Gwelup

About Gwelup

Gwelup is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located 12 kilometres north of the central business district along the Mitchell Freeway in the City of Stirling. The name derives from the Noongar word "Gwelgannow", meaning "to shift position", referring to Lake Gwelup, a seasonal wetland first recorded by the Land Department in 1878 as "Gwelup Swamp". Land near the lake was first granted to Thomas Mews in 1831 and was later subdivided by Henry Bull in the late 1890s. The area was used primarily for market gardens before transforming into a residential suburb from the 1970s onward. Lake Gwelup Reserve encompasses a 25-hectare wetland surrounded by native bushland, supporting diverse birdlife, reptiles, and flora including marri, jarrah, and tuart trees. The Careniup Wetlands, located on the suburb's northern boundary, are also of ecological and historical significance.