[r]d pitch their tents, when they came to take possession. So that the head quarters of the king of Mooro are now become the head quarters of the territories of the British King in Western Australia. On this very spot too the king of Mooro, now holds out his hand to beg a crust of bread. Sic transit gloria mundi. Why do you smile ? why should the sword of the Roman be considered more classical than the spear of Derbal's chief ? All nations were once barbarous.
The position was very important to Yellowgonga. It was not only convenient for hunting and fishing ; but it gave him the command of the flats ; the only place where his territories could be easily invaded from the South ; the river being hardly fordable any where else.
The springs beside the camp, at the West end of the town, were called Goodinup ; and those at the East end, in the front of the Surveyor General's Dyeedyallalup. But this latter name applies to the whole line of allotments fronting the river, as far as Mr. Sutherland's and means, literally, clay. It is, in fact, the first place as you ascend the river on the right bank, where the clay makes its appearance.
Probably because of the spring, a brewery was established. I think the Stanley Brewery may have been first, I have to check on that, but the last was definitely the Emu Brewery, in its glorious art-deco splendour. Unfortunately, the land was very desirable for housing the well-heeled who wanted a downtown address, and the building is gone.
' .... A year later in 1836 James Stokes started his Albion Brewery in Perth. He later renamed it the Stanley, and it was subsequently taken over by Ferguson and Mumme. Today, the Emu Brewery marks the spot.' Tuckfield.
References and Links
Lyon, Robert Menli [Robert Lyon Milne] 1833, untitled article (part 2, apparently) from Perth Gazette, 20 April 1833, p. 63-4.
Tuckfield, Trevor 1971, 'Early colonial inns and taverns', Early Days: Journal and proceeedings of the Royal Western Australian Historical Society, Part 1, 7, 3: 65-82; Part 2, 7, 7: 98-106.
This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 27 June, 2018 and hosted at freotopia.org/streets/spring.html (it was last updated on 18 April, 2024). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.