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Perth was founded byCaptain James Stirling in 1829 as the administrative centre of theSwan River Colony. The city is situated on the traditional lands of theWhadjukNoongar people, whereAboriginal Australians have lived for at least 48,000 years. Perth was named after the city ofPerth inScotland.[6] Initially established as a free settlement, the colony acceptedtransported convicts from 1850 to supply labour for public works and construction. Perth was proclaimed as a city byQueen Victoria in 1856.[7] Substantial population growth occurred during the late 19th-centuryWestern Australian gold rushes, and the city has continued to expand, particularly afterWorld War II due to a highnet migration rate.Post-war immigrants were predominantly from the British Isles and Southern Europe, while more recent arrivals see a growing population of Asian descent. During the late 20th and early 21st centuries, a series of mining booms in various regions of Western Australia propelled Perth into the role of the regional headquarters for significantmining operations.
Ranked as one of the world'smost liveable cities, Perth was classified by theGlobalization and World Cities Research Network as a Betaglobal city in 2020. As of 2021,[update] Perth is divided into30 local government areas, comprising over350 suburbs. The metropolitan contours span 125 kilometres (78 mi) fromTwo Rocks in the north toSingleton in the south, and 45 kilometres (28 mi) from the west coast toSawyers Valley in the east. Beyond the central business district, predominant urban centres within the metropolitan area includeArmadale,Fremantle,Joondalup,Midland andRockingham. Most of those were originally established as separate settlements and retained a distinct identity after being subsumed into the wider metropolitan area.Mandurah, Western Australia's second-largest city, forms aconurbation with Perth along the coastline. Despite this, it is generally regarded as an independent city.
The name of the city is taken fromPerth, Scotland, in honour of theSecretary of State for War and the Colonies, and Member forPerthshire in theBritish House of Commons,Sir George Murray.[8][9] Murray's association with the city was included in Stirling's proclamation of the colony, read in Fremantle on 18 June 1829, which concluded with the statement, "Given under my hand and Seal at Perth this 18th Day of June 1829. James Stirling Lieutenant Governor".[10] The only contemporary information on the source of the name comes fromCharles Fremantle's diary entry for 12 August 1829, which records that they "named the town Perth according to the wishes of Sir George Murray".[11][12]
TheNoongar nameBoorloo is sometimes used to denote thecentral business district area,[13][14] thelocal government area,[15] or the capital city in general.[16][17][18] The nameBoorloo was initially recorded byRobert Menli Lyon asBoorlo in 1833,[19] which was interpreted as "Perth, properly Point Fraser" (a location inEast Perth). He also gave the nameByerbrup for "the highland stretching along from Mount Eliza through the centre of the town of Perth".[20] In 1947,Ludwig Glauert posited that Lyon may have misunderstood his sources and that "boorloo" or "belo" (now transcribed as "bilya") is simply the Noongar word for "river".[21] Another source has interpretedBoorloo to mean "big swamp",[22] describing the chain of lakes where thecentral business district andNorthbridge are situated.[23]
In November 2024, when announcing the opening ofBoorloo Bridge, thepremier of Western Australia,Roger Cook, and two of his ministers,deputy premierRita Saffioti andJohn Carey, referenced "the Noongar name for Perth – Boorloo",[24] and earlier in the year the Government of Western Australia stated "the name, Boorloo Bidee Mia, represents 'Perth pathway to housing' in Whadjuk Noongar language".[25]
Perth is located on the traditional land of theWhadjuk people, one of several groups in south-western Western Australia that make up theNoongar people.
Archaeological evidence attests to human habitation in the Perth area for at least 48,000 years;[26]: 9 according toNoongar tradition, they have occupied the area since "time immemorial".[27] Noongar country encompasses the south-west corner of Western Australia, with particular significance attached to thewetlands on the Swan Coastal Plain, both spiritually (featuring inlocal mythology) and as a source of food.[28]
The current central business district location is within the traditional territory of theMooro, a Noongar clan, led byYellagonga at the time of the British settlement. The Mooro was one of several Noongar clans based around the Swan River, known collectively as theWhadjuk. The Whadjuk themselves were one of a larger group of fourteen tribes that formed the south-west socio-linguistic block known as the Noongar (meaning 'the people' intheir language), also sometimes called the Bibbulmun.[29][30][31]
On 19 September 2006, theFederal Court of Australia ruled in the case ofBennell v State of Western Australia [2006] FCA 1243 thatNoongar native title persisted over Perth metropolitan area.[32] An appeal was subsequently filed, and in 2008, the Full Court of the Federal Court upheld parts of the appeal by the Western Australian and Commonwealth governments.[33] Following this appeal, theWestern Australian Government and theSouth West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council negotiated the South West Native Title Settlement. This settlement, including the Whadjuk Indigenous Land Use Agreement over the Perth region, was finalised by the Federal Court on 1 December 2021.[34] As part of this agreement, theNoongar (Koorah, Nitja, Boordahwan) (Past, Present, Future) Recognition Act was passed in 2016, officially recognising the Noongar people as thetraditional owners of the south-west region of Western Australia.[35]
On 10 January 1697, Dutch CaptainWillem de Vlamingh conducted the first documented exploration of the present-day Perth region. His crew initially explored the area on foot, leading them to what is now central Perth.[36] Vlamingh's expedition also ventured far up the Swan River, in search of native inhabitants.[37] They named the riverSwarte Swaene-Revier, a reference to theblack swans prevalent in the region.[37] After Vlamingh's expedition, other Europeans conducted further voyages of exploration in the period between 1697 and 1829. However, as with Vlamingh's assessments, they judged the area inhospitable and unsuitable for the agriculture necessary to sustain a European-style settlement.[38]
Despite theColony of New South Wales establishing a convict-supported settlement atKing George's Sound (calledFrederick Town, renamed toAlbany upon becoming part of Western Australia) on the south coast of the continent in 1826, responding to rumours of potentialFrench annexation, Perth marked the first comprehensive European settlement in the western portion of the continent in 1829. Officially designated asWestern Australia in 1832, the colony retained the informal moniker "Swan River Colony" for many years, after the area's major watercourse.[39]
The Foundation of Perth 1829 byGeorge Pitt Morison is a historical reconstruction of the official ceremony by which Perth was founded, although not everyone depicted may have actually been present.
On 4 June 1829, newly arriving British colonists had their first view of the mainland.[contradictory] Captain James Stirling, aboardParmelia, noted that the site was "as beautiful as anything of this kind I had ever witnessed".[40] On 12 August that year, Helen Dance, wife of the captain of the second ship,Sulphur, felled a tree to commemorate the town's founding.[41] From 1831 onward, confrontations between British settlers and the Noongar people escalated due to conflicting land-value systems and increased land use as the colony expanded. These confrontations resulted in multiple events, including the murder of settlers (such asThomas Peel's servant Hugh Nesbitt[42]), the execution without trial of Whadjuk elderMidgegooroo,[43] the killing of his sonYagan in 1833,[44] and thePinjarra massacre in 1834.[26]: 114 [45]
The strained relations between the Noongar people and the Europeans arose due to these events. Agricultural development on the land restricted the traditionalhunter-gatherer practices of the native Whadjuk Noongar, compelling them to camp in designated areas, including swamps and lakes north of the European settlement.Third Swamp, known to them asBoodjamooling, remained a primary campsite for the remaining Noongar people in the Perth region, also accommodating travellers, itinerants, and homeless individuals. During the gold rush in the 1890s, miners on their way to the goldfields joined this community.[46]
In 1850, at a time whenpenal transportation to Australia's eastern colonies had ceased, Western Australia wasopened to convicts at the request of farming and business people due to a shortage of labour.[47] Over the next eighteen years, 9,721 convicts arrived in Western Australia aboard43 ships,[48][49] outnumbering the approximately 7,300 free settlers.[50]
The designation of Perth as a city was formally announced byQueen Victoria in 1856. However, despite this recognition, Perth remained a tranquil town. A description from 1870 by a Melbourne journalist depicted it as:[51][52]
a quiet little town of some 3000 inhabitants spread out in straggling allotments down to the water's edge, intermingled with gardens and shrubberies and half rural in its aspect ... The main streets are macadamised, but the outlying ones and most of the footpaths retain their native state from the loose sand—the all pervading element of Western Australia—productive of intense glare or much dust in the summer and dissolving into slush during the rainy season.
With thediscovery of gold atKalgoorlie andCoolgardie in the late 19th century, Western Australia experienced a mining boom.[53] Perth became a key hub for supplying the goldfields, and the newfound prosperity helped finance the construction of important public buildings, roads and railways. Perth's population grew from approximately 8,500 in 1881 to 61,000 in 1901.[54]
Like many of Perth's colonial-era buildings, Moir Chambers (left) onSt George's Terrace was demolished during a period of substantial modernisation in the 1960s-70s.
After a referendum in 1900,[55] Western Australia joined theFederation of Australia in 1901,[51] and "became a founding state of Australia".[26] It was the last of the Australian colonies to agree to join the Federation, and it did so only after the other colonies had offered several concessions, including the construction of atranscontinental railway line fromPort Augusta inSouth Australia toKalgoorlie to link Perth with the eastern states.[56]
In 1933, two-thirds of Western Australiansvoted in a referendum tosecede from the rest of Australia. However, the state general election held at the same time as the referendum had voted out the pro-independence government, replacing it with a government that did not support the independence movement. Respecting the result of the referendum, the new government nonetheless petitioned the Imperial Parliament at Westminster. TheHouse of Commons established aselect committee to consider the issue but after 18 months of negotiations and lobbying, finally refused to consider the matter, declaring that it could not legally grant secession.[55][58]
Perth entered the post-war period with a population of approximately 280,000 and an economy that had not experienced sustained growth since the 1920s. Successive state governments, beginning with theWillcock Labor Government (1936–1945), determined to change this. Planning for post-war economic development was initially driven byRussell Dumas, who as Director of Public Works (1941–1953) drew up plans for Western Australia's major post-war public-works projects, including the raising of theMundaring andWellington dams, the development of the new Perth Airport, and the development of a new industrial zone centred on Kwinana. The advent of theMcLarty Liberal Government (1947–1953) saw the emergence of something of a consensus on the need for continuing economic development. Economic growth was fuelled by large-scale public works, the post-war immigration program, and the success that various state governments had in attracting substantial foreign investment into the state, beginning with the construction of theAnglo-Iranian Oil Refinery atKwinana in 1951–52.[59]
The result of this economic activity was the rapid growth of the population of Perth and a marked change in its urban design. Commencing in the 1950s, Perth began to expand along an extensive highway network laid out in theStephenson-Hepburn Report, which noted that Perth was beginning to resemble a pattern of development less in line with the British experience and more in line with North America.[60] This was encouraged by the opening of theNarrows Bridge and the gradual closure of thePerth andFremantle tram systems. The mining-pastoral boom of the 1960s only accelerated the pace of urban growth in Perth.
In 1962, Perth received global media attention when city residents lit their house lights and streetlights as American astronautJohn Glenn passed overhead while orbiting the Earth onFriendship 7. This led to its being nicknamed the "City of Light".[a][61][62][63] The city repeated the act as Glenn passed overhead on theSpace Shuttle in 1998.[64][65]
Perth's development and relative prosperity, especially since the mid-1960s,[66] has resulted from its role as the main service centre for the state's resource industries, which extract gold, iron ore, nickel, alumina, diamonds, mineral sands, coal, oil and natural gas.[67] Whilst most mineral and petroleum production takes place elsewhere in the state, the non-base services provide most of the employment and income to the people of Perth.[68]
Perth experienced a period of recovery in 1990. In July 1994, the state government separated the city's CBD from its suburban districts, creating theCity of Perth and three other local government areas.[citation needed] Perth saw significant population growth in the 2000s, as well as the commencement of several major urban infrastructure projects, bolstered in part by the state's mining boom. These include thePerth Convention and Exhibition Centre (2004) and the redevelopment of the city's waterfront, giving rise to the mixed-useElizabeth Quay precinct.
Perth's metropolitan area extends along the coast toTwo Rocks in the north andSingleton to the south,[72] a distance of approximately 125 kilometres (80 mi).[73] From the coast in the west toMundaring in the east is a distance of approximately 50 kilometres (30 mi). The Perth metropolitan area covers 6,418 square kilometres (2,478 sq mi).[2] The built-up urban area of Perth is 1,722 square kilometres (665 sq mi), the same asWuhan orSalt Lake City and slightly smaller thanLondon, making Perth the 67th-largest urban area in the world. Perth is also the 50th-least densely populated out of the 990 urban areas in the world with a population above 500,000.[74]
The metropolitan extent of Perth can be defined in other ways—the Australian Bureau of Statistics Greater Capital City Statistical Area, orGreater Perth in short, consists of that area, plus theCity of Mandurah and the Pinjarra Level 2 Statistical Area[76] of theShire of Murray,[77][78] while theRegional Development Commissions Act 1993 includes theShire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale in thePeel region.[79]
The largest river flowing through Perth is the Swan River, named for the nativeblack swans byWillem de Vlamingh, captain of a Dutch expedition and namer of Western Australia'sRottnest Island, who discovered the birds while exploring the area in 1697.[80] This water body is also known asDerbarl Yerrigan.[81] The city centre and most of the suburbs are on the sandy and relatively flatSwan Coastal Plain, which lies between theDarling Scarp and theIndian Ocean. The soils of this area are quite infertile.
Perth receives moderate, though highly seasonal, winter-based rainfall. Summers are generally hot, sunny and dry, lasting from December to March, with February generally the hottest month. Winters are relatively mild and wet, giving Perth ahot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classificationCsa).[83][84] Perth has an average of 8.8 hours of sunshine per day, which equates to around 3,200 hours of sunshine and 138.7 clear days annually, making it Australia's sunniest capital city.[85]
Summers are typically hot and dry but not completely devoid of rain, with sporadic rainfall in the form of short-lived thunderstorms, weakcold fronts and on occasions decayingtropical cyclones from Western Australia's north-west, which can bring heavy rain. Temperatures above 35 °C (95 °F) occur, on average, 26 days per year and rise above 40 °C (104 °F) on 5 days per year. The highest temperature recorded in Perth was 46.2 °C (115.2 °F) on 23 February 1991, althoughPerth Airport recorded 46.7 °C (116.1 °F) on the same day.[85][86] On most summer afternoons asea breeze, known locally as theFremantle Doctor, blows from the south-west, providing relief from the hot north-easterly winds. Temperatures often fall below 30 °C (86 °F) a few hours after the arrival of the wind change.[87] In the summer, the 3p.m. dewpoint averages at around 12 °C (54 °F).[85]
Winters are mild and wet, with most of Perth's annual rainfall between May and September. Winters see significant rainfall asfrontal systems move across the region, interspersed with clear and sunny days where minimum temperatures tend to drop below 5 °C (41 °F). The lowest temperature recorded in Perth was −0.7 °C (30.7 °F) on 17 June 2006.[86] The lowest temperature within thePerth metropolitan area was −3.4 °C (25.9 °F) on the same day atJandakot Airport, although temperatures at or below zero are rare occurrences. The lowest maximum temperature recorded in Perth is 8.8 °C (47.8 °F) on 26 June 1956. It occasionally gets cold enough for frost to form.[88] Whilesnow has never been recorded in the Perth CBD, light snowfalls have been reported in outer suburbs of Perth in thePerth Hills aroundKalamunda,Roleystone andMundaring. The most recent snowfall was in 1968.
The rainfall pattern has changed in Perth andsouth-west Western Australia since the mid-1970s. A significant reduction in winter rainfall has been observed with a greater number of extreme rainfall events in the summer,[89] such as the slow-moving storms on 8 February 1992 that brought 120.6 millimetres (4.75 in) of rain,[86][87] heavy rainfall associated with atropical low on 10 February 2017, which brought 114.4 millimetres (4.50 in) of rain,[90] and the remnants ofex-Tropical Cyclone Joyce on 15 January 2018 with 96.2 millimetres (3.79 in).[91] Perth was also hit by asevere thunderstorm on 22 March 2010, which brought 40.2 mm (1.58 in) of rain, and large hail and caused significant damage in the metropolitan area.[92]
The average sea temperature ranges from 18.9 °C (66.0 °F) in October to 23.4 °C (74.1 °F) in March.[93]
With more than two million residents, Perth is one of themost isolated major cities in the world. The nearest city with a population of more than 100,000 isAdelaide, over 2,100 km (1,305 mi) away.[95] Perth is geographically closer to bothEast Timor (2,800 km or 1,700 mi), andJakarta, Indonesia (3,000 km or 1,900 mi), than toSydney (3,300 km or 2,100 mi).[95]
Perth is Australia's fourth-most-populous city, having overtakenAdelaide in 1984.[99] In June 2023 there was an estimated resident population of 2,309,338 in the Greater Perth area, representing an increase of approximately 3.6% from the 2022 estimate of 2,228,020, the highest growth rate of Australia's capital cities.[1]
Perth's population is notable for the high proportion of British- and Irish-born residents. At the 2021 Census, 169,938 England-born Perth residents were counted,[100] ahead of even Sydney (151,614),[102] despite the latter having well over twice the population.
The ethnic make-up of Perth changed in the second part of the 20th century when significant numbers of continental European immigrants arrived in the city. Prior to this, Perth's population had been almost completelyAnglo-Celtic in ethnic origin. AsFremantle was the first landfall in Australia for many migrant ships coming from Europe in the 1950s and 1960s, Perth started to experience a diverse influx of people, includingItalians,Greeks,Dutch,Germans,Turks,Croats andMacedonians. The Italian influence in the Perth and Fremantle area has been substantial, evident in places like the "Cappuccino strip" in Fremantle featuring many Italian eateries and shops. In Fremantle, the traditional Italianblessing of the fleet festival is held every year at the start of the fishing season. In Northbridge every December is the San Nicola (Saint Nicholas) Festival, which involves a pageant followed by a concert, predominantly in Italian. Suburbs surrounding the Fremantle area, such asSpearwood andHamilton Hill, also contain high concentrations of Italians, Croatians and Portuguese. Perth has also been home to a smallJewish community since 1829[104]—numbering 6,331 in 2021—who have emigrated primarily from Eastern Europe and more recently from South Africa.[105]
A more recent wave of arrivals includeswhite South Africans. South Africans overtook those born in Italy as the fourth-largest foreign group in 2001. By 2016, there were 35,262 South Africans residing in Perth.[106] ManyAfrikaners andAnglo-Africans emigrated to Perth during the 1980s and 1990s, with the phrase "packing for Perth" becoming associated with South Africans who choose to emigrate abroad, sometimes regardless of the destination.[107][108] As a result, the city has been described as "the Australian capital of South Africans in exile".[109] The reason for Perth's popularity amongwhite South Africans has often been attributed to the location, the vast amount of land, and the slightly warmer climate compared to other large Australian cities—Perth has aMediterranean climate reminiscent ofCape Town.
Since the end of theWhite Australia policy in 1973,Asia has become an increasingly significant source of migrants, with communities fromVietnam,Malaysia,Indonesia,Thailand,Singapore,Hong Kong,Mainland China andIndia all now well established. There were 112,293 persons ofChinese descent in Perth in 2016—5.3% of the city's population.[100] These are supported by the Australian Eurasian Association of Western Australia,[110] which also serves a community of Portuguese-Malacca Eurasian orKristang immigrants.[111]
The Indian community includes a substantial number ofParsees who emigrated fromBombay—Perth being the closest Australian city to India—in 2021 those with Indian ancestry accounted for 3.5% of Perth's population[100] Perth is also home to the largest population ofAnglo-Burmese in the world; many settled here following the independence of Burma in 1948 with immigration taking off after 1962. The city is now the cultural hub for Anglo-Burmese worldwide.[112] There is also a substantialAnglo-Indian population in Perth, who also settled in the city following the independence of India.
At the 2021 census, 74% of inhabitants spoke only English at home, with the next most common languages beingMandarin (2.3%),Italian (1.1%),Vietnamese (1.0%),Punjabi (0.9%) andCantonese (0.9%).[113]
41.8% of the 2021 census respondents in Perth had no religion,[113] as against 38.4% of national population.[113] In 1911, the national figure was 0.4%.[114]
Perth is represented by 10 full seats and significant parts of three others in the Federal House of Representatives, with the seats of Canning, Pearce and Brand including some areas outside the metropolitan area.
Brookfield Place towering above heritage buildings in the CBD. Built during the late 2000s mining boom, it is tenanted by the mining companyBHP.
By virtue of its population and role as the administrative centre for business and government, Perth dominates theWestern Australian economy, despite the major mining, petroleum and agricultural export industries being located elsewhere in the state.[134] Perth's function as the state's capital city, its economic base and population size have also created development opportunities for many other businesses oriented to local or more diversified markets.Perth's economy has been changing in favour of the service industries since the 1950s. Although one of the major sets of services it provides is related to the resources industry and, to a lesser extent, agriculture, most people in Perth are not connected to either; they have jobs that provide services to other people in Perth.[135]
As a result of Perth's relative geographical isolation, it has never had the necessary conditions to develop significant manufacturing industries other than those serving the immediate needs of its residents, mining, agriculture and some specialised areas, such as, in recent times, niche shipbuilding and maintenance. It was simply cheaper to import all the needed manufactured goods from either theeastern states or overseas.
Industrial employment influenced the economic geography of Perth. After WWII, Perth experienced suburban expansion aided by high levels of car ownership. Workforce decentralisation and transport improvements made it possible for the establishment of small-scale manufacturing in the suburbs. Many firms took advantage of relatively cheap land to build spacious, single-storey plants in suburban locations with plentiful parking, easy access and minimal traffic congestion. "The former close ties of manufacturing with near-central and/or rail-side locations were loosened."[134]
Industrial estates such asKwinana,Welshpool andKewdale were post-war additions contributing to the growth of manufacturing south of the river. The establishment of the Kwinana industrial area was supported by standardisation of the east–west rail gauge linking Perth with eastern Australia. Since the 1950s the area has been dominated by heavy industry, including an oil refinery, steel-rolling mill with a blast furnace, alumina refinery, power station and a nickel refinery. Another development, also linked with rail standardisation, was in 1968 when theKewdale Freight Terminal was developed adjacent to the Welshpool industrial area, replacing the former Perth railway yards.[134]
With significant population growth post-WWII,[136] employment growth occurred not in manufacturing but in retail and wholesale trade, business services, health, education, community and personal services, and in public administration. Increasingly it was these services sectors, concentrated around the Perth metropolitan area, that provided jobs.[134]
Perth has also become a hub of technology-focused startups since the early 2000s that provide a pool of highly skilled jobs to the Perth community. Companies such asCanva, VGW, Appbot, Agworld and Healthengine all hail from Perth and have made headlines internationally. Organisations like StartupWA, Spacecubed and Perth Angels, and programs like Meshpoints, Curtin Accelerate and Plus Eight are all focused on creating a thriving startup culture in Perth and growing the next generation of Perth-based employers.[137]
Education is compulsory inWestern Australia between the ages of six and seventeen, corresponding to primary and secondary school.[138] Tertiary education is available through several universities andtechnical and further education (TAFE) colleges.
Students may attend either public schools, run by the state government'sDepartment of Education, or private schools, usually associated with a religion, or engage in home schooling.
The University of Western Australia, which was founded in 1911,[141] is renowned as one of Australia's leading research institutions.[142] The university's monumental neo-classical architecture, most of which is carved from white limestone, is a notable tourist destination in the city. It is the only university in the state to be a member of theGroup of Eight, as well as theSandstone universities. It is also the state's only university to have produced aNobel Laureate:[143]Barry Marshall, who graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery in 1975 and was awarded a joint Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine in 2005 withRobin Warren.
Curtin University, previously known as Western Australian Institute of Technology (1966–1986) and Curtin University of Technology (1986–2010), is Western Australia's largest university by student population.[144]
Murdoch University was founded in 1973 and incorporates Western Australia's only veterinary school and, until its controversial closure in 2020, Australia's onlytheology program to be completely integrated into a secular university.
TheUniversity of Notre Dame Australia was established in 1990. Notre Dame was established as aCatholic university with its lead campus inFremantle and a large campus in Sydney, and a campus in Broome. Its lead campus is in the west end of Fremantle, using historic port buildings built in the 1890s, giving Notre Dame a distinct European university atmosphere.
Radio stations are on AM, FM and DAB+ frequencies. ABC stations includeABC News,ABC Radio Perth,Radio National,Classic FM andTriple J. The six local commercial stations are6PR and6IX on AM;Triple M,Nova 93.7,Mix 94.5 and96FM on FM. DAB+ has mostly the same as both AM and FM plus national stations from the ABC/SBS, Radar Radio and Novanation, along with local stations My Perth Digital, Hot Country Perth and98five Christian radio. Major community radio stations includeRTRFM, Sonshine FM,[145] SportFM[146] and Curtin FM.[147]
ABC, SBS, Seven, Nine and 10 were also broadcast in an analogue format until 16 April 2013, when the analogue transmission was switched off.[148] Community stationAccess 31 closed in August 2008. In April 2010 a new community station,West TV, began transmission (in digital format only). West TV ceased broadcasting in February 2020.
Scene from the inauguration of the 2015Perth Festival, Australia's oldest continuously-running cultural festival
A number of cultural events are held in Perth. Held annually since 1953,Perth Festival is Australia's longest running annual cultural festival and includes thePerth Writers Festival and the Winter Arts Festival. TheFringe World Festival has been held annually across January and February in Perth since 2012.[150] Perth also hosts annual music festivals including Listen Out, Origin andSt Jerome's Laneway Festival. ThePerth International Comedy Festival features a variety of local and international comedic talent, with performances held at the Astor Theatre and nearby venues in Mount Lawley. Regular night food market events are held during the summer months throughout the Perth CBD and surrounding suburbs.Sculpture by the Sea showcases a range of local and international sculptors' creations alongCottesloe Beach. There is also a wide variety ofpublic art and sculptures on permanent display across the city.
Due to Perth's relative isolation from other Australian cities, overseas performing artists sometimes exclude it from their Australian tour schedules. This isolation, however, is considered a key factor in the development of a distinct and tight-knit music scene in Perth, withmany bands and artists hailing from the city.[171] Famous musical performers from Perth include the lateAC/DC frontmanBon Scott, whose heritage-listed grave atFremantle Cemetery is reportedly the most visited grave in Australia.[172] Further notable music acts from Perth includeThe Triffids,[173]The Scientists,[174]The Drones,[175]Tame Impala,[176]Karnivool[177] andPendulum.[178]
Perth has inspired various artistic and cultural works.John Boyle O'Reilly, aFenian convict transported to Western Australia, publishedMoondyne in 1879, the most famous early novel about the Swan River Colony. Perth is also the setting for various works by novelistTim Winton, most notablyCloudstreet (1991). Songs that refer to the city include "I Love Perth" (1996) byPavement, "Perth" (2011) byBon Iver, and "Perth" (2015) byBeirut. Films shot or set in Perth includeJapanese Story (2003),These Final Hours (2013),Kill Me Three Times (2014) andPaper Planes (2015).
Tourism is an important part of Perth's economy, with approximately 2.8 million domestic visitors and 0.7 million international visitors in the year ending March 2012.[179] Tourist attractions are generally focused around the city centre, Fremantle, the coast and the Swan River.In addition to the Perth Cultural Centre, there aredozens of museums across the city. TheScitech Discovery Centre inWest Perth is an interactive science museum, with regularly changing exhibitions on a large range of science and technology-based subjects. Scitech also conducts live science demonstration shows and operates the adjacentHorizon planetarium. TheWestern Australian Maritime Museum in Fremantle displays maritime objects from all eras. It housesAustralia II, the yacht that won the1983 America's Cup, as well as a formerRoyal Australian Navy submarine. Also in Fremantle is theArmy Museum of Western Australia, situated within a historic artillery barracks. The museum consists of several galleries that reflect the Army's involvement in Western Australia and the military service of Western Australians.[180] The museum holds numerous items of significance, including three Victoria Crosses.[181] Aviation history is represented by theAviation Heritage Museum inBull Creek, with its significant collection of aircraft, including aLancaster bomber and aCatalina of the type operated from the Swan River during WWII.[182]
There are many heritage sites in Perth's CBD, Fremantle and other parts of the metropolitan areas. Some of the oldest remaining buildings, dating back to the 1830s, include theRound House in Fremantle, theOld Mill in South Perth, and theOld Court House in the city centre. Registers of important buildings are maintained by theHeritage Council of Western Australia and local governments. A late heritage building is thePerth Mint.[183]Yagan Square connectsNorthbridge and thePerth CBD, with a 45-metre-high digital tower and the 9-metre statueWirin designed byNoongar artistTjyllyungoo.Elizabeth Quay is also a notable attraction in Perth, featuringSwan Bells, a panoramic view of Swan River, and the sculptureSpanda by artistChristian de Vietri.
Forrest Place, a major pedestrian thoroughfare
Retail shopping in the Perth CBD is focused around Murray Street and Hay Street. Both these streets are pedestrian malls between William Street and Barrack Street.Forrest Place is another pedestrian mall, connecting the Murray Street mall to Wellington Street and thePerth railway station. A number of arcades run between Hay Street and Murray Street, including thePiccadilly Arcade, which housed the Piccadilly Cinema until it closed in late 2013. Other shopping precincts includeWatertown in West Perth, featuring factory outlets for major brands, the historically significantFremantle Markets, which date to 1897, and the Midland townsite onGreat Eastern Highway, combining historic development around the Town Hall and Post Office buildings with the modernMidland Gate shopping centre further east.Joondalup's central business district is largely a shopping and retail area lined with townhouses and apartments, and also featuresLakeside Joondalup. Joondalup was granted the status of "tourism precinct" by the State Government in 2009, allowing for extended retail trading hours.
Riverbank Estate Winery, Caversham in theSwan Valley
TheSwan Valley, with fertile soil, uncommon in the Perth region, features numerous wineries, such as the large complex atHoughtons, the state's biggest producer, Sandalfords and many smaller operators, including microbreweries and rum distilleries. The Swan Valley also contains specialised food producers, many restaurants and cafes, and roadside local produce stalls that sell seasonal fruit throughout the year.Tourist Drive 203 is a circular route in the Swan Valley, passing by many attractions onWest Swan Road andGreat Northern Highway.
Hyde Park is another inner-city park 2 km (1.2 mi) north of the CBD. It was gazetted as a public park in 1897, created from 15 ha (37 acres) of a chain of wetlands known as Third Swamp.[187]Avon Valley,John Forrest andYanchep national parks are areas of protected bushland at the northern and eastern edges of the metropolitan area. Within the city's northern suburbs is Whiteman Park, a 4,000-hectare (9,900-acre) bushland area, with bushwalking trails, bike paths, sports facilities, playgrounds, a vintage tramway, a light railway on a 6-kilometre (3.7 mi) track, motor and tractor museums, andCaversham Wildlife Park.
Perth Zoo, in South Perth, houses a variety of Australian and exotic animals from around the globe. The zoo is home to highly successful breeding programs fororangutans andgiraffes, and participates in captive breeding and reintroduction efforts for a number of Western Australian species, including thenumbat, thedibbler, thechuditch and thewestern swamp tortoise.[188]
The climate of Perth allows for extensive outdoor sporting activity, and this is reflected in the wide variety of sports available to residents of the city. Perth was host to the1962 Commonwealth Games and the1987 America's Cup defence (based atFremantle).Australian rules football is the most popular spectator sport in Perth—nearly 23% of Western Australians attended a match at least once in 2009–2010.[189] The twoAustralian Football League teams located in Perth, theWest Coast Eagles and theFremantle Football Club, have two of the largest fan bases in the country. The Eagles, the older club, was until recently, one of the most successful teams in the league, and one of the largest sporting clubs in Australia. The next level of football is theWestern Australian Football League, comprising nine clubs each having a League, Reserves and Colts team. Each of these clubs has a junior football system for ages 7 to 17. The next level of Australian rules football is thePerth Football League, comprising 68 clubs servicing senior footballers within the metropolitan area. Other popular sports includecricket,basketball,soccer,rugby league andrugby union.[190]
Perth is served byPerth Airport in the city's east for regional, domestic and international flights andJandakot Airport in the city's southern suburbs for general aviation and charter flights.
Perth has a road network with three freeways—Mitchell,Kwinana andGraham Farmer—and nine metropolitan highways. TheNorthbridge Tunnel, part of the Graham Farmer Freeway, is the only significant road tunnel in Perth.
Rail freight terminates at theKewdale Rail Terminal, 15 km (9 mi) south-east of the city centre.
Perth's main container and passenger port is at Fremantle, 19 km (12 mi) south-west at the mouth of the Swan River.[195] TheFremantle Outer Harbour atCockburn Sound is one of Australia's major bulk cargo ports.[196]
Perth's electricity is predominantly generated, supplied and retailed by threeWestern Australian Government corporations.Verve Energy operates coal and gas power generation stations, as well as wind farms and other power sources.[197] The physical network is maintained byWestern Power,[198] whileSynergy, the state's largest energy retailer, sells electricity to residential and business customers.[199]
Alinta Energy, which was previously a government owned company, had a monopoly in the domestic gas market since the 1990s. However, in 2013Kleenheat Gas began operating in the market, allowing consumers to choose their gas retailer.[200]
TheWater Corporation is the dominant supplier of water, as well as wastewater and drainage services, in Perth and throughoutWestern Australia. It is also owned by the state government.[201]
Perth's water supply has traditionally relied on both groundwater and rain-fed dams. Reduced rainfall in the region over recent decades had greatly lowered inflow to reservoirs and affected groundwater levels. Coupled with the city's relatively high growth rate, this led to concerns that Perth could run out of water in the near future.[202] TheWestern Australian Government responded by building desalination plants, and introducing mandatory household sprinklerrestrictions. TheKwinana Desalination Plant was opened in 2006,[203][204] andSouthern Seawater Desalination Plant atBinningup (on the coast between Mandurah and Bunbury) began operating in 2011. A trial winter (1 June – 31 August) sprinkler ban was introduced in 2009 by the State Government, a move which the Government later announced would be made permanent.[205]
^The city most commonly referred to as the "City of Light" isParis. However, over 30other cities also carry the label in various forms.
^In accordance with the Australian Bureau of Statistics source,England,Scotland,Mainland China and the Special Administrative Regions ofHong Kong andMacau are listed separately.
^The Australian Bureau of Statistics has stated that most who nominate Australian as their ancestry are part of theAnglo-Celtic group.[101]
^Those who nominated their ancestry as Aboriginal. Does not includeTorres Strait Islanders. This relates to nomination of ancestry and is distinct from persons who identify as Indigenous (Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander) which is a separate question.
^Indigenous identification is separate to the ancestry question on the Australian Census and persons identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander may identify any ancestry.
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