Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital city of Western Australia. In June 2004 the Perth Metropolitan Area had an estimated population of 1.5 million, making it the fourth largest city in Australia. Perth is located at 31°58′ S 115°49′ E.
| Perth | |
| Coordinates | 5,386) 31°58′ S 115°49′ E |
| Jurisdiction | Western Australia |
| Area | 5,386 km² |
| Time zone • Summer (DST) | AWST (UTC +8) not observed (UTC) |
| Population • 2004 • Density | 1,457,639 ( 4th) 265.8/km² |
History
- Main article: Swan River Colony
Although the British Army had established a base at King George Sound (later Albany) on the south coast of Western Australia in 1826 - to forestall rumoured annexation by France - Perth was the first full scale settlement by Europeans in the "western third" of the continent. The town was established in 1829, as the capital of the Swan River Colony, a free Settler Colony. In 1850, as Western Australia, it became as a Convict Colony, at the request of farming and business people who wanted cheap labour.
Naming and founding
The name Perth was chosen in 1829 by James Stirling. Stirling, a Scot, implemented the wish of Sir George Murray, Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, that the settlement be named after Perthshire, which was his birthplace as well as his parliamentary seat in the British House of Commons. On August 12 that year, Mrs Helen Dance cut down a tree to mark the day of the founding of the town.In 1901, the colony joined the Federation of Australia, Western Australia was the last colony through referendum to agree. This only occured once a guarantee was given to the building of a rail line Perth via Kalgoorlie to the Eastern States. The city has prospered as a result of repeated Mining booms, especially for Gold, Iron ore, Nickel, and alumina: Western Australia is rich with mineral resources.
Geography
Sand plain setting
Perth is set on the Swan River, so named because of the native black swans. It is a city that fills the sandplain that lies adjacent to the Darling Scarp; extending to Joondalup in the north, Mandurah in the south and Mundaring in the east.The coastal suburbs take advantage of Perth's oceanside location and clean beaches. To the east, the city is bordered by a low escarpment called the Darling Scarp. Perth is on generally flat, rolling land - largely due to the high amount of sandy soils and deep bedrock.
Water supply
In recent years, Climate change has resulted in reduced rainfall in the region, reducing inflow into dams by two thirds over the last 30 years. The lower runoff into Perth's dams and groundwater supplies, coupled with Perth's relatively high population growth, has caused concerns that Perth will be "out of water" within ten years. The Western Australian State Government has responded by introducing mandatory household Sprinkler restrictions in the city. The State Government has also begun the process of constructing a Sea water Desalination plant in Kwinana (expected to be finished in late 2006). Due to the emission of large volumes of greenhouse gases involved in sea water desalination, this plan has been criticised by some as environmentally unfriendly. The state government is also considering other solutions including piping water from the Kimberley region or extracting water from the Yarragadee Aquifer in the southwest of the state.City skyline
Perth and Perth Water have been viewed and photographed since settlement in the mid-nineteenth century from Kings Park which is on high ground to the south-west of the City. The historical record of the view, shows clear river banks close to the city and a low skyline through to the 1960's. At that point and to the present, the filling in of the northern side of Perth Water, and crowding of the skyline has continued unabated.The current Perth city skyline displays the economic prosperity the state currently enjoys . The city's tallest building, Central Park, is according to some ranking systems the fourth tallest building in Australia.
Weather
Perth summers are generally hot and dry, with February generally being the hottest month of the year. The hottest ever recorded temperature in Perth was 46.2°C (115°F) on 23 February 1991. Winters are cool and moist, though winter rainfall has been declining in recent years. The official temperature for Perth has only twice reached 0°C, on 15 July 1997 and 27 July 1998. Even in mid-winter, maximum daytime temperatures only occasionally fall below 16°C (60°F).Government and politics
Local government
The City of Perth is administered by a local government body called City of Perth.The Perth Metropolitan area includes over thirty local government bodies (cities, towns and shires). These include Fremantle, Bayswater, Canning, Stirling, Gosnells, Nedlands, Peppermint Grove, Claremont, Victoria Park and Armadale.
See the List of Perth suburbs and the Local Government Areas of Western Australia for a comprehensive list.
Military Presence
Perth is a significant base of operations for the Australian military, since it is the largest city on the west coast. These bases include:- The headquarters of the SAS (Australia's elite military unit), located at Campbell Barracks, Swanbourne
- Irwin Barracks Army base at Karrakatta
- HMAS Stirling at Garden Island, the largest Navy base in Australia
- A major RAAF base at RAAF Base Pearce, Bullsbrook, north of Perth.
Culture
Social structure
Many Perth residents consider their city to be egalitarian and relaxed, with a relatively large Middle class and a suburban lifestyle; however, as with all large cities, Perth does have pockets of extreme wealth and poverty.The "Western Suburbs" between Perth and the Indian Ocean, contain the highest income suburbs - notably the locations of homes of the wealthiest individuals becoming landmarks and tourist attractions.
In the suburbs well away from the city to the north and south, are the "Mortgage Belt" suburbs where the low to middle income population of Perth are often commented about during Federal and State Elections as to their collective responses to government policies that might affect their well-being.
Isolation and attitudes
The population is easy-going and friendly, but can be parochial, especially towards the "Eastern States" which are often viewed with deep, but usually jocular, suspicion. This attitude may be motivated by the feeling that the Eastern States' view Perth as a backward civilisation, but can mostly be attributed to Perth's isolation. It is often said to be the most remote major city on Earth, although others (such as Honolulu) are clearly more isolated. Perth is very remote even within Australia, being closer to the Indonesian capital of Jakarta than it is to the Australian capital, Canberra, or the major cities of Sydney and Brisbane. Historically, Western Australia, of which Perth is the capital, was the most reluctant party to the Commonwealth, again due largely to its isolation.Ethnicity
Because Fremantle was the first landfall in Australia for migrant ships coming from Europe in the 1950s and '60s, Perth experienced an influx of British, Italian and Greek migrants. The name of all migrants who arrived during this period are listed on an honour board outside the Maritime Museum. More recently, large-scale immigration to Perth by air from the UK has continued, giving Perth the highest-proportion of British-born residents of any Australian city. In some suburbs in southern Perth, the populations of are up to 20 per cent British by birthplace.There has also been substantial immigration from Eastern Europe, including former Yugoslavia and former Soviet republics. Perth also has substantial immigrant communities from South East Asia such as Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, China, India and Sri Lanka (Many of whom emigrate their home countries for educational purposes). The Indian community includes a substantial number of Parsees who emigrated from Bombay. Another source of immigration has been Southern Africa, with many white South Africans and Zimbabweans settling in the city.
Many migrants are from New Zealand, due to the fact that New Zealanders, unlike other foreign nationals, are eligible for 'special category' visas, which allow them to live and work in Australia.
Sports
The most popular spectator sport in Perth is Australian rules football. Two teams in the Australian Football League (AFL) are based in Perth: the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Football Club (the "Fremantle Dockers"). The "home" of Australian Rules football in Perth is Subiaco Oval.Every summer the Australian cricket team plays a test match and one day international matches at the WACA ground, which is also home to the state cricket team, known as the Western Warriors.
Perth is also home to popular Football (soccer) team Perth Glory, which has recently been added to the potentially lucrative A-League after the re-formation of Association Football in Australia.
Perth is also home to the annual Hopman Cup tennis tournament, the annual Avon Descent Whitewater event, and the annual Rally Australia. In 2006, Perth will be the home of the Western Force, a new franchise in the Super 12 Rugby union competition (which will become the Super 14 with the addition of the Force and a team in South Africa).
Perth also sports a team in the National Basketball League, the Perth Wildcats, who are one of the most successful teams in the league's history. However, the popularity of Basketball as a spectator sport in Australia has sharply declined since the early 1990's.
Rugby league briefly maintained a Perth team in the national competition (1995-1997), known as the Western Reds (Perth Reds in the Super League season)
Perth is very conducive to an outdoors lifestyle, and this is reflected in the wide variety of sports available to citizens of the city.
Music
Perth has had connections to iconic segments of the Australian popular music scene being the hometown of INXS, and with Fremantle being the place Bon Scott grew up and is buried. More recently, several bands from Perth have gained recognition on the national music stage. The success of these bands, including Jebediah, Eskimo Joe, Little Birdy, End of Fashion and the Sleepy Jackson, have lead to claims that Perth is the "new Seattle" of music.Because of the 'tyranny of distance', many 'big name' acts, both of classical and popular music, do not regularly visit Perth, being confined to the eastern seaboard, and overseas artists often do not include Perth in their tour schedule. However, Perth is home to the West Australian Symphony Orchestra which performs a regular programme of orchestral music, usually from its base at the Perth Concert Hall; it also tours regional Western Australia. There are a large number of smaller professional, semi-professional and non-professional music groups and choral societies and choirs which perform in a variety of venues in and around Perth. Repertoire ranges from baroque to contemporary. The Perth International Festival of the Arts also includes music in its schedule. Opera is provided by West Australian Opera.
Education
See Western Australia for general information on education in Western AustraliaPerth is home to four public universities, and one private university: the University of Western Australia, Murdoch University, Curtin University of Technology, Edith Cowan University, and the University of Notre Dame Australia respectively.
The University of Western Australia, which was founded in 1911, in particular is renowned as one of Australia's leading research institutions. The university's monumental neo-classical architecture, most of which is carved from white limestone, is a notable tourist destination in the city. Curtin University of Technology is the successor to the Western Australian Institute of Technology (WAIT). Murdoch University was created from land held by the UWA in the late 1970s. Edith Cowan University is the newest public university established back in the early 1990s to cope with tertiary education needs in the north west metropolitan area of Perth. The University of Notre Dame Australia was established in 1990 and was the first Catholic university in Australia.
Tourist attractions in and around Perth
A sun-baked city that can go weeks or even months without substantial rainfall, one of Perth's main attractions lies in the pristine quality of its beaches. Unbroken stretches of white beaches run the entire length of the city's coastal suburbs.While not unlike the beach setting of the Gold Coast in Queensland, Perth has not experienced the same level of beachfront and riverfront development of other similar naturally rich Australian urban environments.
Perth City
The centre of Perth is located on the northern bank of the Swan River, a part of the River known as 'Perth Water' and is roughly divided into three parallel sections.- The Central business district, closest to the river, and which runs along St Georges and Adelaide Terraces, this is the historical core of the city and includes Government House. Parliament House is on the hill to the west looking along St Georges Terrace towards the Darling Scarp.
- The retail district, which has its focus on the Hay and Murray Street Malls. The malls are interconnected by arcades and walk through shops. With the changes over time the number of hotels in this area has declined with new hotels being at the eastern and western ends of the city. Forrest Place, connecting Wellington Street and Murray street, is a popular meeting spot, and is the site of political rallies and entertainment events. Closed to traffic and redeveloped in the late 1980s, it is flanked by the Commonwealth Bank and GPO buildings on the west, and the Forrest Chase retail development on the east.
- The entertainment and cultural precinct, known as Northbridge commences at the point where the railway land cuts through the city. It extends for at least four blocks north, and is bound at the east by the Library, Art Gallery and Museum, and to the west by the northern suburbs railway.
Kings Park
- Main article: Kings Park
Perth is a very green city, with an abundance of parks and tree-lined boulevards.
Perth Zoo
- Main article: Perth Zoo
Swan Bells
- Main article: Swan Bells
The Perth Convention Exhibition Centre
- Main article: Perth Convention Exhibition Centre
Perth Mint
Perth Mint is the oldest still-operating mint in Australia. One of two legal tender mints in Australia, the other is in Canberra. It is open to the public 7 days a week and includes displays and the Perth Mint Shop which buys and sells precious metal proof quality gold and silver coins, bullion, nuggets and jewellery.
Islands
There are a few islands off the coast of Perth, notably Rottnest Island, a significant tourist attraction. Other nearby islands include Garden Island (home to a naval base), Carnac Island, Seal Island and Penguin Island. All of these Islands are 'A' class nature reserves with restricted access. The deep shipping channel between Perth and these islands is called Gage Roads, the site of the America's Cup yachting challenge in 1987.Fremantle
The historical port city of Fremantle is located at the mouth of the Swan River, and is home to many attractions. Most notable of these is the mammoth newly-constructed Western Australian Maritime Museum. Located on the dock at Victoria Quay, the museum houses Australia 2, the yacht which won Australia the America's Cup in 1983. Also in Fremantle is the Maritime Museum Shipwreck galleries, with recovered artifacts and part of the hull of the shipwrecked Dutch ship Batavia, from hundreds of years ago.The Aquarium of Western Australia
Perth is home to Australia's largest underwater walk-through Aquarium, AQWA (The Aquarium of Western Australia). Located at Hillarys Boat Harbour, this attracts large numbers of international tourists.Whiteman Park
Whiteman Park is situated in picturesque bushland 25 minutes North East from the City Centre, it forms the western boundry of the Swan Valley wine region. The Park covers an area of more than 4200 hectares (over 10,000 acres) with nearly half of this classified as high value conservation bushland or wetland. The Park takes its name from Mr Lew Whiteman (1903-1994), a prominent local identity and enthusiastic collector of artifacts. His family settled in Guildford from England in the late 19th century and Lew acquired some land around Mussel Pool in the 1940s. This, and other land held by a variety of private owners, was purchased by the State Government in 1978 and combined to form Whiteman Park. The Park also protects the southern portion of the Gnangarra Water Mound - a large underground water source that supplies up to 40% of metropolitan Perth's drinking water. All native wildlife in the Park is protected and more than 100 Bird species have been identified. Along with 32 Reptile, 7 Amphibian and 8 Mammals. The Caversham Wildlife Park recently move into an area of park near the Village. There are also a number different collections of transport and machinary equipment as well as working historical Tram and Rail lines.Transport
Perth is served by Perth Airport and Jandakot Airport.Perth metropolian transport, including trains, buses and ferries are provided by Transperth network, and its greater suburbian transport services are provided by Transwa.
The Indian Pacific is connected between Perth and the eastern states.