'Galup' is a Whadjuk Noongar word meaning 'Place of Fires' and refers to what is called 'Lake Monger' a remnant of the series of wetlands once known as the 'Perth Great Lakes'. In 1830 it was the site of a colonial era massacre when Redcoats of the British 63rd 'West Suffolk' Regiment and armed settlers pursued a party of Noongar from Mount Eliza t…

Leeuwin means 'Lioness'. A Dutch Galleon of the Dutch East India Company it charted the South coast of Western Australia in 1622. Leeuwin left Holland bound for the capital of the Dutch East Indies, Batavia (modern day Jakarta, Indonesia) blown off course, the Captain Jan Fransz would encounter Western Australia, and thereafter it would be known as…

Albany's Princess Royal Harbour was named by British Explorer George Vancouver in 1791. He chose to honour Princess Charlotte, Queen of Wurttemberg and eldest daughter of King George III. The local Minang - Noongar people call it 'Mammang Koort' meaning 'The Heart of the Wild Whale'. Recognising the strategic importance of Albany and it's magnifice…

During World War II, the Western Australian port of Fremantle was host to over 170 US, British and Dutch submarines. Braced for invasion and taking the war to the Japanese in South East Asia, these submarines made 416 war patrols between March 1942 and August 1945. Many never returned. This episode of Backyard Battlefields is an interview with Lynn…

Campbell Barracks is a defence establishment in Swanbourne, Western Australia. It was named for Lt. Colonel J.A Campbell, the former Commandant of Commonwealth military forces in WA. Located in the heart of what is colloquially known by locals as the 'Golden Triangle' it has played a role in almost every major international event affecting Australi…

Corunna Downs was a top secret WW2 airbase in Western Australia. Called the 'Invisible Airfield', it was located in desert and spinifex country in the Pilbara region. Its strategic location allowed Australian and American bombers to launch surprise attacks on Japanese targets in the Dutch East Indies.…

An Australian plan was established in 1939 for the domestic production of armaments in the event war cut off the continent from the oceanic supply lines which sustained it. As a result a number of factories were built thoughout the country. One of these was established in Welshpool, Western Australia. Factory No. 6 as it was known produced one of t…

Axford Park is a small reserve in the suburb of Mount Hawthorn, Western Australia. It is named for soldier and local resident, Thomas Leslie 'Jack' Axford, who was awarded the Victoria Cross for actions during the Battle of Hamel in 1918. This operation was directed by Australian General John Monash and was considered a 'text-book' victory which in…

Nestled in the quiet suburb of Mount Lawley there is a Masonic Hall built in the 1928. It was designed by George Herbert Parry, a prolific Western Australian architect in an interwar 'Beaux Arts' style. During WW2 it found a new purpose, used by the Royal Australian Airforce (RAAF) as the 6th Fighter Sector Headquarters responsible for the air defe…

On the 3rd of March 1942, Japanese Zero fighters operating from Kopang, Indonesia attacked the Western Australian Pearling port of Broome. It was a target rich environment with the harbour packed with military and civilian aircraft filled with refugees from the Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies. One of the victims was a Dutch Dakota carryi…

The Brig 'Amity' was the ship which carried Major Edmund Lockyer and a contingent of troops to form the first European settlement in King George Sound, Western Australia. It was initally called 'Frederick Town' after Frederick, Duke of York and Albany (King George IIIs favourite son) and was later renamed 'Albany'. The local Menang people call it '…

Cape Naturaliste was named for a ship of the French Baudin Expedition of 1800. It's a prominent location, overlooking Geographe Bay on one side and the vastness of the Indian Ocean on the other. The high ground made it the perfect location for a lighthouse, guiding ships through the sometimes treacherous waters surrounding the Cape. During WW2 it w…

In March 1942 terrified refugees are fleeing the Dutch East Indies as Japanese forces march South. One of the last planes out, destined for Broome, Western Australia is a Dakota DC-3 piloted by Russian WW1 Ace Captain Ivan 'Turc' Smirnoff. Unbeknownst to those on board it's carrying a mysterious package filled with a fortune in Diamonds. Attacked b…

In 1941 sailors from a German merchant raider HSK Kormoran came ashore at Red Bluff, Western Australia following a battle with the Australian Cruiser HMAS Sydney. Before they reached the beach they disposed of any items which could complicate their capture. This episode recounts a unique 2007 discovery at Red Bluff and the key events of the engagem…

Garden Island is a thin limestone sliver, 5km off the coast of Western Australia. It was an idyllic holiday destination until it became an important part of the defence of Fremantle during World War 2, protecting the Cockburn Sound and Southern approaches to the port. It was also the training ground of the famous 'Z' Special Unit, who paddled their…

William Dampier was a Pirate, Author and Explorer. He published numerous books including 'A New Voyage Around the World (1697) which was a unique blend of adventure and natural history which made him a popular sensation. He was the first English person to explore the coast of Western Australia in the ship HMS Roebuck which was the first Royal Navy …

In 1925 during a charity ball at Perth's Government House, in front of hundreded of witnesses, Cyril Gidley was shot in the chest at point blank range and killed. The assailant was his 20 year old former fiance Audrey Jacob. It was one of the more dramatic trials which took place at Perth's Old Courthouse. What appeared to be an open and shut case …

The Old Perth Courthouse is the city's oldest surviving building. It was built in 1836 to assert the supremacy of British law in the Swan River Colony and soon became integral to legal and civic life. It was designed in a classical 19th century Greek revival style and is one of two remaining examples of the work of Colonial Engineer Henry Revelly. …

In 2016 two Russian MI-24 attack helicopters were buried at the Darwin tip. The story of how they came to be there is a tale involving spies, diplomats, mutineers and mercenaries in a scandal that came to be known as 'The Sandline Affair'.By James De Leo

Built in 1870 in a Victorian Gothic and French Second Empire Architectural style the Perth Town Hall was designed by Architect Richard Roach Jewell and James Manning. It is the only Town Hall in Australia built primarily by convict labour.By James De Leo

On the 10th of June 1940 Italian Dictator Benito Mussolini declared war on Great Britain and France. That day the Italian Motorship 'Remo' was in the Western Australian port of Fremantle. It was loaded with cargo and carrying 229 passengers. It was siezed by Australian authorities as a 'Prize of War' and drafted into service.…

In 1932 the Australian Army was deployed with machine guns to 'fight' thousands of Emus (large flightless birds indigenous to Australia) destroying crops in the Western Australian wheatbelt town of Campion. The operation became known as 'The Emu War'.By James De Leo

St Albans Church in the Perth suburb of Highgate was named for the first British Christian Martyr, Saint Alban. Built in 1889 in a Romanesque style, it was an early design of soldier Architect Lt. General Joseph John Talbot Hobbs.By James De Leo

On the 17th of August 1832 a duel was fought on the shores of the Swan River in the newly established colony of Western Australia. The combatants were two prominent citizens, 28 year old Solicitor William Naire Clark and former Naval officer and merchant George French Johnson.By James De Leo

The Baudin Expedition 1800 - 1803 was a French Scientific journey to chart the coast of 'New Holland' (Australia) It was approved by Napoleon Bonaparte as First Consul of France and began with two warships Le Geographe and Le Naturaliste. The expedition charted large parts of the Australian continent and 'discovered' more than 2000 animal and plant…

Perth's 'Barracks Arch' is all that remains of the 'Pensioner Barracks'. It was a Tudor style bulding designed by colonial architect Richard Roach Jewell in 1863. It is located at the Western end of St Georges Terrace, Perth and once housed the members and families of the 'Pensioner Guards'. These were ex-soldiers who served as guards on convict sh…

In 1942 a Japanese submarine I-21, operating off the East coast of Australia shelled the port of Newcastle in New South Wales. This attack was in the context of the bombardment of Sydney's Eastern suburbs and the audacious midget submarine attack on Sydney Harbour.By James De Leo

The Chinook (or 'Chook') is a twin-rotor heavy lift helicopter manufactured by Boeing and used by the Australian Army. A detatchment was deployed to Afghanistan in support of the Special Operations Task Group (SOTG)By James De Leo

In September 1943, Japanese Navy Kawanashi 'Emily' Flying Boats operating out of Surabaya, Indonesia bombed the Western Australian town of Onslow, Western Australia.By James De Leo

The Pinjarra Mounted Volunteers were raised in 1862 by prominent citizen Captain Theodore Fawcett, formerly of the British 6th Dragoon Guards. It was the first mounted unit raised for policing and defence in the Western Australian Perth (Boorloo) area, known then as The Swan River Colony.By James De Leo

Born in the town of Northam, Western Australia, Hugo Throssell won the Victoria Cross (VC) at Gallipoli in 1915 and later became a Socialist and outspoken advocate on the futility of war.By James De Leo

The Monte Bello Islands have a unique place in Western Australian history. They form an archipelago lying approximately 130KM off the Pilbara coast and in the 1950s they were the site of 3 British nuclear weapons tests called 'Operation Hurricane' and 'Mosaic.'By James De Leo

Ronnie and Georgia of The Block fame join us for this episode of The Crunch. The newest REIWA Ambassadors talk us through the ins and outs of selecting a proeprty to renovate or develop and how they choose an agent to work with as well as the differences between the Perth market and the Eastern states. Plus Shane gives us a rundown on the latest ma…

This week Jess is back hosting solo and welcomes Chris Jones from Davey Real Estate into the studio. Chris lives and sells in Duncraig and they discuss the benefits of working with your neighbours. Chris also chats about why he took a risk to change careers and become a real estate agent with a 1-year-old at home and how the skills from his past ca…

In this episode David James is back as co-host and we welcome Dave Murray from Realmark Urban to the studio to let us in on his secrets to his successful first years in real estate and how his apprenticeship under one of Perth's best agents set him up and gave him the confidence to go out on his own Dave discusses how like attracts like, why hard w…

This week we welcome Mark Grogan from O'Neil Real Estate back onto the show along with the Golden Gavel himself, Ross Hunter The guys kick us off with a discussion about the changing property landscape in Perth and how it's affecting their approach to marketing. We then turn to the topic no one can get away from - investors, east coast investors an…

++ THE CRUNCH ++ This week on The Crunch this week we welcome Peter Zambotti from Mont Property. Peter specializes in selling the suburbs around Mt Pleasant and Ardross and we discuss the differences in that market compared to Shane's core area of Gosnells. The guys also delve into why process is so important in getting and maintaining listings and…

This week Team Trolio from The Agency join us on The Crunch. Craig, Luke & dad Nick have been working together for 20 years predominantly servicing the suburbs surrounding Hamilton Hill. The team talk to us about why they are still getting multiple offers on properties, despite mounting interest rate rises, how they split work between the three of …

This week on The Crunch we ask Ross and Shane to grade 2022 and give us their best predictions for 2023. As always, it's not that simple with the guys breaking down how various markets within Perth are performing and what the key factors are that will affect us in 2023. With a reputation to maintain, will Ross "Rostradamus" Hunter and Shane "Crysta…

This week on The Crunch we get into the nitty-gritty of the Government's proposed changes to the REsidneital Tenancy Act. Who do the changes benefit? What should agents, property managers, landlords and tenants be looking out for? Is it all too little too late or is there some unnecessary overreach? Shane and Kirstin have thoughts and we want to he…

This week David James - Sales Coach joins Jess as co-host, bringing his always-on-positive attitude. He's been doing his research and he thinks the current Perth market is looking a lot like the early 2010s. Good news for Perth agents! Plus Di Addenbrooke, Director & Licensee of Pulse Property Group talks about building trust in your community and …

Shane's back this week and once again we're talking about interest rates. Combined with the rising cost of living, are buyers & sellers concerned? And what are investors in Perth doing? Dean Sims, Director of Bellcourt also joins us to give his opinion. Selling in South Perth & Como means he sees a lot of investors - what advice is he giving them a…

This week Shane Beaumont joins Jess to talk all things REIWA Awards - what do they really mean to the winners? Our special guest this episode is John Hunter from William Porteous Property International. John has benefited from some incredible mentors in his career so we ask how that has helped him get such early success in an area dominated by very…

We're relaunching! Same name, similar faces, same great content! We've brought Shane Beaumont and Ross Hunter over from Off Market and we'll be back monthly talking all things property in WA with expert opinions and some very special guests. This week we catch up with Shane and Ross, find out what's changed and talk about how we can expect interest…

Kojanup Barracks is an important piece of Western Australian history. Built by British Redcoats of the 51st Regiment it was a staging post on the road to the strategically important town of Albany. Kojanup is located 256km South East of Perth, Western Australia.By JAMES P. DE LEO

The Fremantle Artillery Barracks was built to service the forts defending the Western Australian port of Fremantle. Sitting atop Cantonment Hill on the corner of Burt and Tuckfield Streets, it is now home to the Army Museum of Western Australia.By JAMES P. DE LEO

This week on Off Market we head to West Perth with Mack Hall's Richard Self, the panel discuss why transparency is key in today's market and we ask what do buyers & tenants need to do to avoid disappointment (and is a pet resume really necessary.) Plus we're flicking Play of the Week for a new segment - Movers and Shakers. Got a tip? Send it throug…

The IJN Ibuki was a Japanese battlecruiser which in 1914 escorted the Gallipoli bound Australian and New Zealand troops from Albany at the Southern tip of Western Australia to the Middle East.By JAMES DE LEO

We're back! We've made it to Season 3 and we're kicking off with a visit to Space Real Estate with guest, Justin Davies. After a huge start to 2021 for the real estate industry we dive right in to what is really going on. Is now a good time to buy? Is it a good time to sell? What is really happening with property prices? As Ross says, real estate a…

Now a backpackers hostel, the Old Swan Barracks on Francis Street in Northbridge, former headquarters and home to Perths Central Drill Hall, was an important feature of the pre-Federation military forces in Western Australia.By James De Leo