WAPlanned settlement
Cottesloe
Crown land halfway between two towns, cut into lots and sold on the sea air.
1886Suburban lots named Cottesloe
WHAT STARTED IT
The Perth–Fremantle railway, opened in 1881, ran through Crown land halfway between the two towns, and in 1886 the government divided it into suburban lots. The ocean beach and sea breezes soon drew residents and day visitors.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
Lots sold slowly at first, but a rush in the mid-1890s lifted the population to about 1,000 by 1898. The roads board promoted the beachfront to attract residents, and volunteer life-saving patrols began in 1908.
TURNING POINTS
1886Crown land between Perth and Fremantle is subdivided and named Cottesloe on 21 September.
1895The Cottesloe Roads Board holds its first meeting in December.
1905Ratepayers argue over where to build a sea jetty at Cottesloe Beach.
1907Cottesloe is gazetted as a municipality.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A beachside residential suburb of about 7,800 people between Perth and Fremantle, centred on Cottesloe Beach and its railway station.