Guildford
Guildford sits on a peninsula formed by the Swan and Helena rivers, in the City of Swan. It was laid out in 1829 as one of the first three towns of the Swan River Colony, and the whole town is now on the State Register of Heritage Places.
The housing
The 2021 Census counted 797 private dwellings in Guildford. Of the occupied ones, 81.3 per cent were separate houses, 13.7 per cent were semi-detached houses or townhouses and 3.8 per cent were flats or apartments. The town is the City of Swan’s Guildford/Mandoon Heritage Area, and development approval is needed before any works. The City’s character statements trace four building eras: Colonial (1829 to 1849), Convict (1850 to 1881), Gold Boom and Federation (1882 to 1918) and Inter-War (1919 to 1945). Houses range from Georgian cottages to Federation Queen Anne houses and bungalows and inter-war Californian bungalows, built in red brick, painted or rendered brick and weatherboard, mostly under galvanised iron roofs. Places built up to and including 1945 are treated as contributing to the heritage area.
Shops and cafes
James Street is the shopping strip, known for its antique shops. The Rose and Crown Hotel at 105 Swan Street opened as an inn in 1841, and the Stirling Arms Hotel is a stop on the town walk. The Swan Valley Visitor Centre is in the old Guildford Courthouse on the corner of Meadow and Swan Streets.
Parks and open space
Stirling Square, set out in the 1829 town plan and modelled on an English village green, is ringed by sugar gums, some planted in the 1870s, and has St Matthew’s Church at its centre. The City’s heritage policy calls it the oldest public park in Western Australia. Kings Meadow and Fishmarket Reserve are also on the town map, and four marked heritage walks, from the 450 metre Stirling Square Circuit to the 2,250 metre Captain Stirling Walk, start and finish at the old courthouse.
Getting around
Guildford Station is on the Midland Line, with 481 parking bays, and East Guildford Station is the next stop towards Midland. The new Midland Station, further along the line with a 12 stand bus interchange, opened to passengers on 23 February 2026.
Education
Guildford Primary School at 125 Helena Street teaches Kindergarten to Year 6 and dates its founding to 1833, which the school says makes it the oldest continually operating school in Western Australia. Guildford Grammar School at 11 Terrace Road, founded in 1896, teaches Pre-Kindergarten to Year 12 with day and boarding places and has been fully co-educational since 2018.
The history of Guildford
How Guildford got its name and how it grew: read our Guildford history.
Our sales in Guildford
KPR has settled 1 sale in Guildford.
- Bertie Street: 1 sale
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