DOLA Internet home page contains history of Perth suburbs

7/5/97

Guildford was named by the wife of Captain James Stirling after the town in Surrey, England, because she came from the nearby centre of Woodbridge.

Kalamunda was named in 1901 on request from residents who combined two Aboriginal words 'Cala' meaning home or settlement, and 'Munda' signifying forest.

Midland was named after the Midland Railway Company which, in 1886, was contracted by the State Government to build a railway line to Geraldton in return for grants of land.

The Mundaring area was first known as Gugeris. The vineyards in the area were brought by MH Jacoby who named his business the Mundaring Vineyard Company after an Aboriginal camp situated nearby. The meaning given to Jacoby by the Aborigines was a 'High place on a high place'.

Lands Minister Doug Shave said finding the history behind the names of Perth's 333 suburbs was one of the fascinating things people could do by accessing the Department of Land Administration's (DOLA's) new LandSearch WA Home Page on the Internet's World Wide Web at http://dola.gov.wa.au.

Mr Shave said DOLA, which recently won gold and silver awards at the national Government Technology Productivity Awards, had become the latest State Government department to showcase its varied products and services through the Internet.

"Publishing relevant, up to date and useful information for customers on the Internet is in keeping with DOLA's continuous improvement in customer service," the Minister said.

"The department will build on the current web site and is seriously looking at future opportunities for electronic commerce.

"As the name of the site (LandSearch WA) suggests, the ultimate aim is to provide the public with a facility for online searching of land information in WA."

The information provided, including how to use maps, measure distances and take compass bearings, was designed for adults and school children.

The site also detailed the latest information on changes to the strata titles legislation. User-friendly 'How To' kits have also been published to explain the conversion options now available to strata title owners.

The LandSearch WA web site was designed and developed by Dow Digital of Osborne Park.

Further information: Anabel Gomez 9366 0300