Thornlie Real Estate; Whats the deal?

A quick look at reiwa.com.au or domain.com.au and you will notice that the housing prices in Thornlie aren’t as cheap as they used to be. Only 12 months ago my husband and I were looking to buy in the area and there were many offerings in the cheaper pricing range (under $400k) than there are today.

After buying our home, we found that many of our neighbors were long term Thornlie dwellers and we were so pleased with the presentation of houses in our area. This got me thinking – what is it about Thornlie that has so many people setting themselves up here for life?

I spoke to local real estate agent Nathan Frisina who has been selling homes in Thornlie and the surrounding suburbs for the past 10 years. I asked him why it is exactly that people are interested in buying in the area and why they seem to stay so long.

"Thornlie is an affordable suburb with good infrastructure, shops and parks and is only 18km from the city. It is one of Perth’s largest suburbs and offers a variety of homes from $330,000 - $700,000."

When I asked about the increase in home values, Nathan explained
"Properties in the Thornlie area have increased quite dramatically in the past 12 months. The main reason for the increase in house prices in is that first home buyers have flooded back into the market.

With high rental prices and low interest rates this has encouraged first time buyers to enter the market. The population growth in WA in the past couple of years is also starting to have a positive effect on

house prices."

This is great news for home owners in the area to know that our suburb is recognized for the value it offers. Thornlie is only 20 minutes from the City of Perth with easy access to Roe Hwy, has its own train station and loads of parks and river reserves for recreation.

I went out to photograph the following streetscapes to illustrate the different appearances in the estates. I found many homes were well presented and each estate had its own style. 

Range View Way, Thornlie. Homes here are circa 1950-1960. One of the first residential streets in the Thornlie Area.

Towncentre Drive, Forrest Lakes Estate Thornlie, established in the 1990s and still growing. There is a new development area with house and land packages being built....now!

The gorgeous private Crestwood Estate, Thornlie which was established in the 1970s. All homes back onto parklands that are maintained and managed by the estate. There is also a community pool and centre for use of residents.

Discovery Drive, Castle Glen Estate, Thornlie which was established in the 1980s.

Nathan had the following advice for people looking to buy into the area soon.

"With properties selling so quickly in the area I would recommend contacting some local agents and ask to be put on their mailing lists for newly listed properties as many homes are selling before hitting the internet."

We certainly feel lucky to have bought when we did, and while we have no intention of selling any time soon, it is encouraging to know that the area is valued for the diversity and services it offers. What cannot be captured in pictures is the lush greenery and the charm of the homes, each offering a different flavour of lifestyle. It honours the progression of the suburb and is almost a living history of the area. How lucky we are to live in such a special place!

Forever 6108!

Good Samaritans Stores; Thornlie and Gosnells

In my travels this week, I noticed that not only had the Thornlie Good Samaritan store in Thornlie Square closed down, but also the Cannington store on Albany Hwy.

Being a huge op shopping enthusiast, I was very surprised to see these two stores had closed down in the local area. When I asked a family member who is employed by GSI why this was, he made suggestion that it was due to the lack of community support making the stores no longer viable.

What a shame! We are all so familiar with the yellow and black logo, and of course the Sammy Seal mascot, but apparently there have not been sufficient sales to support the continuation of the stores in the Thornlie and Cannington locations. This seemed to be supported by comments in the 2011-2012 annual report which stated;

"GSI continued to experience major business challenges during the year with the general retail sector dealing with world-wide economic downturn."

GSI Annual Report 2011-2012

There is good news though fellow thrifty folks- the Gosnells store is magnificent and has a huge selection of clothing, furniture and homewares (located at 2288 Albany Hwy). There is parking behind the store and loads of interesting items to browse.

For those who do not know about the Canning Vale store- there is a small outlet run direct from the GSI warehouse on Bannister road that sells everything for one dollar! Yep you read that right- everything is $1. They even have half price days where all items are 50c.

Most stores are so affordable anyway, but this is a great place to drop in and get a bargain.

While everyone loves a bargain- its the work that goes on behind the scenes that really makes the Good Samaritans worthy of all of our support- providing employment opportunities for disabled and handicapped individuals, the free home collection for donations and maintaining the bins around our suburbs. 

There are some wonderful people that work hard to bring these opportunities to those less privileged in our community, so next time you pass a Sammy's store...why not poke your head in and have a look around? It may just make your day!

Forever 6108!

Good Samaritan Industries (UnitingCare)

Marron Life in the Canning River

This weekend I travelled to Manjimup and in my travels bought my husband some fresh local marron  as a special surprise. They are not cheap little guys! But they are healthy and plentiful in the region and specially farmed for their meat.

This got me thinking- what is living in the Canning River that runs through the Cannington, Thornlie and Riverton area all the way through Shelley to Mount Pleasant? Do we have marron up here?

Being a freshwater crayfish, they live in the streams and fresh water catchments in the southwest of WA, particularly Harvey through to Albany. The following map from the Aquaculture Council of WA shows the distribution in the south west region of WA and gives a good illustration of the distribution. You can see that although we have them in our Canning River, it is as a result of seeding or human intervention that has seen their population spread north to the metropolitan water catchments.

While their natural predators are native water rats (seen below) and birds, they are heavily sought after and often illegally fished by humans due to their meaty bodies and are considered a delicacy. I found the following image on PerthNow of a rakali or native water rat that was part of the population of rats in the northern suburb of Madeley. Weighing between 600g-800g you can imagine how they could take on a marron, claws and all!

PerthNow; Native Water Rats Captured in Lakes

In 2011 following rain that washed sewerage into the Canning River, there was great concern for the welfare of the marron and fish due to the contaminated waters. According to the linked ABC News story, Fisheries WA were trying to intervene to save the marron who were fleeing the waters they call home.

ABC News; River Warning 2011

This shows that we do indeed have marron living in the waters that pass through our town and they are very sensitive to the impact of human population of the surrounding areas.

A similar story from 2010 saw the Canning River contaminated with pollutants and oxygen demanding organic matter. In this case the marron fled the Canning River in hoards and were assisted to relocate to a nearby creek.

In My Community; Marron Flee Fall in Oxygen Levels 2010

There are severe restrictions on the fishing of marron to protect the populations. A license is required and there are minimum sizes that can be taken, limits on the volume per fishing trip, specific methods of fishing and many other guidelines that are enforced by Fisheries WA. Even when I bought them I was warned to keep the receipt as proof that  hadn't helped myself to them from the waters.

Recreational Fishing of Marron 2013- Dept of Fisheries WA

So while we may not see them, they are certainly there! Delicious as they may be, they are more than a meal and require a healthy environment to survive!

This has certainly made me think more about "what lies beneath". These charming little creatures battling not only their natural predators, but the impact of human settlement and the influence we have on the health of our rivers and waterways. So lets all be kind to the beautiful rivers we are blessed with!

Forever 6108!

Department of Fisheries WA
http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/Species/Marron/Pages/default.aspx

Aquaculture Council WA
http://www.aquaculturecouncilwa.com/how-to-get-into-aquaculture/species/marron/marron

Thornlie Homestead Revisited ; Part 2

This week it was absolutely necessary to have a midweek blog on the new information I have found on the original Thornlie Homestead, the ruins of which are located in the Homestead Park on Glenbrook Road.

Digging a little deeper, I visited the Thornlie Library this evening to check out the "Thornlie Living History" collection. There are a range of A4 binded paper books with photocopied records of various historical topics relating to the history of Thornlie. They also have a range of "Oral History Interviews" which I did not get a chance to dig through on this visit, but will certainly be visiting again soon.

To bring some dimension to the photos from my Thornlie Homestead post, I managed to photocopy some images of the Thornlie Homestead from circa 1925. And what a magnificent homestead it was!

Pay close attention to the large trees to the right of the homestead in the following picture, and you will see the very same Olive Trees planted in 1837 and photographed in the June 16 blog.

http://thethornlieblog.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/heritage-listed-olea-eurpoaea-at.html

 At the time of this photograph, the Olea Europaea would have been over 80 years in the ground and well established trees.

Captain Thomas Bannister, the same Thomas Bannister who was credited with the plantation of the Glenbrook Rd Olive Trees, was the original owner of "Canning Location 17", and is believed to have been granted the land as an early settler.

There are comments throughout the documents which indicate the homestead had underground water tanks, chambers for the keeping of convicts who helped to shape the land and numerous outhouses that were built between the 1830s and 1920s. There is mention of chinese labourers clearing the land and various experimental farming ventures that were trialled on the river banks.

Below you will see a map from circa 1900s with the Lot numbers and occupiers of the land. 

Standing in the park today, it is difficult to imagine the building that was established there over 170 years ago. With a little more digging, here's hoping it wont be so difficult to imagine afterall!

Forever 6108!


Know Your Suburb Thornlie Leaflet
Yvonne henderson MLA Member for Thornlie
Sourced from Thornlie Living History Collection June 2013

Photographs of The Thornlie Homestead Circa 1925

Sourced from Thornlie Living History Collection June 2013

Thornlie Development Document

Hon G.P. Wild M.L.A; Minister for Water Supplies

DD 4th April 1963

Sourced from Thornlie Living History Collection June 2013

Heritage listed Olea Eurpoaea at Thornlie Community Centre

Today I visited the stunning heritage listed olea europaea located in front of the Community Centre at Homestead Park, Thornlie. There are 4 large trees which rain black olives over the ground and dominate the roadside afront the centre.

As the sun was setting, the ducks fed on the grass growth beneath the largest tree which stands alongside the entrance to the community centre car park.

The sun was glorious shining through the trees as it set, making beautiful photographic opportunities.

The trees were planted by Thomas Bannister in 1837 and plaques are mounted on the trees to celebrate this fact. Thomas Bannister was a pioneer and original settler of the area, with the Bannister family owning 'Canning Location 17' which is now part of the suburb of Thornlie.

The olives are native to the north of Iran and north of Iraq, south of the Caspian sea and are known to only grow to 8-15m in height. One look at the trees which are now an amazing 176 years old and it is clear that these trees represent the larger end of the scale.

With the community centre in the background, it is amazing to think of the changes to the surrounds that these trees have seen in their lifetime. The development of the suburb and the spectacular homes that line Glenbrook Road facing the river.

Accompanied by an interested and enthusiastic friend, we crushed the olives in our fingers to find the rich purple colours of the fruits. We tasted the olives which were bitter and tart - a silly assumption that they may taste like a store bought olive! Obviously they require processing in brine to determine them "table ready"!

Forever 6108!

History and Heritage Advisory Group Meeting February 2013
http://www.gosnells.wa.gov.au/files/e9c53136-7fdd-47b6-aa20-a16c009d7b21/Copy_of_Appendix_13_2_2A_26_February_2013.pdf?streamFile=true

Olea Europaea Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive

Young Thornlie Couple buy the "Gidge Gourmet Fudge" business!

Ohhhhh Fudge!

Local Thornlie couple Lucy Owen and Hugh Campbell have purchased "Gidge Gourmet Fudge" and joined the market rounds in Perth and the South West of WA.

I ran into the young couple at the Mundaring Markets this morning as they sampled their fudge to young and old and to my surprise, seemed to be one of the busier stalls.

I'm told they will be keeping the original business name despite the business being based in Perth's southern suburb of Thornlie. Some changes will be made to the flavor offerings and a large emphasis on the traditional fudge making methods.

"Production is definitely the heart and soul of the business. As any fudge chef will tell you, fudge can be tricky and is a labor of love!"

We laugh as Lucy tells me that Hugh, her partner in life and in business, is the critiquing sampler and rarely complains! While we talk, Hugh is busy chatting with customers and offering samples and appears to be very much in his element, welcoming the groups of people that stop by to taste and purchase.

Lucy tells me, "I'm really excited to play with flavour combinations. Culinary Lavender is on my 'to try' list of ingredients."

Salted caramel, Maple and Walnut and Rum & Raisin are also mentioned as well as some truffle infusions specially made for the Manjimup 'Truffle Kerfuffle' that they will be participating in later in June 2013.

 I tried the Vanilla Bean and Double Choc and I was so surprised by the soft and smooth texture.

The standout for me though was the "traditional" fudge (or Ugly Fudge as I've come to think of it!)
Yes - those are teeth marks in my block of traditional! There is something gorgeous and simple about the caramelised buttery flavour. It is crumbly and sweet and reminds me of fudge I ate when I was a child.

The Lemon flavour tastes almost like a Sorbet and Lucy tells me they pick up their lemons from "whomever has a tree with some going!"

There is something warm and welcoming about the couple and their stall. Whether its the polka dots and bunting, the generous samples or the warmth that radiates from the owners.... it's hard to say.

Perhaps I'm just romanced by the sweet fudgey flavours! :)

Its great to see a young Thornlie couple bringing a smile to the faces of so many. Seems the 'good old fashioned way' of making fudge is still alive and well! 

Forever 6108!

Online @
www.gidgegourmetfudge.com.au/

On Facebook @
www.facebook.com/GidgeGourmetFudge?fref=ts

Truffle Kerfuffle
www.trufflekerfuffle.com.au/

Thornlie Homestead

After intending to visit for many weeks now, I finally made it down to the Thornlie Homestead site :)

Located in Homestead Park to the left of the community centre on Glenbrook Rd, it is quite literally a line or two of foundation brick poking out of the grass like a row of teeth.

Its so inconspicuous and understated that I suspect many walk straight past it without any realisation as to it's significance. 

I met a man and his son at the park who were collecting rubbish. I asked him if he worked with the community centre, and he explained that he was simply a local resident who spent some time cleaning up the park on the weekend. How remarkable! I was so impressed by this- how generous a local resident was with his time.

He kindly pointed me in the direction of the Thornlie Homestead remnants, of which I have taken photographs to illustrate.

As you can see- there really isn't much left at all! Interestingly, it is suspected that the site may have archaeological value as much of the original building and farming equipment was pushed into the cellars and the flooring when the building was destroyed by fire in the 1970s. If this is true- then much of the history remains buried in this very location! How magical to think about what may lay below.

 When researching online, I found a listing with the State Heritage Office, however there is also a book published in 1975 called 'Thornlie Homestead' by Madge and Ernie Lankester which will make for some interesting reading.

What I have been able to find out, is that the area by the Canning River (now known as Homestead Park) was owned by Walter Padbury, one of the founding members of Thornlie. The homestead was built in the 1880s and originally inhabited by Frank and Amy James. The name "Thornlie" originated from a business house in India Madras which was run by the grandfather of the original inhabitant Frank James.

My favourite photograph of the day however is the next one, which shows the view of the river from the vantage point that would once have been the homestead frontage.

With a little imagination, you can envision standing beside the homestead with the glorious views of the river and the gum trees over 130 years ago.

Forever 6108!

State Heritage Office ; Retrieved from http://inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/Public/Inventory/Details/5c1eb1c6-cc93-41aa-b81b-336efa12f3d2

Thornlie Homestead;Retrieved from http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/157835690?versionId=172057523

Welcome to The Thornlie Blog

Welcome to The Thornlie Blog.

A celebration of all the people, places, history and community events that make Thornlie the wonderful town that it is today.

When I was first invited to visit Thornlie back in 2007, I remember frowning and thinking..... "Thornlie... isn't that place dodgy?"

Later that day as I drove along Spencer and into the streets of the Crestwood Estate, I remember thinking how beautiful it was. How lovely the houses were, the trees and the parks. I was taken along a convoluted street with twist and turns, new surprises around each corner.

It was a peaceful and pretty place.

The appreciation that was born that day has continued as I moved to Thornlie and familiarised myself with the businesses, parks, streets and services. Somewhere along the line, it ceased to be a place I feared, and became instead a place I treasured and felt proud to be a part of.

Over 5 years after my first visit, with a home in Thornlie with my husband and our animals, I am surprised and excited by Thornlie every day. We accept that there are occasionally episodes of crime and shady activities and choose instead to enjoy our lives here. We plan to live here forever, to raise our children here. 

With a fresh perspective and a passion for the town, I hope to share my experiences and bring to you the best of Thornlie. 

All stories, suggestions and comments and contributions are welcomed.

Forever 6108!