History of Brabham
The suburb of Brabham is located within the City of Swan's Urban Growth Corridor in Perth, Western Australia. Once included in the suburb of Henley Brook, Brabham was established in 2011 and named after Australian motor racing personality Sir Jack Brabham. Situated in the Whiteman Ward of the City of Swan, Brabham is bordered by Park Street in the north, Murray Street in the Easy, Harrow Street in the south and Lord Street in the west.
In 1943, the Caversham Airfield was constructed to benefit the Royal Australian Air Force and the US Navy as temporary airfield during World War 11. The airfield consisted of 3x 5,000 ft sealed runways and although the main north-south runway sits outside of the Property, the remaining runways within the estate will be incorporated into the design to celebrate the remarkable aviation history of the site.
The motor racing history associated with the land south of Youle-Dean Road and the adjacent land to the east is exciting and unique to Brabham. To pay homage to this rich history, design elements within estate the will take inspiration from the landmark locations within the area. The Caversham Motor Raceway held events such as 1946 Victory Grand Prix, which attracted around 60,000 people or approximately 10% of the population of Western Australia. It also hosted the 1957 and 1962 Australian Grand Prix, where famous drivers of the day such as Sir Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren, Lex Davidson and Stan Jones competed.
The former Caversham Raceway consisted of three circuits:
- 'D Shape' Circuit;
- 'Triangle' Circuit; and
- T-Circuit
In the 1960s, the Australian Army took control of the land and constructed a Signal Station and several other buildings including an operations centre, powerhouse and pump house. The buildings and mast remain on the property and are located on the land south of Youle-Dean Road and within the retained bushland.