Mandurah | |
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 Mandurah war memorial | |
 Interactive map of Mandurah | |
| Coordinates:32°31′44″S115°43′23″E / 32.52889°S 115.72306°E /-32.52889; 115.72306 | |
| Country | Australia |
| State | Western Australia |
| LGAs | |
| Location |
|
| Established | 1831 |
| Government | |
| • State electorate | |
| • Federal division | |
| Area | |
• Total | 106.6 km2 (41.2 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 90,306 (2021 census)[1] |
| • Density | 847.1/km2 (2,194.1/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+08:00 (AWST) |
| Postcode | 6210 |
Mandurah (/ˈmændʒərə/MAN-jər-ə) is a coastal city in the Australian state ofWestern Australia, situated approximately 72 kilometres (45 mi) south of the state capital,Perth. It is the state's second most populous city, with a population of 90,306.[1]
Mandurah'scentral business district is located on the Mandurah Estuary, which is an outlet for thePeel Inlet and Harvey Estuary. The city's name is derived from theNoongar wordmandjar, meaning "meeting place" or "trading place". A townsite for Mandurah was laid out in 1831, two years after the establishment of theSwan River Colony, but attracted few residents, and until thepost-war boom of the 1950s and 1960s it was little more than a small fishing village. In subsequent years, Mandurah's reputation for boating and fishing attracted many retirees, including to thecanal developments in the city's south.
Along with four otherlocal government areas (Boddington,Murray,Serpentine-Jarrahdale, andWaroona), theCity of Mandurah is included in the widerPeel region. Mandurah is sometimes grouped together with Perth for statistical purposes, especially since the extension of theKwinana Freeway and the completion of theMandurah railway line in the late 2000s. The two cities now form aconurbation along the Indian Ocean coastline, although the Perth metropolitan area officially ends atSingleton around 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) north of Mandurah's city centre.
Mandurah has grown from isolated holiday communities along the shores of thePeel-Harvey Estuary to a major regional city in just over a decade, in a similar vein to theGold Coast in Eastern Australia. In recent times, it has formed aconurbation with Perth along the coast; it is only 18 km (11 mi) south ofRockingham, a southern suburb of Perth.
Mandurah has also become a popular lifestyle alternative for Perth retirees and its connection with the Perth CBD has been strengthened with the opening of thePerth-Mandurah railway line in December 2007 and a direct road connection to the Kwinana Freeway built by late 2010. A housing affordability survey of 227 cities in 2008 ranked it the least affordable city in Australia.[2]
The waters of the Peel Inlet and Harvey Estuary (one of Australia's larger inlet systems) form the centre of Mandurah. The estuary is approximately twice the size ofSydney Harbour. The city lies in and around this freshwater system which in turn feeds into the Indian Ocean. The city and its suburbs have many kilometres of ocean coastline 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, such asHalls Head,Dudley Park andWannanup.
In terms of geology, much of Mandurah lies on the dune systems which dominate South Western WA's coastline, progressively grading towards the Swan Coastal Plain as one travels inland. The area has infertile soils due to the dunes being rather sandy, having poor water retention qualities. Limestone outcrops are found to the north of the city especially along theMandurah railway line. Mandurah is the closest city toYalgorup National Park which is home to modernthrombolites as well as an array of flora and fauna.
Mandurah is located in theSwan Coastal Plainecoregion. The ecoregion contains an array of vegetation, from coastal dune and sandplains tobanksia and eucalypt woodlands. Mandurah is covered by shoreline and dune deposits from thePleistocene andHolocene that overlie Paleozoic and Neogene deposits of thePerth Basin. Coastal dunes feature scrub-heath communities, though banksia low woodlands occur on the soils of coastal dunes. Progressing inland give way to eucalypt woodlands.[3]
Seasonal wetlands (dry in the summer and wet in winter) are the most diverse habitat in the Swan Coastal Plain, which Mandurah has several wetland regions around thePeel Inlet. The wetlands feature severalosprey nests,spoonbill anddarters. Other fauna includesgalah,short-billed black cockatoo,long-billed black cockatoo, andAustralian ringneck among others. Australian ringnecks face competition for nesting space fromrainbow lorikeet, an introduced species in Western Australia, that has now spread to Mandurah. Despite attempts to eradicate rainbow lorikeets, the population has grown to the point that they can no longer be eradicated.[4]
Mandurah is typically considered a marginal area for the major parties in Australian politics, tending to vote left-wing in state politics while more conservative in federal politics. Mandurah lies in theDivision of Canning, held by theLiberal Party'sAndrew Hastie. At state level, northern and central Mandurah is located in the safe Labor seat ofMandurah held byDavid Templeman, while southern Mandurah is located inDawesville, a traditionally safe Liberal seat that was swept up in Labor's landslide of 2021, and is now held by Labor'sLisa Munday. A sliver of eastern Mandurah is located inMurray-Wellington, held by Labor'sRobyn Clarke. Despite technically being in a regional area, theNational Party vote is negligible.
Mandurah has a typicalMediterranean climate (Köppen classificationCsa) with hot dry summers and mild wet 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 a couple of days exceed 40 °C (104 °F) in the latter half of summer. In winter (June to August), the average maximum temperature is 18 °C (64 °F) with an average minimum temperature of 9 °C (48 °F). Mandurah's proximity to the ocean moderates diurnal temperatures somewhat, with temperatures a few kilometres inland often 4 or 5 degrees warmer during summer days (or cooler during winter nights). Frosts are very rare as a result, but do occur annually around areas such asGreenfields. The current weather station opened in 2001 and is situated on the coastline, causing data recorded to appear warmer during winter nights and cooler in summer days compared to surrounding areas.
Mandurah also receives a moderate though highly seasonal rainfall of about 850 mm a year, however recent trends have seen this once reliable rainfall drop significantly. In addition, most of the winter rains are usually accompanied by severe winds and storms capable of causing widespread damage, making Mandurah one of the windiest cities in Australia. These conditions are perfect fortornado formation, which Mandurah's climate is remarkable for producing one of the highest densities of tornadoes in the world.[5]
Summer storms are rare due to the Mediterranean climate in the city, but not unheard of. Mandurah was affected to a lesser degree than Perth in the2010 Western Australian storms, but the 2011–12 summer was notable for Mandurah bearing the brunt of three severe thunderstorms. One such storm on 12 December 2011 gave Mandurah almost seven times its monthly average (69.4 mm compared to an average of 15.5 mm), which was eclipsed exactly one year later on 12 December 2012 (74.2 mm). Another storm on 20 January 2012 dumped 57 mm on the city causing power outages and flash flooding. One man and numerous buildings in the city were struck by lightning during the storm, which produced 2,300 strikes within 30 kilometres of the city, which was more than what neighbouring Perth receives in an entire year and comparable to the most severe electrical storms for which places in the tropics likeDarwin are known.[6][7][8]
| Climate data for Mandurah, Western Australia | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 41.0 (105.8) | 39.5 (103.1) | 37.8 (100.0) | 32.9 (91.2) | 28.8 (83.8) | 25.6 (78.1) | 22.2 (72.0) | 21.4 (70.5) | 25.6 (78.1) | 32.4 (90.3) | 37.7 (99.9) | 39.6 (103.3) | 41.0 (105.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.3 (84.7) | 29.6 (85.3) | 27.6 (81.7) | 24.4 (75.9) | 20.6 (69.1) | 18.1 (64.6) | 17.3 (63.1) | 17.7 (63.9) | 19.2 (66.6) | 21.2 (70.2) | 24.4 (75.9) | 27.0 (80.6) | 23.0 (73.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 17.2 (63.0) | 17.1 (62.8) | 15.8 (60.4) | 13.9 (57.0) | 11.2 (52.2) | 9.7 (49.5) | 9.0 (48.2) | 9.2 (48.6) | 9.9 (49.8) | 10.7 (51.3) | 13.6 (56.5) | 15.5 (59.9) | 12.7 (54.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 10.1 (50.2) | 9.7 (49.5) | 6.6 (43.9) | 5.1 (41.2) | 2.4 (36.3) | 0.9 (33.6) | 1.9 (35.4) | 0.6 (33.1) | 3.1 (37.6) | 3.8 (38.8) | 4.3 (39.7) | 9.5 (49.1) | 0.6 (33.1) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 9.6 (0.38) | 13.3 (0.52) | 19.6 (0.77) | 44.0 (1.73) | 126.2 (4.97) | 189.7 (7.47) | 175.4 (6.91) | 126.6 (4.98) | 84.7 (3.33) | 51.8 (2.04) | 22.8 (0.90) | 11.6 (0.46) | 875.1 (34.45) |
| Source:[9] | |||||||||||||
TheNoongar (or Bibbulmun) people, who inhabited thesouthwest of Western Australia, named the area Mandjar ("meeting place"), which became the present day name "Mandurah".
In December 1829,Thomas Peel arrived in Western Australia from the United Kingdom with workmen, equipment and stores on the shipGilmore. He had financed the trip in exchange for a grant of land in theSwan River Colony. A term of the grant was that he arrive no later than 1 November 1829, thus his original land grant was forfeited. Undaunted, Peel built a small settlement named Clarence south of theSwan River Colony at what is known today asWoodman Point.[10] Facing many problems with the settlement and his own ill-health, Peel led the remaining Clarence settlers to the area known today as Mandurah.[11] Soon after, other settlers also took up land in Mandurah including the families Hall (whose cottage at Halls Head is one of the region's most notable heritage places), Tuckey and Eacott. The census of 1837 records only 12 settlers at Mandurah, probably representing only 3 households.[12] Thomas Peel died in 1865 but Mandurah continued to grow, albeit very slowly, over the years leading to the 20th century. Fish were abundant, and in 1870 a fish cannery was established at Mandurah.[13] Canning factories sustained the preservation of produce from local fishing and fruit industries.[14]
A railway line between Perth and Pinjarra was opened in 1893, which allowed Mandurah to emerge as a tourism hub in the region.[14]
The population of the town was 160 (95 males and 65 females) in 1898.[15]
Mandurah was administered under the Murray Road Board until 1949, when the Mandurah Road Board was established. However, dissension within the board during the 1950s saw it suspended and Commissioner Richard Rushton oversaw the town's affairs. On 26 April 1960, the Mandurah Road Board was reconstituted, and on 1 July 1961, in accordance with the Local Government Act 1960, the Shire of Mandurah was founded.
Industrial development atKwinana (1955),[16] a mining boom in nearbyJarrahdale (1963)[17] andWagerup (1984),[18] with the associated industrial boom inPinjarra (1963),[19] combined with an idyllic lifestyle by the coast, saw Mandurah grow rapidly, and on 1 July 1987 it became the Town of Mandurah. Three years later, on 14 April 1990, Mandurah became the fifth non-metropolitan settlement in Western Australia to be named acity.[20]
According to the2021 census of Population, there were 107,641 people living in Mandurah.[39]
Much of Mandurah's economy is based on construction, tourism, professional, scientific and technical services, and retail trade, and to a lesser extent on mining and agriculture.[40]
Mandurah is considered the unofficial gateway to theSouth West and possesses a variety of tourist attractions, most of which are located near the water. It is a major fishing and crabbing area in Western Australia, with the city well known for the blue manna crab (Portunus pelagicus) with a festival held in March known as Mandurah Crab Fest.
Mandurah is home to WA's largest population ofBottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops), currently estimated at 120.[41]
Like neighbouring settlementsBunbury andRockingham dolphins and whales frequent the city annually and dolphin and whale watching are a popular pastime. In December, the canal areas in Mandurah becomes well known for their Christmas lights and special boat cruises are often promoted as a result.
There are two zoos within the outskirts of the city, as well as a miniature village, a tourist railway and a national park.
Mandurah is Australia's top tourism town for 2023.[42]
Mandurah has year-round seven-day shopping. Mandurah has five distinct shopping areas, including Mandurah Forum, which opened in 1983 and has had major renovations during 2016 to 2018[43] and is located at the intersection of Pinjarra and Mandurah Roads, The Bridge Quarter (or The Foreshore) located in the CBD, and Dolphin Quay/Mandurah Ocean Marina built at the intersection of Mandjar Bay and the Peel Inlet. There are also significant retail centres inMeadow Springs,Greenfields,Halls Head andFalcon.
Although not a mining settlement, Mandurah has a number of mines within two hours of the city. This includesbauxite mining and alumina refining atPinjarra andWagerup with the Huntly Mine at Pinjarra the largest in the world.[citation needed] Mandurah is also just one hour away from theBoddington Gold Mine, which has recently become Australia's largest producing gold mine.[44]
The Mandurah Crab Fest is held annually on the estuary foreshore on the third weekend in March. Celebrating the region's seafood, the event features food stalls and cooking demonstrations as well as live music and entertainment.[45] It was first held in 1999, succeeding the Kanyana Carnival, which was held annually between 1966 and 1988, with sporadic events held during the 1990s.[46]
Every New Year's Eve, there are fireworks and live entertainment and activities throughout the evening through to midnight.[47]
Highway 1 bisects the city of Mandurah asMandurah Road towardsFremantle andOld Coast Road towardsBunbury. Meanwhile,Pinjarra and Gordon/Lakes Roads serve as major east-west corridors for the northern part of the city. TheKwinana Freeway andForrest Highway also provides a rural bypass for the city.Mandjoogoordap Drive (formerly the Mandurah Entrance Road) also provides a direct link from the Kwinana Freeway.
TheMandurah railway line, opened in December 2007, links Mandurah to Perth, with a travel time of approximately 50 minutes. Public transport within Mandurah is provided byTransperth, due to its proximity to Perth itself, with eleven bus routes servicing the city. Mandurah is also a stop onTranswa bus services between Perth and theSouth West.
The Mandurah Estuary Bridge was constructed between 1981 and 1986, and was the first incrementally-launchedbox girder bridge in Australia. TheDawesville Channel (also known as theDawesville Cut), a large man-madechannel, was opened in April 1994. It was created to allow saline seawater from the Indian Ocean to flush into the Peel Inlet, to deal with the incidence ofalgal blooms which had plagued the estuary for many years.
Mandurah lies at the southern end of the Perth TV licence area, and is close to the regional Western Australia licence area. Local translators provide five digitalfree to air networks from Perth:ABC,SBS,Seven Perth,Nine Perth and10 Perth and threefree to air commercial networks from southern Western Australia:Seven Regional WA,WIN andWest Digital Television.
One local newspaper, the weekly “Mandurah Times” (formerly named “Mandurah Coastal Times”) services the city. TheMandurah Mail circulated in the area until 2022 when it became an online-only publication. The Mandurah Mail no longer has local reporters.[48]
Mandurah is served by twocommercial radio stations, 91.7 The Wave (formerly known as 6MM 1116) and 97.3 Coast FM. Perth radio stations can also be heard in the city.
Mandurah is at the centre of a water recycling project known as theHalls Head Indirect Water Reuse Project. Based in Mandurah, it has been awarded the Western Australian Water Corporation Award for Water Treatment and Recycling in 2009. Anaquifer is used to filter the area's sewage water providing safe, quality irrigation water for local parks, gardens and ovals.[49] Mandurah is also linked to Perth's water supply.
Mandurah is home to thePeel Thunder Football Club in theWest Australian Football League,Mandurah City FC in theFootball West State League Division 1, and theMandurah Magic in theNBL1 West.
Greyhound racing is held weekly at the Greyhounds WA Mandurah venue.[50]
There are several golf courses in the area including the Mandurah Country Club, Meadow Springs Golf Club, and Secret Harbour. Mandurah is a private, tree lined course; Meadow Springs is a public course inhabited by kangaroos; and Secret Harbour is a public links course near the beach.[citation needed]
A photograph of Mandurah taken in 1961 adorns the cover of the 1986 albumBorn Sandy Devotional byThe Triffids.
Electro pop duoTim and Jean hail from Mandurah.[51]
Mandurah was featured in the 1986 filmWindrider, starringNicole Kidman.
Media related toMandurah, Western Australia at Wikimedia Commons
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