Bayswater, Western Australia

Bayswater is a suburb north-east of the central business district (CBD) of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It is just north of the Swan River, within the City of Bayswater local government area. It is predominantly a low density residential suburb consisting of single-family detached homes. However, there are several clusters of commercial buildings, most notably in the suburb's town centre around the intersection of Whatley Crescent and King William Street, and a light industrial area in the suburb's east.
Prior to European settlement, the area was inhabited by the Mooro group of the Whadjuk Noongar people. In 1830, the year after the European settlement of the Swan River Colony, land was divided up along the river between the colonists, who moved in soon after. Most either died or left in the months afterwards, leaving the area undeveloped for most of the 20th century. In 1881, the Fremantle–Guildford railway line was built, triggering the founding of the Bayswater Estate, the first development in the area, and in 1897, the Bayswater Road Board was founded, giving Bayswater its own local government. At first, development consisted of nurseries, market gardens and dairies, but as time went on, Bayswater became more and more suburban. Today, Bayswater is fully suburbanised, with subdivision of older lots being commonplace, and plans for apartments around Bayswater and Meltham railway stations being a contentious issue.
Bayswater's Swan River foreshore is lined with parks and wetlands, including the Baigup Wetlands, Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary and Riverside Gardens. There are other parks throughout the suburb, including Bert Wright Park, Halliday Park (which includes a war memorial), Hillcrest Reserve and Houghton Park. Major roads through the suburb include Guildford Road, which connects to the Perth CBD, and Tonkin Highway.
History.
Before European colonisation.
Prior to European settlement, the area was inhabited by the Mooro group of the Whadjuk Noongar people. The Mooro group were led by Yellagonga, and inhabited the area north of the Swan River, as far east as Ellen Brook and north to Moore River. The Swan River provided fresh water and food, as well as being a place for trade. A camping ground, at least 4,500 years old existed just north of the present-day junction of Tonkin Highway and Guildford Road. Another camping ground likely existed in the area now known as the Baigup Wetlands.
European colonisation.
When Europeans founded the Swan River Colony in 1829, they did not recognise the indigenous ownership of the land. Land along the Swan River was surveyed by John Septimus Roe, the colony's Surveyor General. The survey resulted in the land being divided into long, narrow rectangular strips extending from the river. As the river was the only method of transportation in the early years of the colony, each piece of land had to have river frontage. The long, narrow strips were called "ribbon grants", however the term "grant" was misleading, as the grantees had a requirement that they make improvements to the land granted to them within 10 years, or be forced to forfeit the land. In 1830, the colonists travelled up the river to the land allotted to them. That year, there were several floods of the Swan River which washed away crops and inundated shelters, unluckily for the colonists as floods were not an annual occurrence. Most of these colonists either died or left the area soon after, due to the floods and poor quality of the land, with the land returning to the state.
One example of these early colonists is the family of John and Anne Whatley, their children Joan and Mary, and their servants, the Embletons, who lived at Location T, the area between the present day Tonkin Highway and Slade Street. They arrived in Fremantle in October 1829, and settled on the land in February 1830. Between arriving at Fremantle and settling on their land, they lived under canvas in Fremantle, and later, Perth. Anne Whatley kept a diary, giving an insight into life at the time. In the early days, she was optimistic. She wrote:
The scenery was so park-like that, at every turn I found myself looking for country seats.
John Whatley was a doctor, and due to the prevalence of scurvy, ophthalmia and dysentery in the colony, he was busy attending to patients, leaving little time for him to farm. The family had great difficulty establishing a farm due to the floods, bad soil and lack of knowledge of the local seasons. In September 1830, John Whatley drowned after capsizing a boat whilst trying to cross the river with a cow in Fremantle. Anne Whatley and her children subsequently left the Swan River Colony forever. Similar stories like this played out with the other landowners in Bayswater. Several other people would buy the land after it was abandoned, including Peter Broun (Location S) and William Henry Drake (Location U), however they would never live on, or improve the land, having numerous other land holdings around the colony. The last colonists, the Drummond family, left the area in 1836.
By 1833, a track was cleared that connected Perth to Guildford. The track was useable by carriages, but the sandy soil made it difficult. When The Causeway opened in 1836, a route south of the river became the main route from Perth to Guildford, making the track north of the river a minor route. Due to this, the track deteriorated to the point that some people "refused to allow their horses to go for hire on this track." That track is a precursor to what is now known as Guildford Road.
Between 1830 and 1880, only two houses are known to have been built in the area: one owned by Frederick Sherwood, and another by John Scrivener. Neither house is still standing. The oldest remaining piece of physical evidence of European settlement in the area is an olive tree on Slade Street, supposedly planted in the 1840s and used as a place for religious services. That olive tree is now represented on the logo of the City of Bayswater. Additionally, a mulberry tree cut down in the 1970s had 130 growth rings.
Initial development in the 1880s.
In 1881, the Fremantle–Guildford railway line railway line was built. There was much argument as to whether the railway should go north or south of the river. The northern option was the option eventually decided on. What was previously a several hour long trip to get from what is now Bayswater to Perth or Guildford now only took twenty minutes. The isolated and underused land grants now had opportunity to develop. The editor of "The Western Australian Times" foresaw the development of towns along railway lines, writing on 1 January 1878:
...towns spring up, and the wilderness and the howling waste become glorious with the handiwork of the husbandman. Smiling homesteads, thriving townships, follow in his track, and the resources of a country, which have lain dormant, are made to flourish under his influence.
Patronage on the line exceeded everyone's expectations. Many racegoers would get off the line at the part closest to the Perth Race Course, hike though the bushland to the river, where men in boats were waiting to ferry people across the river to the race course. In , a footbridge was built across the river to serve the racegoers, near where the Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary is currently. 
Starting in June 1885, Perth experienced an increased interest in the real estate market. It was labelled as a "land boom", although compared to the booms on the eastern side of Australia, it was minor. William Henry Drake, the owner of Location U died in Bayswater, London in 1884. Stephen Henry Parker, using his power of attorney for Drake, placed Location U on the property market. The advertisement of the land did little to recommend it, making no mention of the railway line or possibilities for subdivision. The land was bought by Joseph Rogers, a property developer from New South Wales who saw potential in the land, unlike the locals, who saw it as a backwater. In July 1885, Rogers, along with Feinberg, placed the land on the property market again, this time subdivided into lots, and named the "Bayswater Estate". Whether the name had any connection with William Henry Drake is unknown. It was common practise for property developers to pick a pompous name at random. Nevertheless, the Bayswater Estate is where the name for the suburb of Bayswater comes from. A road was surveyed running down the middle of the estate, named Coode Street north of the railway line and King William Street south of the railway line. On the 9 July 1885 edition of "The Daily News", an advertisement was placed for the Bayswater Estate in what was probably the largest ever real estate advertisement to appear in any Western Australian newspaper at the time. The advertisement spanned the entire height of the page and over a quarter of its width.
One of the people who bought a lot was Thomas Molloy, who was a City of Perth councillor and land investor. He had been led to believe his land was close to the railway, but it was actually on the northern end of the Bayswater Estate, far away from the present City of Bayswater and closer to Wanneroo than the railway. When he found out, he made his annoyance clear to Winthrop Hackett, the editor of "The West Australian". On the day of the second auction, Hackett printed in the newspaper an attack on the auctioneers and the land of the Bayswater Estate. The second and third auctions were poorly attended. As a result, Rogers and Feinberg sued "The West Australian" for defamation, alleging it had caused them a financial loss due to poorly attended auctions. They won the case, being awarded damages of one farthing, however they were never paid that.
The decision to subdivide the land into lots rather than smaller lots as would be typical in a town meant the estate remained rural. Landowners made use of the land for nurseries, dairies and other agricultural activities. As there was no supervision of building standards, houses were constructed out of corrugated iron and weatherboard, built by the landowners themselves. By January 1886, a branch line was built through Location T over to the river near where the Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary currently is. The intention was for it to be part of a railway to Busselton, however this did not eventuate. A footbridge was built later that year so people no longer had to be ferried across the river.
During the late 1880s, Locations V, W and X changed hands several times. Locations X and W were eventually subdivided. Many of the lots were sold to speculators from Victoria and New South Wales, but a few buyers actually lived on their lots. Unlike the other two, Location V was not subdivided. The only other ribbon grant in the district was Location T, which remained with the Whatley family. However, they did lease some land out to Henry Walkenden, who established a brickworks in 1887. This was the first industrial site in Bayswater. It employed up to 18 men, some of which camped on the surrounding land. The railway was likely used to transport the bricks. Remnants of the site still exist to this day as Gobba Lake, which was a clay pit.
New services in the 1890s.
The first attempt to get Bayswater a school occurred in 1889, however the campaign for that was quickly knocked back by the Board of Education. A second, more thought out campaign occurred in 1892. Residents managed to get the Board of Education to take a tour of the area. After the tour, the board decided that Bayswater deserved a school. A site was bought and a one room weatherboard building was constructed. Named Bayswater State School, its size was insufficient upon opening in 1894, with there being 29 pupils in its first year. In the years that followed, the head teacher wrote several letters to the Education Department about overcrowding. By 1896, there were about 12 pupils who had to stand in the aisles, with the head teacher forecasting it would only grow further. The first upgrade occurred in 1900.
Another matter of importance for residents in the 1890s was for Bayswater to get its own road board. Bayswater was a small settlement, awkwardly straddling the boundaries of the Perth and Swan Road Boards. In December 1894, residents held a meeting to petition for a road board. The government rejected the petition. A second attempt to get a road board for Bayswater in 1896 was successful. Both the Perth and Swan Road Boards were happy to lose the responsibility of building roads in Bayswater. The Bayswater Road Board was gazetted on 5 March 1897, becoming one of several new local government areas established in the 1890s along the railway. A wooden ratepayers hall was constructed on Guildford Road.
Bayswater gained many other services in the 1890s. A post office was established on King William Street in 1895. The railway was duplicated. Shortly thereafter, in 1896, the Bayswater railway station was constructed. The railway became a major employer in Bayswater, with the station needing many staff for passenger services and the goods yard. Others made the commute into Perth on the train daily. With lobbying by the Western Australian Turf Club, the branch line was extended across the river to the Perth Race Course in 1897. Baptist, Anglican, Methodist and Catholic churches were established, Bayswater's Baptist church being the first one in Western Australia.
Further subdivision of the lots at Location U occurred between 1895 and 1899. Roads were surveyed in a grid pattern instead of following the terrain. Steep hills made it a challenge for horse-drawn vehicles to traverse them, and for the roads board to later construct them. Location W was also subdivided further, causing there to be effectively two different settlements in Bayswater. Despite these subdivisions, Bayswater was not densely populated. Due to the land being cheap, many people bought several adjoining lots for a garden. Houses were still being shoddily built, and most are no longer standing. Dairies, slaughterhouses and market gardens were interspersed between houses, and more brickyards and an ironworks were established in the eastern part of Bayswater. In 1897, the population of Bayswater was estimated to be 400. At the end of the decade, no longer was Bayswater an isolated and poorly serviced district.
After Federation.
By the start of the 20th century, there were tensions between the agricultural and residential elements of Bayswater. William Williams, a member of the road board, complained about cattle being a nuisance, His fellow board member and dairyman Edward Browne fought back, saying "cattle had been the making of the place". The piggeries received greater complaints however, with concerns about their smell and noise, due to pigs being killed on site. In 1903, the Bayswater Local Board of Health, controlled by the same members as the road board, disallowed piggeries from being between the river and north of the railway line. Another thing the road board began to regulate in 1903 was subdivisions. Small blocks and close together streets were among the things that the road board put an end to.
The opening of the Midland Railway Workshops down the railway line in 1904 fuelled much growth, with workers migrating from the eastern states and overseas, particularly Britain. By 1908, many residents of Bayswater were from Victoria. Out of thirty-three births in 1908, nineteen fathers and eighteen mothers were from Victoria. The school received upgrades in 1906, 1910 and 1914. Most the structures built after 1904 were made of bricks and weatherboard, and the ones made of corrugated metal were no longer makeshift buildings. These buildings were designed to be more permanent, and many still stand today. "The West Australian" wrote in March 1909 that "the days of the "humpy" have passed away" and that "Very few houses in the town are now without a metalled road to connect them with the railway station".
A group of commercial buildings formed along King William Street in the 1900s, some of which were even designed by an architect. Among the businesses was a chemist and two butcher shops. In 1904, Gold Estates of Australia Pty Ltd, a gold prospecting company that had branched out to real estate, acquired Location V, the sole remaining intact ribbon grant. The company subdivided the land, marketing it as the "Oakleigh Estate". This estate bridged the gap between the two developed areas of Bayswater, making it into one contiguous settlement. By 1909, the population boom had ended, leaving the population of Bayswater to steadily rise after that, and by the 1911 Census, the population of the Bayswater Road District was 1,790.
In 1909, the King William Street subway was constructed. Prior to that, people had to either use the footbridge at Bayswater station or cross the railway line at grade. Soon enough, there were complaints about herds of cattle going through it in the morning. At the advent of World War I, British migration was brought to a standstill. Bayswater stagnated and land value plummeted. People who tried to sell their land failed and had to take it off the market. Some of the problem was due to the water table rising across Perth, meaning areas that were once useable were now inundated. A project to drain a lake in the area was a failure. Tram services were built to Victoria Park and Nedlands, but not Bayswater, despite a campaign by the Oakleigh Park Progress Association. After the war however, Bayswater's commercial centre expanded. Among the businesses built was a billiards saloon. The owner's son Bob Marshall Jnr went on to become a world champion amateur billiards player. Businesses also started to be developed along Beechboro Road. In 1921, the population of Bayswater was 2,392.
In the middle to late 1920s, the Roads Board began to put more care into the amenity of Bayswater. One initiative they took was to resume a market garden in the suburb's town centre for a park. It was considered undesirable for a market garden to be on the main street of Bayswater, and so the land was turned into Whatley Gardens. It would later be named Bert Wright Park. Also in the middle to late 1920s, several modern industrial complexes were built. They included a foundry in 1927 and a large Cresco fertiliser factory. The latter of which caused numerous complaints about air pollution. This was a catalyst for the district's first town planning scheme, which reinforced the industry in the eastern part of Bayswater, and kept it out of the western part. This was one of the first town planning schemes in Western Australia, and it preceded the Stephenson–Hepburn Report by 22 years.
It was in 1934 when a railway station between Bayswater and Maylands was first suggested. In 1935, the first Garratt Road Bridge was built across the Swan River, providing a link from Bayswater to Ascot. In March 1939, the townsite of Meltham Heights was approved, but development of that area was delayed by World War II.
During World War II, Bayswater became a place for signalling operations, and many homes were taken over for that. After World War II, development finally happened in Meltham Heights, although the name ended up not being used as a suburb. Meltham railway station was built in 1948, and the Belmont spur line closed down in 1956 after the bridge crossing the Swan River was damaged by fire. Due to large growth, there was demand for another school in the area, so buildings from East Fremantle were transported to a new site at Hillcrest, which opened in 1952.
In 1971–72, the second Garratt Road Bridge was built. Both bridges are now heritage listed. In the early 1980s, Tonkin Highway was built between Railway Parade and Morley Drive, dividing the suburb and changing the character of the area. Beechboro Road and Irvine / Clune Street were split in two by the highway. It had been planned since the 1960s, and had affected the development of the area. In 1988, Tonkin Highway was extended south of Railway Parade, linking it to the other side of the river.
21st century.
As of the 2010s and 2020s, development in the Bayswater town centre and around Meltham railway station is a contentious issue. The City of Bayswater started work on a structure plan for the Bayswater town centre in November 2015. The structure plan would plan for building heights, land uses and connections for cars, pedestrians and cyclists. A draft for the structure plan was released in July 2017, and public comments on it were invited in August 2017. In June 2019, the process started for creating a "redevelopment area" around the town centre. This would take development planning control away from the local government, and give it to the state government's DevelopmentWA. The process was completed in March 2020. In February 2020, City of Bayswater councillors voted to heritage protect the entire town centre. This resulted in backlash from some residents and the community group Future Bayswater, who say that it may hamper development and protect buildings with little-to-no heritage value. However other residents and the community group Bayswater Deserves Better praised the move for heritage protection. The structure plan was finalised in June 2020.
In 2019 and 2020, the City of Bayswater proposed to turn part of eastern Bayswater into a new suburb called Meltham. The new suburb would have centred on Meltham railway station, and would have has an area of . Its purpose was to give the area around the station its own identity. Responses from the residents indicated that 54% were opposed to the renaming due to various reasons, including criticism of the name, worries that property values would decrease and association of Meltham with anti social behaviour. City of Bayswater councillors decided in May 2020 to not proceed with the new suburb.
Geography.
Bayswater is located north-east of the central business district (CBD) of Perth, the capital of Western Australia, east of the Indian Ocean, and covers an area of . The elevation ranges from on the banks of the Swan River to at Hillcrest Primary School. The suburb is bounded on the south by the Swan River, with Ascot on the other side of the river, bounded to the west by Maylands, bounded to the north by Bedford, Embelton and Morley, and bounded to the east by Bassendean and Ashfield, which are in the Town of Bassendean. Bayswater also shares corners with Inglewood and Eden Hill.
Bayswater consists predominantly of low density single-family detached homes, zoned as "urban" in the Metropolitan Region Scheme. There is an industrial area in the eastern parts of the suburb, and a small town centre around King William Street and Whatley Crescent. The suburb is divided by Tonkin Highway and the Midland railway line.
The streets throughout the suburb mostly follow a grid pattern. The roads that are perpendicular to the Swan River are remnants from the rectangular ribbon grants which extended from the river, and some of the roads which are roughly parallel to the river are remnants of the later subdivision of Bayswater into 5 acre lots. Streets named after early residents and landowners of Bayswater include Whatley Crescent, which was named after Anne and John Whatley, Hamilton Street, which was named after John Hamilton, Copley Street, which was named after Benjamin Copley, and Drake Street, which was named after Henry Drake. Another origin of many street names in Bayswater is towns and streets in England, such as Almondbury Street, Arundel Street, Clavering Street or Shaftesbury Avenue.
Bayswater lies on the Bassendean Dunes, which formed 800,000 to 125,000 years ago during the middle Pleistocene. The dunes form low-lying hills made of heavily leached white to grey sands, which are poor at retaining nutrients. Groundwater is generally about below the surface. The Bassendean Dunes are a part of the greater Swan Coastal Plain.
Bayswater Brook was a natural brook that ran through Bayswater and nearby suburbs, linking various swamps and creeks in the area. In the 1920s, due to development, it was modified into a network of drainage channels, with some covered sections and some open sections. The brook discharges into the Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary, which discharges into the Swan River. The Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary is an artificial wetland, created after the surrounding area was used as a landfill between 1972 and 1981. The wetland had significant environmental problems until it was rehabilitated in 2015. Nearby is Gobba Lake, an artificial deepwater lake named after Gino Gobba, a former City of Bayswater councillor. It was made for a clay pit used by Walkenden's Brickworks. Gobba Lake also underwent rehabilitation to make it more attractive to flora and fauna, and make it better for recreational use by humans.
Erosion of the Swan River foreshore due to boat traffic is a problem in Bayswater. At least 5m of erosion has occurred between 1995 and 2020. The City of Bayswater is currently funding works to prevent and fix erosion that has occurred.
Demographics.
Bayswater's population at the 2016 census was 14,432. This is an increase on the 13,525 recorded at the 2011 census, 12,152 recorded at the 2006 census, and the 11,303 recorded at the 2001 census. 49.1% of residents are male, and 50.9% are female. The median age is 38, which is above the Western Australian average of 36, and 44.3% of residents over the age of 15 are married, which is below the state average of 48.8%.
The median weekly household income was $1,705, which is higher than the state and the country, which are at $1,595 and $1,438 respectively. Major industries that residents worked in were school education (4.7%), cafés, restaurants and takeaway food services (4.5%), architectural, engineering and technical services (4.0%), hospitals (3.7%), and state government administration (3.7%). 4% of residents are unemployed, which is below the state average of 4.7%.
The population of Bayswater is predominantly Australian born, with 62.5% of residents were born in Australia, which is around the state average of 62.9%. The next-most-common birthplace was England (7.0%), New Zealand (2.9%), India (2.9%), Italy (1.6%), and Vietnam (1.2%).
The most popular religious affiliations were no religion, with 28.6%, Roman Catholicism (27.4%), Anglicanism (14.9%), Uniting Church (2.7%), and Buddhism (2.4%). Churches in Bayswater include Saint Columba's Catholic Church, Apostolic Church, and a Russian Orthodox Church, which happens to be the only one in Perth.
Parks and Amenities.
Bayswater has a small town centre around the intersection of Whatley Crescent and King William Street. Amenities there include the Bayswater Library and Community Centre, a Bendigo Bank community branch, an Australia Post post office, a WA Police station, a hotel and various small businesses. Businesses along Guildford Road include Muzz Buzz, Red Rooster, a Mazda dealer and a car rental. Businesses and services in the industrial area in Bayswater's east include a Bunnings Warehouse and the Baywaste Transfer Station, run by Cleanaway. The nearest shopping centre to Bayswater is the Galleria, in Morley. Other shopping precincts are in Bassendean, Inglewood and Maylands, which all have major supermarkets.
Lining the Swan River in Bayswater is various parks and reserves. Starting from the west, the Baigup Wetlands are one of the last remaining areas of natural bushland along the Swan River's estuary, and an important habitat for birds. A.P. Hinds Reserve is home to ANA Rowing Club, Bayswater Paddlesports Club and Bayswater Sea Scouts. Riverside Gardens is a popular park for dogs and picnics, and has a playground, boat ramp, café and a large open grassed area. Annual events held here include the Autumn River Festival and the finish line of the Avon Descent, both of which involve food stalls and entertainment. Nearby is the heritage listed Ellis House, which was restored by the City of Bayswater, and is now a community art centre. Next to Riverside Gardens is the Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary, an artificial wetland and bird habitat, and on the other side of Tonkin Highway is Claughton Reserve, a large park with a boat ramp and playground.
On the corner of Whatley Crescent and Garratt Road is the Frank Drago Reserve, which is home to the Bayswater City Soccer Club, Bayswater Bowls and Recreation Club, Bayswater Croquet Club and Bayswater Tennis Club. In the suburb's town centre, there is Bert Wright Park, which hosts the Bayswater Growers' Market every Saturday, and Halliday Park, which is home to the Bayswater Lacrosse Club and AIM Over 50 Archery Club, and has a war memorial which hosts an annual Anzac Day dawn service. Between Coode Street and Drake Street, near Hillcrest Primary School is Hillcrest Reserve, which has three ovals for Australian rules football and cricket, floodlights, cricket nets and clubrooms. The reserve is split into Upper Hillcrest Reserve and Lower Hillcrest Reserve, and is home to several amateur and junior football and cricket clubs.
Education.
The first school to open in Bayswater was Bayswater Primary School, which was established in 1894 as the Bayswater State School, and is located on Murray Street, near the Bayswater town centre. It caters to 60 Kindergarten students, and 370 students between Pre-Primary and Year 6 as of 2020. It became an independent public school in 2020. The school is listed on the City of Bayswater Local Heritage Survey. In 1904, the school received a bell from a railway locomotive, used to call the children into class. It still remains to this day, despite calls for modernisation, and is the reason behind the school's motto "Ringing True".
In 1936, St Columba's School, a private catholic primary school opened to students. It located on Roberts Street, and caters to almost 500 students from Pre-Kindergarten to Year 6. The church located on the site is listed on the City of Bayswater Local Heritage Survey.
The third school, and second public school to open in Bayswater was Hillcrest Primary School, which opened in 1952. It is located on Bay View Street, on the crest of a large hill. It caters to 61 Kindergarten students, and 364 Pre-Primary to Year 6 students as of 2020. It became an independent public school in 2020. The school is listed on the City of Bayswater Local Heritage Survey.
In 1985, Durham Road School opened in Bayswater. The school caters to students with intellectual and physical disabilities from Kindergarten to Year 12, serving students from all over Perth. The school had 200 students as of 2020.
There are no secondary schools in Bayswater, but parts of the suburb are in the local intake areas for John Forrest Secondary College and Hampton Senior High School, both of which are independent public schools in Morley for students in Years 7 to 12. Also, just north of the suburb boundary with Bedford is Chisholm Catholic College, a private catholic high school.
Governance.
Local.
Bayswater is in the City of Bayswater local government area. It lies mostly within the City's west ward, although there is a small portion of the suburb within its central ward. Councillors for the west ward are Lorna Clarke, Giorgia Johnson and Dan Bull, who is also the mayor. Councillors for the central ward are Barry McKenna, Sally Palmer and Steven Ostaszewskyj. Between 1897 and 1983, the suburb of Bayswater was the council seat of the City of Bayswater, which was known then as the Bayswater Road Board and later as the Shire of Bayswater.
State.
Bayswater west of Tonkin Highway is within the Electoral district of Maylands, and east of Tonkin Highway is within the Electoral district of Bassendean for the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. Both of these districts are strong seats for the centre-left Labor Party. Labor has held Maylands since 1968 and Bassendean since it was created in 1996. Maylands' current member is Lisa Baker, and Bassendean's current member is Dave Kelly. In the Western Australian Legislative Council, both these districts are part of the East Metropolitan electoral region.
Bayswater has two polling locations: The Senior Citizens Centre and Hillcrest Primary School. The results below combine the results of these two polling places.
Federal.
Bayswater is within the Division of Perth in the Australian Federal Government. It is a safe seat for the Australian Labor Party, and has been held by a Labor member since 1983. Its current member is Patrick Gorman. The results below combine the results of Bayswater's two polling places, Hillcrest Primary School and the Senior Citizens Centre.
Transport.
Cars are the most popular mode of transport in Bayswater. The 2011 Census said that 62.9% of residents travelled to work in a car. However, bicycle and public transport usage is significantly above the state average. 15.6% of Bayswater Residents saying that they take public transport to work; the state average is 9.4%, and 2.7% ride a bicycle to work; the state average is 1.1%.
Road.
The arterial roads which service Bayswater are Tonkin Highway, Guildford Road, Beechboro Road North, Garratt Road and Grand Promenade. Tonkin Highway is a north–south controlled access highway. Heading north on Tonkin Highway leads to Ellenbrook (20 km) and Joondalup (32 km) via Reid Highway. Heading south, the Redcliffe Bridge carries Tonkin Highway over the Swan River, which leads to Perth Airport, Armadale (33 km) and Roe Highway. The only other bridge over the Swan River in Bayswater is Garratt Road Bridge, which leads to Ascot and Belmont (6 km). Heading south-west on Guildford Road leads to Maylands and the Perth CBD (6 km). Heading north-west on Guildford Road leads to Bassendean (4 km), Guildford (7 km) and Midland (11 km). Grand Promenade heads north-west of Bayswater and connects to Alexander Drive, Morley Drive and Dianella. Beechboro Road North heads north of Bayswater, leading to Beechboro and Malaga.
Local distributor roads in Bayswater include Beechboro Road South, Collier Road, Coode Street, King William Street, Walter Road East and Whatley Crescent. Whatley Crescent goes through the town centre and connects to Guildford Road west of Bayswater as another connection to the Perth CBD. Collier Road connects the Bayswater industrial area to Tonkin Highway and Guildford Road, as well as linking Bayswater to the Morley commercial precinct. Beechboro Road South connects the town centre and the industrial area to Broun Avenue north of Bayswater.
King William Street is the main street through the town centre, and is the most direct connection between the town centre and Guildford Road. Coode Street connects the town centre to Morley in the north. King William Street and Coode Street connect by an underpass under the railway line. The rail bridge at the underpass has been named the Bayswater Bridge by locals, and is notorious for tall vehicles hitting it. There are three other railway line crossings in Bayswater. They are, from east to west, a level crossing connecting Railway Parade and Guildford Road, a bridge carrying Tonkin Highway over the railway line and a bridge connecting Railway Parade and Whatley Crescent near Meltham Station. There are four crossings of Tonkin Highway in Bayswater, two of which have an interchange with Tonkin Highway. They are, from north to south, Collier Road, which bridges over the highway and connects as a single-point urban interchange, Railway Parade, which passes under a bridge, Guildford Road, which passes under a bridge and connects as a folded diamond interchange, and Dunstone Road, a minor road which passes under a bridge.
Train.
Bayswater is serviced by Bayswater railway station and Meltham railway station on the Midland railway line, with commuter services operated by Transperth between Midland and Perth. The currently under construction Airport railway line branches off from the Midland line in Bayswater. When it opens in 2021, it will connect Bayswater to Perth Airport and Forrestfield. In addition, the Morley–Ellenbrook railway line is currently under planning, set to branch off from the Midland line at Bayswater too. It is scheduled to open in 2023, creating a public transport connection between Bayswater and Perth's outer north-eastern suburbs. As part of the Morley-Ellenbrook line project, Morley railway station is set to be constructed just north of Bayswater, which will improve public transport coverage to north-eastern parts of the suburb when it opens. Whatley railway station, which was located in the eastern part of Bayswater near the intersection of Wyatt Road and Higgins Way, was demolished in 1957 following the closure of the Belmont railway line in 1956.
Bus.
Transperth bus services in Bayswater include routes 41, 48, 55, 341, 342, 955, 998 and 999. They are operated by Path Transit under contract from Transperth. Path Transit also operates a bus depot in Bayswater. Routes 41, 48 and 55 heading south-west lead to the Perth CBD. In Bayswater, route 41 travels along local streets south of Guildford Road before it loops back around at Leake Street. Route 48 travels along Guildford Road and King William Street, connecting to Bayswater railway station. North of there, route 41 links to Morley bus station, traversing several minor roads along the way. Route 55 travels down Guildford Road and links to Bassendean railway station. Routes 341 and 342 traverse the northern boundary of Bayswater at Walter Road. To the west, they connect to Morley bus station. To the east, they connect to Bassendean railway station and several north-eastern suburbs, including Beechboro. Route 955 travels along Collier Road. To the west, it connects to Morley bus station. To the east, it connects to Bassendean railway station, before heading north to Ellenbrook. Routes 998 and 999, also known as the CircleRoute are a pair of high frequency bus routes which roughly travel in a circle around Perth. Their route through Bayswater consists of Garratt Road, Guildford Road, King William Street and Coode Street. They have a connection at Bayswater railway station. 998 travels south through Bayswater, and 999 travels north through Bayswater. The CircleRoute provides a connection to Morley bus station, Dianella Plaza and Stirling railway station to the north, and Ascot Racecourse, Belmont Forum and Oats Street railway station to the south.
Cycling.
Bayswater is well connected by Principal Shared Paths (PSP's). The Midland Railway Line has a PSP alongside it, which leads to the Perth CBD to the west, and Midland to the east. Tonkin Highway has a PSP alongside it north of Railway Parade, constructed in 2017 as part of NorthLink WA. There is also a PSP along the river which is used for recreational cycling.
In 2015, Leake and May Streets were selected to become Perth's first bike boulevard. The speed limit on the bike boulevard is , below the standard limit in Australia. Cars are made to slow down by traffic calming measures. The bike boulevard was made to encourage cycling in the area, by linking the river, Bayswater Primary School and the Perth–Midland PSP. The bike boulevard was opened in March 2017. In April 2018, the City of Bayswater decided to not go ahead with stage two of the bike boulevard, which would have seen the bike boulevard extended north through Bedford and Morley.