The name Jandakot was recorded in an 1844 survey as the name of a lake in the area (now Forrestdale Lake).
The bulk of today's Jandakot is a remnant of the large-scale colonial government enterprise known as the
Jandakot Agricultural Area, first opened in 1890. Looking for ways to entice gold-rush migrants to stay in the state, Premier John Forrest allowed small farmland plots to be taken up at low or no cost, provided settlers remained on their land and improved it with farming or market gardening.
Market gardens and dairies
Jandakot became a primary supplier of fruits, vegetables and dairy to the growing population of Fremantle as well as to the Goldfields.
They struggled with a lack of good roads to the markets at Fremantle, and with the lack of a railway to transport their produce. The Jandakot Roads Board was separated off from Fremantle and Canning districts in 1892, and tried to rectify these imbalances.
Jandakot community
Despite hardships, local settlers became a close-knit community, building the Jandakot Agricultural Hall in 1897, and the
Jandakot Hotel in 1902. They succeeded in campaigning for a railway to be built from Fremantle through Jandakot to Armadale, completed in stages from 1905 to 1907, but it did not bring the prosperity they had hoped for. They formed the district's
first soccer team in 1914, and were well known as a sporting district.
Falling behind
By the 1920s, neighbouring Spearwood was reaping more of the benefits of the railway, and Jandakot was falling behind due to a lack of modern conveniences, like connection to electricity and sewerage. The Jandakot Roads Board fell into disarray and was disbanded by the State Government in 1923, and the Jandakot and
Banjup localities were resumed by the Fremantle District Roads Board (precursor to the modern Cockburn Council).
The area remained largely rural, with segments being carved out to create newer suburban developments:
South Lake in 1982, and Cockburn Central in 2006. The Jandakot Airport was opened in 1963.
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