Location

The City of Perth is bounded by the Town of Cambridge and the Town of Vincent in the north, the Swan River in the east and south, the City of Nedlands in the south-west, and the City of Subiaco in the north-west. The City of Perth’s boundaries are the Mitchell Freeway, Newcastle Street and the Graham Farmer Freeway in the north, the Swan River in the east and south, and Broadway, the Stirling Highway, Clifton Street, Gordon Street, Hampden Road, Monash Avenue, Caladenia Grove, Hollywood Private Hospital, Verdun Street, Gairdner Drive, Aberdare Road, Thomas Street and Loftus Street in the west.

Included Areas

The City of Perth includes the suburbs of Crawley, East Perth (part), Kings Park, Nedlands (part), Northbridge, Perth (part) and West Perth (part).

Land Use

The City of Perth is the capital of Western Australia. The City of Perth is a residential, institutional and commercial area. The City encompasses a total land area of nearly 14 square kilometres.

Name Origin

The City of Perth is named after a city in Scotland.

Indigenous Meaning

The original inhabitants of the City of Perth were the Nyungar Aboriginal people.

Settlement

European settlement dates from 1829 when the Swan River Colony was established by the British Government. Population was minimal until the 1850s, with land used mainly for sheep grazing and wheat growing. Rapid growth took place from the 1880s into the early 1900s, aided by nearby gold discoveries, industrial development and the construction of railway lines. From the 1960s to the 1980s the population halved, as residents moved outwards and offices were constructed. This trend began to be reversed from the late 1990s, with significant dwelling and population growth occurring as many former industrial areas were redeveloped into residential areas. Much of the recent growth is due to gentrification and the construction of high density housing. Population growth is expected to continue.

Major Features

Major features of the City of Perth include the Perth CBD, various shopping centres (including City West Shopping Centre, Forrest Chase, Northbridge Plaza and Watertown Brand Outlet), the WACA (Western Australian Cricket Association) Ground, Gloucester Park Trotting Ground, Parliament House, Government House, RAC Arena, Perth Concert Hall, Perth Cultural Centre, The Perth Mint, Scitech Discovery Centre, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, State Library of WA, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth Children’s Hospital, Mount Hospital, Oral Health Centre of Western Australia, The Esplanade, Alf Curlewis Gardens, Harold Boas Gardens, Kings Park, Langley Park, Queens Gardens, Russell Square, Stirling Gardens, Supreme Court Gardens, Totterdell Park, Victoria Gardens, Wellington Square, North Metropolitan TAFE (East Perth and Perth Campuses), Curtin University (Perth Campus - Graduate School of Business), The University of Western Australia (Crawley Campus), Swan Estuary Marine Park and the Swan River.

Transport

The City of Perth is served by the Graham Farmer Freeway, the Kwinana Freeway, the Mitchell Freeway, the Stirling Highway and several railway lines, buses and ferries.