The middle section of the trail is rich with sporting and cultural sites, as well as a being home to a significant regenerated wetland.

Dorrien Gardens soccer ground and Robertson Park are situated on land that was reclaimed from Boojormelup, named Lake Henderson by the Europeans – see former wetlands map(PDF,2MB).

The importance of the area to the Nyoongar people as a place for gatherings is evident from the Perth newspaper, The Inquirer’s report from January 1850:

“CORROBOREE - On Friday evening a grand corroboree was held at Anderson’s Lake(sic), at the back of the city, by upwards of 300 natives, belonging to all tribes inhabiting the country for a circuit of 200 miles from Perth”.

Twenty years later, convict labourers extended the stormwater drainage system to Robertson Park and the lake disappeared completely. Robertson Park was established as a council reserve in 1913. A new wetland has been created on the south-east corner featuring a lake called Little Boojoormelup.

Download the Robertson Park timeline (PDF, 0.7MB).
The timeline was written by Chris Hair for the Hyde Park Precinct Group and is reproduced here by their kind permission.