Innaloo

The Innaloo locality was originally referred to as “Njookenbooroo”, This is believed to have been derived from the Aboriginal name for Herdsman Lake or a nearby swamp and was adopted in 1927.  According to Josephine Allison in the “West Australian” 31.8.2002, “Innaloo [is] Aboriginal for a native woman that social worker Daisy Bates met in her travels to Dongara, [and] was chosen from three other names by government officers at the time [1927].”

The area now known as Innaloo was originally part of land bought by Thomas Mews in 1831. Subdivision in northern Innaloo was approved in 1898; however, development lagged for many years. The southern section was subdivided in 1916, though once again demand was not high. A map drafted in the early 1920's indicates that only ten houses had been built in the region, with most of the land used for grazing. The Education Department acquired land in the area in 1915 and constructed the Njookenbooroo School on the north east corner of Odin Road. In 1927 the names of the school and post office were changed to "Innaloo" after the local Progress Association requested a name change. Extensive development in the area began in the 1940's, with street names taken from Greek mythology and the passenger list from the ship "Rockingham".

Residences in Innaloo are primarily single detached homes erected around the time of World War II. Most of these buildings are of timber frame construction and reflect post-war design standards. Innaloo also contains a scattering of duplex homes and recently constructed units, which are gradually replacing the older housing stock. Most of these newer dwellings are of brick and tile construction and modern design.

Innaloo Shopping Centre  (now Westfield) forms a focal point for the suburb. It was originally built in 1967 and was one of the first large scale suburban shopping centres in the metropolitan area.

The Nookenburra hotel formed a focal point in the community. There was a commemorative capstone from the former AMP Building in Perth installed at in the carpark area.  It had a series of plaques to acknowledge the early pioneers, and the Aboriginal people of the area.  It is now on display at the Mount Flora Regional Museum.  The hotel site was later redeveloped as part of a larger retail complex.