Mandurah, Western Australia

Mandurah () is a satellite city 50 minutes (72 km) south of Perth, Western Australia.

With a population of around 75,000, many of them being young families and retirees, it is a booming coastal city much favoured by the citizens of Perth as a weekend getaway. Mandurah's major appeal to locals and tourists alike is its proximity to water and medium density living. The city is one of the fastest growing in the state and is now one of the top tourist destinations in Western Australia, with a performing arts centre of international standard, cinema complex, spectacular waterways and marina , restaurants, cafés and holiday accommodations ranging from first class to budget. Its "long weekend population" is estimated at over 300,000—five times the number of permanent residents.

Geography

Coastal Setting

The calm and rather spectacular waters of the Peel Inlet and Harvey Estuary (one of Australia's larger inlet systems) form the centre of Mandurah. The city lies in and around this freshwater system which in turn feeds into the Indian Ocean. Mandurah has plenty of coastline along the ocean most of which is sandy beaches. Mandurah also has a number of suburbs built around artificially created canal systems that extend from the Peel Inlet.

Mandurah covers 173.5 square kilometres and forms a narrow band less than 10 km wide. It lies on the sandplain that is adjacent to the Darling Scarp; extending to Rockingham in the north and Shire of Waroona in the south. It is flanked by the Indian Ocean to the west and by the Harvey Estuary and Pinjarra in the east.

Mandurah belongs to the Peel Region, which also includes the Shires of Boddington, Murray, Serpentine-Jarrahdale and Waroona.

Climate

Sharing a similar climate to Perth, Mandurah has a typical mediterranean climate with warm Summers and cool Winters. During Summer (December to February), the average maximum temperature is 27°C (80°F) with an average minimum temperature of 19°C (66°F). At its extreme it can get very hot, often having days exceeding 40°C (104°F) in the later half of Summer. In Winter (June to August), the average maximum temperature is 15°C (59°F) with an average minimum temperature of 9°C (48°F). Mandurah's proximity to the ocean moderates summer temperatures somewhat, with temperatures a few kilometres inland often 4 or 5 degrees warmer. Mandurah's climate is remarkable for producing one of the highest densities of tornadoes in the world ^*.

History

The Nyoongar (or Bibbulmun) people, who inhabited the South West of Western Australia, named the area Mandjar ('meeting place'). After European settlement the name changed, possibly due to mispronunciation, to Mandurah.

In December 1829, Thomas Peel arrived in Western Australia from the United Kingdom with workmen, equipment and stores on the ship Gilmore. He had financed the trip in exchange for a grant of land in the Swan River Colony. Unfortunately for him, the contract stipulated that he was to arrive by no later than 1 November 1829 and, as such, his original land grant was forfeited. Undaunted, Peel built a small settlement named Clarence south of the Swan River colony at what is known today as Woodmans Point. Many problems with the settlement along with Peel's own ill-health led him to lead the remaining Clarence settlers to the area known today as Mandurah. Thomas Peel died in 1865 but Mandurah continued to grow, albeit very slowly, over the years.

On the 1 July 1961 Mandurah, an area previously administered by a succession of different state government authorities (the last being the Mandurah Road Board), became the Mandurah Shire. At a local level it was now governed by a council of elected members in accordance with the (Western Australian) Local Government Act. Rapid growth over the next 50 years saw Mandurah upgraded to town status on 1 July 1987 (the 'Town of Mandurah') and, eventually, city status on the 14 April 1990 (the 'City of Mandurah').

Engineering

The Mandurah Estuary Bridge was constucted in 1985 to 1986, and was the first incrementally launched box girder bridge in Australia. The Dawesville Cut, a large man-made channel, was opened in April 1994. The Cut was created to allow the Peel Inlet water to flush with the Indian Ocean.

Future

The Mandurah railway line that is currently under construction and the proposed freeway link will all help to continue Mandurah's huge growth and better connect it with Perth. The issues surrounding water usage and future water demand are becoming more high profile throughout Western Australia and Mandurah is at the centre of a currently successful water recycling project. The Halls Head Indirect Water Reuse Project based in Mandurah has recently been awarded the Western Australian Water Corporation Award for Water Treatment and Recycling. An aquifer is used to filter the areas sewage water providing safe, quality irrigation water for local parks, gardens and ovals ^*.

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Geography

Coastal Setting

Climate

History

Engineering

Future

Sport

Suburbs

External links