Hamersley family collection

Edward and Anne Louise Hamersley arrived in Fremantle on the Shepherd in 1837, and purchased extensive land holdings in the Swan River Colony, including property in Guildford, York, Northam, Beverley, Geraldton and later North Beach.  They had eight children and the majority of the land holdings were later inherited by their son, Samuel Richard Hamersley.

The family had connections to farming and exploration in the early years of the colony. Many places in Western Australia were named after members of the Hamersley family, including the Hamersley River, Hamersley Range, Mount Flora, the suburb of Hamersley, Hamersley Ward in the City of Stirling and a number of streets in Watermans Bay and North Beach.

Margaret Elvire Hamersley married Deputy Surveyer-General John Forrest in 1876. John Forrest became the first Premier of Western Australia in 1890, and later a federal politician.