CJ Grosvenor, New Albana

Local Area Profile #1:

THE CITY OF MOSELEY
Local Council Area
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Aerial map of the City of Moseley LGA​

After the settlement of Grosvenor in 1790, Moseley is one of the oldest British colonial settlements in New Albana. Moseley was founded in 1792 and subsequently proclaimed a part of the Colony of Grosvenor. The settlement was located on the northern banks of Moseley River approximately 2 kilometres east from the nearest coast. The link between Grosvenor and Moseley was established following the construction of a 22-kilometre cobblestone road in 1793.

In the late 18th Century, the development of Moseley was very slow due to several factors including a lack of drinking water and infertile lands which was unsuitable for farming. Moseley only flourished economically because Glenelg (2 kilometres west of Moseley) was home to Grosvenor's only seaport until the settlement of Port Grosvenor in 1801.

In 1816, parishes of Moseley, Glenelg and Shorncliffe were amalgamated into one single local municipality under the name of the Town of Moseley. The municipality was one of 34 new local councils across Grosvenor following the implementation of a democratic government system in New Albana - which was the first in the world in 1816. The municipality was renamed into the City of Moseley in 1825 after the construction of its own City Hall. In 1830, the population of the City of Moseley was 17,500.

Following the success of the new electric tram system in Grosvenor in the 1880s and 1890s, a new 25-kilometre light railway track between Grosvenor Queen Street railway station and Glenelg was built. After six years of construction, the route opened in 1902.

MOSELEY​

Moseley City Centre (close up)


Moseley City Centre (further out) with the Moseley River
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As a result of the Moseley Modernisation Programme (implemented in 1971), more than a half of all old buildings within the historical town centre of Moseley were demolished by 1978. The programme was designed to give Moseley a chance to regenerate into a modern city with new buildings and urban design. Despite a strong opposition from the residents and business owners, many historical landmarks and buildings such as the Moseley City Hall (1825), the Moseley General Post Office (1832), St. Mary's Cathedral (1849) and Moseley Railway Station (1895) all were demolished in 1976-77. The crucial metropolitan commuter railway link between Moseley and Grosvenor was also scrapped with several new bus routes provided as a replacement.

The Southwest Centre Plaza shopping complex (top left, picture above) was built in 1980 where the City Hall, the General Post Office and the Cathedral once stood. In 1982, the Federal Government of New Albana built new government office buildings on the vacant site once occupied by the railway station. Many, many other old buildings (especially historical houses and shops) across Moseley were replaced by new industrial warehouses, manufacturing centres, shopping centres and commercial buildings.

These radical actions were justified as an attempt to revolutionise the local economy of the City of Moseley in order to be "better prepared for the 21st Century." It was not until the mid-1990s when the City Council realised the big mistake.

Upon the agreement between the City of Moseley and the Federal Government of New Albana in 1997, all remaining historical buildings in Moseley were given the highest and strongest heritage protection order. While this is a reasonable outcome, more than half of historical buildings were lost in the 1970s and will never be returned.

In a twist of events, the Federal Government demolished the government office buildings (from the 1980s) in 2007 in order to build a new light railway spur off from the existing Glenelg tram line. The new tram and bus interchange is located on the former site of the Moseley Railway Station which was demolished in 1976.

GLENELG​

Glenelg and its beaches with Grosvenor CBD in the background
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Aerial view of Glenelg
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In November 1792, the construction of Glenelg's first jetty commenced and the timber structure was 481 metres (nearly 1,600 ft) long. The jetty was used not only by fishermen but also to accept domestic and international cargo and passenger ships, including mail service to the nearby islands of the Gulf St Vincent. Practically every trade and commercial activities in Grosvenor went through Glenelg Jetty until Port Grosvenor replaced Glenelg as Grosvenor's main port in 1801. The jetty continued to accept cargo and passenger ships until it was finally decommissioned in 1933 and subsequently converted into recreational uses. During the Second World War (1939-1945), the Glenelg Jetty was used by Americans for their war effort.

Even though Glenelg actually has its own surf beach, it was generally unpopular among locals until the 1950s because of the City of Moseley's strict anti-swimming ordinance. Many locals in Grosvenor swim at Brighton and Cottesloe beaches. The strict anti-swimming ordinance was repealed in 1956.

In 1964, the Glenelg Jetty was almost completely destroyed due to a fire outbreak caused by an arsonist. The remaining structure unaffected by the fire was deemed unsafe and was eventually demolished before it was replaced by a new 215 metre jetty four months later. The second jetty continues to stand today, at the end of Jetty Road.

SHORNCLIFFE​

Shorncliffe with Grosvenor Airport and the CBD in the background


The present view of Shorncliffe town centre
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Just like Moseley, Shorncliffe too experienced a lot of development and planning-related problems in the past but for a completely different reason.

The problem was largely related to expansion and growth of Grosvenor Airport which is immediately north of Shorncliffe. The airport was first opened in 1921 primarily catered to service mail and small cargo between Grosvenor and nearby towns in New Albana. It was not designed to be a passenger airport.

Despite this, a small passenger terminal was eventually built in 1934 intended for regional passenger services only. The demand for passenger air services became a serious issue in the 1950s due to international commercial flights becoming more affordable and readily available for passengers. The first international passenger terminal was built in 1966 and provided indirect connections to several major cities such as London.

From this point on, the number of passengers and flight routes in and out of Grosvenor Airport gradually increased until a significant expansion was critically needed in the late 1980s. Grosvenor Airport still had a single, 1.5 kilometres runway until the second, cross-over 2 kilometres runway was built in 1992. The original runway was extended from 1.5km to 3km in 1995. The existing domestic and international terminals were demolished and rebuilt into one large modern two-level terminal in 1999.

For the government, it was all progressive and economically rational, however, because of the airport expansion, Shorncliffe lost approximately 40% of its physical size. In 2009, the face of Shorncliffe changed again due to the construction of the new M1 motorway that ripped through the suburb to connect the South Coast Road near Glenelg from Grosvenor CBD via Grosvenor Airport.

Shorncliffe could change yet again due to the Federal Government's proposal to build a third runway for Grosvenor Airport which is due to commence in 2020. The communities around the City of Moseley, including Glenelg and Shorncliffe, are now rallying up together against the new runway proposal.

Aerial view of the City of Moseley and Grosvenor Airport ​