The Hill View Terrace Community Bushland is just over one hectare of remnant Banksia woodland situated on the corner of Hill View Terrace and Berwick Street in Victoria Park and managed by the Town of Victoria Park.
It was listed by the Heritage Council of Western Australia on 31 October 1995. The Town of Victoria Parks Local Heritage Survey 2021 (p156-157) rates its significance as Exceptional.
The bushland is highly valued by the local people as it is the last area of remnant bushland in a residential area in Victoria Park which is steadily becoming denser owing to subdivision of larger blocks.
A survey undertaken in September 2018 identified 61 native vascular plant taxa from 28 families, most from the Fabaceae, Myrtaceae and Proteaceae families. Highly visible plants include Nuytsia floribunda, kangaroo paws, Banksias and eucalypts. These provide food for insects and reptiles and are part of a green corridor for birds and other wildlife across the region.
Towards the back of the block, there is a sculpture paying tribute to Aboriginal Dreamtime. In 1995, Noongar Elder, Jim Morrison, designed a series of painted poles representing the ancestral being of Nyarrin/Nyingarn (echidna) who according to Aboriginal Dreamtime legend laid the foundation of Western Australia’s bushland (if you have a link to further information on this please contact us).
Background
Following a five-year campaign led by local environment champion, Cathy Taylor, the block was transferred from Department of Veteran’s Affairs at nominal value to the National Trust to be managed by the Town of Victoria Park. This transfer was facilitated by local Member the Hon Kim Beazley (Southern Gazette, 14 June 1994).
Further information
Facebook: Hillview Bushblock Admirers
