Whiteman Park is a 4,000-hectare (9,900-acre; 15 sq mi) bushland area located 22 km (14 mi) north of Perth, Western Australia. The park is in the suburb of Whiteman, in the Swan Valley in the upper reaches of the Swan River.[1]
It encompasses the source of Bennett Brook - an important place of the Nyoongar people, and a source of mythology of the Wagyl and stories about Aboriginal occupancy of the area.[2]
Whiteman Park is known for its biodiversity, including more than 450 endemic plants and more than 120 vertebrate animals, some of which are rare and endangered. More than 17% of Western Australian bird species occur in Whiteman Park, including migratory birds attracted to the habitat provided by Bennett Brook and associated wetlands, including Grogan's Swamp, a Conservation Category Wetland.
The state government purchased the land from a number of private owners in 1978 to protect the underlying aquifer as a drinking water source for Perth. The major owner was Lew Whiteman (1903–1994), after whom the park is named.[3]
Whiteman Park will be served by the under-construction Whiteman Park railway and bus station on the Morley–Ellenbrook line, situated near the main entrance of the park at Drumpellier Drive. The park's existing heritage tram line will also be extended to the station and use a dedicated platform south of the facility. Whiteman Park station is expected to open in late 2024.[18]
^Davis, Jack; Nutter, Lynda; Leach, Richard; Pell, Kelton (1998), River dreaming, [s.n], archived from the original on 29 September 2022, retrieved 4 August 2016
^Western Australian Light Railway Preservation Association (2003), Bennett Brook Railway, WA Light Rail Preservation Association, retrieved 27 July 2023
^Western Australian Transport Museum; Perth Electric Traction Society; Bus Museum of Western Australia; Bus Preservation Society of Western Australia (1971), Rattler, The Museum, retrieved 27 July 2023
