 The Parap Parish Hall between Westralia Street and Charles Street existed in 1949, but was not named until 1954.When Administrator Driver was making the first moves towards local government, local Progress Associations were set up, including Stuart Park in 1950.It is believed that the park or camp area, formerly part of Parap, got its name as a separate unit from the park/camp area near the Stuart Highway which in turn is named after Scottish explorer John McDouall Stuart.