A Crooked Road

One accepts a curve in a road today but the most prominent one we may wonder about is where St Georges Terrace meets Adelaide Terrace.

Looking at the image from 1859 which shows Roe’s structure to the left and a shed to the other with the road alignment already having a dog leg in it. I heard it is due to Matilda Roe’s fondness for gardening and it spilling from it’s plot or maybe the chook shed?

You will know Matilda’s hubby John Septimus Roe who set out much of Perth serving the colony as Chief Surveyor for 40 years until the death of his beloved who he married before the ship set sail from England to colonise WA in 1829 having some 13 children.

Roe had a huge impact on WA and arguably the most significant legacy left by Roe was the setting aside of Kings Park. As early as December 1830, Roe responded to a request to cut timber below Mount Eliza with: “Mr. Mews to be informed that the neighbourhood of Mt. Eliza is reserved for public purposes”. Although it is widely accepted that Roe’s successors Malcolm Fraser and John Forrest were most instrumental in the establishment of Kings Park, Roe was clearly responsible for the initial setting aside of the park.