Matilda Osborne

In 1894 James Grave began building Perth's finest resort hotel- Osborne Hotel. This extensive hotel was surmounted by a tower with a 70 ft turret and surrounded by landscaped gardens with fountains flowers, retreats, shades and summer houses. There was also a tennis court, bowling green, boat shed, swimming baths, with a flight of 200 steps to the water's edge to cater for those arriving by boat.

The hotel and the street were named after Matilda Osborne, wife of the late William Osborne who financed the purchase of the land and the construction of the Hotel in 1894. Purchased by Loreto Sisters for Loreto Convent School 1901. Demolished 1962. The Perth-Fremantle Road was renamed Stirling Highway in 1932 after the first Governor of Western Australia, Admiral Sir James Stirling.

Matilda donated the large iron gates for the Osborne Hotel. Some sources say there is also a tribute to Osborne Castle on the Isle of Wight.

An article in the Sunday Times dated 2 Nov 1919 commemorates her son Charles;

Dead in Melbourne, Charles Henry Osborne, aged 37, and scion of an old West Australian family. He was the youngest son of the late William and Matilda Osborne, the latter a remarkable business woman in her day. She ran a Hay-street butchery for many years after her husband's death and financed the late James Grave in his extensive Osborne enterprise, near Cottesloe, now the property of the Loretto nuns. The lady accumulated considerable property, including the Osborne Park Estate, which she disposed of to English capitalists, and she also owned the only block that curbs into the Connor Estate, which fronts Hay, Barrack and Murray streets. The Osborne city property adjoins the Savoy Hotel on its eastern boundary, and extends to Murray-street. Those two frontages Mrs. Osborne bequeathed to her three sons, William, Robert and the subject of this notice, all of whom were educated at Prince Alfred College, at the same time as Hugo Throssell. V.C., and his brother Eric, who made the supreme sacrifice on the plains of Palestine.

Charles Henry Osborne married Kathleen, only daughter of the late Premier Leake (her maternal grandfather was Chief Justice Sir Archibald Bush), and she survives him. Of Matilda Osborne's three sons Robert, a solicitor in practice in London, is the only one now living, William having passed out at Cottesloe some years ago. One of the Osborne girls, Lavinia, married the late John Handran Smith, for many years secretary and handicapper to the W.A.T.C.

Another daughter married Beresford Hartnoll, who edited the illustrated 'Possum' and other ill-starred Perth sheets, printed in the building now occupied by Richard Holmes and Co., in Murray street.

Matilda Twynham Osborne (1844-1907)

Matilda Twynham Osborne was born in 1844 in England and became one of the most influential female landowners in colonial Western Australia. Through determination, business acumen, and strategic property investments, she and her husband accumulated substantial landholdings that helped shape several Perth suburbs, most notably Osborne Park, which was named in recognition of the family's extensive estate.

In 1863, at Champion Bay (now Geraldton), Matilda married William Robert Smith Osborne, an English convict who had arrived in Western Australia aboard the William Jardine on 1 August 1852. Convict number 1345, William had been sentenced to 14 years' transportation for larceny following previous convictions. He received a Ticket of Leave on 19 June 1854 and was granted a Conditional Pardon on 6 April 1857, allowing him to establish a new life in the colony.

The Osbornes spent many years moving throughout Western Australia before eventually settling in Perth. There they built a successful business based around a butcher's shop and abattoir, and their prosperity enabled them to acquire significant landholdings across the growing metropolitan area.

Matilda and William had ten children, although only six survived to adulthood, reflecting the harsh realities of nineteenth-century colonial life. Despite these challenges, the family flourished economically and became prominent members of Perth society.

Among Matilda's most enduring legacies was her contribution to the development of Claremont. She gifted land and financed the construction of the Osborne Hotel, one of the grandest buildings of its era. Opened in 1894, the hotel was built by businessman James Grave on a commanding cliff-top site overlooking the Swan River along Bindaring Parade, then known as Sea View Hill. The impressive building featured a striking tower, ornate turrets, sweeping wrap-around verandas, and approximately two acres of landscaped gardens.

A unique feature of the hotel was the famous Osborne Steps, a steep wooden staircase descending the cliff face to a private jetty on the Swan River. Guests frequently arrived by boat, adding to the establishment's reputation as an exclusive riverside resort.

Promoted as Perth's premier luxury destination for wealthy pastoralists and goldfields investors, the Osborne Hotel enjoyed only a brief period of success before financial difficulties emerged during the late 1890s.

In 1898, the property was purchased by William Dalgety Moore and soon afterwards acquired by the Loreto Sisters, who transformed it into Loreto Osborne, a convent and boarding school that served generations of Western Australian students. The original hotel building was demolished in 1963 to make way for new school facilities, while the remaining convent buildings were removed in 1990 for residential development.

William Osborne's later years were marked by declining health. He died on 22 May 1893 at the Fremantle Lunatic Asylum, several years before the opening of the hotel that bore the family name.

Sometime after her husband's death, Matilda returned to England. She died on 9 September 1907 in Westminster, London. At the time of her death, she left an estate and personal effects which, when adjusted for modern values, would be worth approximately $14 million today.

Matilda Twynham Osborne's life reflects a remarkable colonial success story. From humble beginnings, she rose to become a substantial property owner and benefactor whose influence remains visible in the landscape and history of Perth. Her legacy endures through the suburb of Osborne Park, the historical memory of the Osborne Hotel, and her significant contribution to the development of Western Australia.