Retaining Walls in East Bunbury
Two precincts
East Bunbury, 4 kilometres from the centre, has two precincts: Rathmines in the north, named for the Rev Joseph Withers's home town in Ireland, and Wollaston in the south. Most Rathmines houses were built after the 1960s, while suburban development in Wollaston took place in the 1950s and 1960s.
The chaplain's chapel
Wollaston is named after Rev John Ramsden Wollaston, who built a small timber chapel at Charterhouse beside the Preston River and opened it in September 1842. It was not consecrated until 1969, and a churchyard holds early pioneers' graves. Ask the builder to confirm whether any heritage rule applies near a historic site.
A remnant lake
Horseshoe Lake, a remnant oxbow lake, lies within Wollaston opposite the Bunbury Forum shopping centre, and the Preston River forms part of its eastern edge. Low ground near water means careful drainage. Ask a builder about the water table on your street, and how any wall behind a retaining structure would be kept dry.
Trades and industry
Wikipedia says the suburb has a strong emphasis on trades, retail and services, with a light industrial area west of Picton Road that extends from central Bunbury. Ask a builder to say who does each task and whether subcontractors are used. Ask a builder to state who does each task.
The railway terminal
The Bunbury Passenger Terminal, built between 1983 and 1985, is the terminus of the Australind train, and the first service used the new station on 29 May 1985. Ask the builder how they would handle machinery on a block with limited street access.
Eelup Rotary
The Eelup Rotary, where the Forrest Highway ends in East Bunbury, was once named the worst regional intersection in Western Australia and received a $16 million upgrade, switched on in May 2012. Traffic near that intersection could affect deliveries. Ask a builder when they would book trucks, and how they would keep clear of the road.
Natural stone
For a feature wall, the guide lists natural rock at $500 to $1,000 or more per square metre. Stone differs in size, weight and source. Ask the builder what stone is quoted, whether it is cut or natural, and how the face will be kept clear of soil and silt, because water can hide behind it.
Boundary and neighbour
The City of Bunbury lists a BA20 form for consent to encroach or adversely affect, and the City of South Perth says a wall may be built across a boundary only with written agreement from the affected neighbours. Ask your builder who sends the form and who signs it.
Rathmines and the chaplain
East Bunbury is 4 kilometres from the centre of Bunbury and has two precincts. The northern portion, Rathmines, is named for the Irish home town of Rev Joseph Withers. He arrived in Western Australia on 18 January 1864 as chaplain on the convict ship Dalhousie, moved to Bunbury a month later and served as Anglican chaplain from 1864 to 1880 and again from 1889 to 1893.
Which precincts make up East Bunbury?
Rathmines in the north and Wollaston in the south.
What is the Bunbury Passenger Terminal?
The terminus of the South Western Railway and the Australind train service, in East Bunbury.
What is Horseshoe Lake?
A remnant oxbow lake in Wollaston, opposite the Bunbury Forum shopping centre.
Nearby
South Bunbury
Carey Park