How an old brickworks water hole became the centre of Lake Treeby

In the 1950s, Midland Brick dug a hole in what is now Treeby to source water. Over the decades that followed, tall trees grew up around its edges, and ducks, fish, frogs and turtles came to call it home.

About Lake Treeby

That water body now sits at the heart of Lake Treeby, a private estate by Perron Group that has been designed around the health and wellbeing of the people who live there. Almost all of the mature trees near the lake have been retained, giving the surrounding parkland shade from the outset, while jacaranda trees line the avenue that runs alongside it.

The lake has been shaped into an all-ages recreation area. A 327-metre circuit loops the water for walking and jogging, and an exercise deck near a gentle cascade offers space to stretch, do yoga or simply sit and read. Four decked areas and a boardwalk look out over the water, and an adventure and nature play zone gives children climbing nets, a raised net bridge, slides and a dry river bed with a water pump. Barbecues, picnic tables and open grass for a kick of the footy round it out.

Beyond the lake, more than 47 per cent of the estate is green space. Outdoor exercise stations are free to use at any time, every road has a footpath, and street lighting has been planned with evening walks in mind. Fruit trees are grown in the streets for residents to pick, and community corners include library boxes for book swapping, bird baths, herb gardens and hopscotch.

The land's past runs through the design. Midland Brick operated a masonry plant here for more than 50 years, producing a white calsil brick, and recycled bricks from that plant now feature in seating and paving in selected parks. The suburb itself takes its name from Joseph and Emma Treeby, who settled in the area and established a market garden in the 1890s, and Banjup Memorial Park, within Treeby, holds a gum tree for each of the 14 local men who enlisted in World War I. Long before that, the Whadjuk people of the Noongar nation lived in the area, with its many natural lakes providing a source of food and water.

The estate was established on land that had previously been cleared, so hardly any native bushland needed to be removed for development. Perron Group will donate 46.2 hectares of surrounding Banksia Woodland to the National Trust of Australia, to become a regional park managed for conservation. Within the estate, parks and reserves have been built to a water sensitive design that manages stormwater and recharges groundwater, and a native front garden landscaping package is offered to all buyers.

More is on the way. The State Government has started construction on a new primary school within Lake Treeby, which is on track to open in February 2028. Immediately south of the school and north of the lake, the City of Cockburn will deliver a 3.5-hectare sporting recreation reserve, with the playing field and shared use with the school already confirmed.

Day-to-day needs are close at hand. Cockburn Gateway Shopping City, with around 170 stores, is within 3 kilometres, as are the Kwinana Freeway and Cockburn Central train station. Treeby Primary School and Piara Waters Senior High School are already open nearby, and Coogee Beach and Woodmans Point are about 15 kilometres away.

Builders in South West Perth, WA

A range of established WA builders are active across Perth’s southern suburbs, from first-home specialists to builders offering more flexibility in design. Each of the builders and building partners below has house and land packages available at Lake Treeby.

Blueprint Homes

Blueprint Homes is a Perth-based builder established in 2005, specialising in single storey homes designed to suit a range of budgets and lifestyles. Its designs include options for frontages from 10 metres through to 17 metres.

The builder offers house and land packages and custom design options. It works with first home buyers, investors and owner-occupiers through one-to-one consultation from design to construction. Blueprint has received multiple Housing Industry Association and Master Builders Association awards for service and home design.

Plunkett Homes

Plunkett Homes was established in 1903 and has been building for Western Australians for more than a century, helping shape suburbs such as Bull Creek, Ardross and Como. Its building footprint stretches from Yanchep to Baldivis. It also has local teams, suppliers and offices in regional WA, including the South West and Great Southern.

The builder’s range takes in country-style and Hamptons-inspired homes, single and double storey designs and unit developments. It also offers custom-designed homes, catering to buyers who are upsizing, downsizing, developing or investing.

Celebration Homes

Celebration Homes has been building in Western Australia since 2002, and has delivered more than 12,000 homes across Perth and the South West. The builder has built its reputation on spacious homes at affordable prices.

Its range centres on single storey, three and four-bedroom designs, with floorplans that can be tailored to suit different lifestyles and budgets. Celebration Homes has won the ProductReview Homebuilder Award six years in a row.

Bottom line

Land is currently selling in the estate's Harmony precinct, where civil works for the first two stages are complete. All land on offer is titled, with land from $429,000 and house and land packages from $754,000. A display village of single and double storey homes is open within the estate, and a second display village is under construction, expected to open in early 2027.