Coolbellup, Western Australia

Coolbellup is a suburb in Perth, Western Australia, located within the local government area of the City of Cockburn.Coolbellup takes its name from the Aboriginal name for the nearby North Lake, which the area was known as until 1957.HistoryThe original inhabitants were an aboriginal tribe from the Swan River who made their campsites along Perth's central lakes to avoid the salty lakes closer to the coast. 16 aboriginal campsites have been found in the City of Cockburn.Coolbellup was originally the eastern portion of George Robb's Cockburn Sound Location 10 and Coolbellup was recorded as the aboriginal name of a lake near the eastern boundary of the grant in 1842 by A.C Gregory. Surveys by RM. King in 1877 showed the local name to be North Lake and both names were shown on plans. The lake is in fact the northernmost of the chain of lakes lying between Mandurah and the Swan River. Early landholders in the area were G. Jarvis, Joseph Meller and the Dixon family.In the 1920s most of the area was taken up with dairy farms however, a cattle borne disease destroyed the dairy industry in the area. An abattoir operated in the area up until the 1950s. A vineyard also operated in the area and remained in production until it was cleared for housing in the late 1970s for what is now known as the suburb of North Lake. Large portions of native bushland remained and native wildlife flourished in the area with a large population of kangaroos. In 1954 most of the land was resumed by the State Housing Commission and an intensive post-war housing scheme developed for the area. In 1957 it was decided that the suburb should be called Coolbellup in preference to North Lake.