Lake Karrinyup

The wetlands in the area now called Karrinyup were gazetted as Swan location 92.

The name “Karrinyup” was derived from the title of a local swamp.  “Careniup” is an Aboriginal word apparently meaning “the place where bush kangaroos graze”.  “Carine” means “black gloved wallaby”, and “up” often relates to water.  Surveyor P. Chauncey gave the lake this name, Careniup, during his survey in 1844.

In 1840 Samuel Moore purchased the land to graze cattle. It was considered ideal for this purpose as it remained grassed year-round. The location changed hands over the years, but cattle grazing continued to be main use until the land was subdivided and sold as sixth of an acre blocks by Charles Stoneman in 1904. Part of his ad for the Killarney Ocean View Estate, south of the current Karrinyup Road, read: “Lofty sites, charming ocean views, grand scenery, lovely beaches".  

The land sold well but development of houses was fairly slow. The Lake Karrinyup Country Club was one of the earliest major developments in the area. It was established in 1929 and during World War Two was used by the Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) as a training facility. On the completion of the Country Club the name of the suburb was changed to the current spelling.