Exploring Guildford Road Perth WA Australia, Maylands, Bayswater, Ashfield, Bassendean

Guildford Road is a major road in Perth, Western Australia, linking the inner-city suburb of Mount Lawley with Guildford in the north-east. The ten-kilometre-long (6.2 mi) road runs mostly parallel to the Swan River, on its northern side, and is part of State Route 51, which runs between Perth's CBD and Midvale. Guildford Road is maintained and controlled by Main Roads Western Australia, which uses the internal designation "H026 Guildford Road" for Guildford Road, as well as Bridge Street and James Street in Guildford.[2] In the 1930s, the name Great Eastern Highway was coined to describe the road, but was actually used for the road on the other side of the Swan River. Guildford Road begins at a three-way junction with Lord Street and Walcott Street in Mount Lawley. It runs in a north-easterly direction, passing under the Midland railway line at the Mount Lawley Subway, and continuing through the residential areas of Maylands and Bayswater After a folded diamond interchange with Tonkin Highway, the road follows the Midland railway line to Bassendean. A short distance after the intersection with West Road and Bassendean Oval, the road narrows to a single lane in each direction, and Guildford Road becomes Bridge Street. Bridge Street crosses the Swan River, connecting to Guildford's main road, James Street. Origins A road to Guildford was constructed in the 1830s, shortly after the founding of the Swan River Colony. Lieutenant Dale was appointed, and paid a salary, to construct a road and some small bridges. At a special meeting of the Agricultural Society on 8 April 1834, the quality was criticised as "the work of a rough carpenter", as was the fact that works finished at the road leading to the private residence of the Colonial Secretary. The following week the comments regarding the extent of the works was described as erroneous, as there was some distance from the completed section to the branch road, and that "workmen were taken off the road at the express recommendation of the Agriculturists, to enable them to procure labourers during the harvest-time". By September 1840, the road was in a "shameful state" of disrepair, with many owners of horses for hire refusing to let their animals travel on the road. The local newspaper, The Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal, speculated that the reason for the neglect was the road on the southern side of the Swan River would soon be open, and warned that until then, the cost of public injuries would likely be ten times the cost of necessary repairs.