Kwinana, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
The Town of Kwinana is a Local Government Area
of Western Australia
. It covers an area of approximately 118 square kilometres in metropolitan Perth
, and lies about 38 km south of Perth's central business district, via the Kwinana Freeway
. Kwinana maintains 287 km of roads and has a population of 29,029 (2010).
The Kwinana Road District was formed out of part of Rockingham
on 15 February 1954 as a result of the passage of the Kwinana Road District Act 1953. Section 4 of the Act stated that "there shall not be a duly elected Road Board for the Kwinana Road District but the Governor may, by Order in Council, appoint a fit and proper person having a comprehensive knowledge and experience of local government matters to be Commissioner of the district."
On 11 November 1960, an Order in Council was issued dividing Kwinana into five wards in preparation for an election to be held on 11 February 1961. The Town ward would elect 3 councillors while the Rural, Industrial, Naval Base and Kwinana Beach wards would each elect one councillor. In order that the election could go ahead, the Kwinana Road District Act was repealed on 14 February 1961 by proclamation, with the District now subject to the same laws as any other council. The first elected councillors took office on 15 February 1961.
On 1 July 1961, the District became the Shire of Kwinana following the enactment of the Local Government Act 1960. On 28 May 1977, it became a Town.
was the founder of the industrial area, in conjunction with the state government
. The state government ensured that port facilities were developed to enable the offloading of significant amounts of oil. BP runs Western Australia's only oil refinery
in Kwinana, and there are many other associated petro-chemical companies nearby, for example Coogee Chemicals http://www.coogee.com.au/.
It is also home to the Kwinana CBH
grain loading terminal. A cooperative owned by 12,000 farmers, CBH Group is Western Australia’s leading grain storage, handling and marketing business. Grain from the facility is also used to supply Primary Energy’s proposed bio-fuel
facility in Kwinana.
That said, Kwinana is not just an urban sprawl, there are three public beaches at Cockburn Sound
looking out to Garden Island. The SS Kwinana herself is actually part of the jetty at Kwinana Beach. The rusting hulk of the ship was cut down to low water level and the centre was filled with limestone to form a platform. There are also wetlands and bushlands in the Kwinana area. The Spectacles are the local wetlands and are so named because of their appearance from the air.
The local companies are keen to be seen preserving the environment and claim to demonstrate the best practice in production methods and environmental safeguards. The BP Kwinana Refinery is apparently responsible for 'Australia's cleanest petrol' - BP Ultimate, which matches the stringent environmental specifications demanded in Europe and the USA.
Kwinana also is home to a centre of attraction for Drag Racing, Dirt Track Speedway, Burnout Competitions, Street Machine shows and Super Cross events. The Perth Motorplex
http://www.motorplex.com.au/(formerly known as Quit Motorplex) opened in December 2000 at a cost of A$20 million with catering, licensed bars, state of the art stadium lighting and the "Snake Pit", a purpose built and dedicated burn out section. The venue holds many prestigious events including the Westernationals (drag racing), World Series Sprintcars (speedway) and Motorvation (car show).
Local Government Areas of Western Australia
The Australian state of Western Australia is divided into 141 local government areas...
of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. It covers an area of approximately 118 square kilometres in metropolitan Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, and lies about 38 km south of Perth's central business district, via the Kwinana Freeway
Kwinana Freeway
The Kwinana Freeway is a major arterial road in Perth, Western Australia, linking Perth with the southern suburbs and then further on towards Mandurah, a distance of . It has a speed limit of , except in central Perth and south of Lakes Road . Like all Western Australian freeways, the minimum...
. Kwinana maintains 287 km of roads and has a population of 29,029 (2010).
History
Kwinana is an indigenous Australian word meaning either "young woman" or "pretty maiden". The ship SS Kwinana was wrecked on Cockburn Sound in 1922 and blown onto Kwinana Beach. The nearby area acquired the name and it was officially adopted for a township in 1937. Some of its suburbs take their names from the sailing ships that first brought immigrants to Western Australia, for example, Medina, Calista and Parmelia.The Kwinana Road District was formed out of part of Rockingham
City of Rockingham
The City of Rockingham is a Local Government Area in the far southern suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth.-History:In 1896, residents of Rockingham petitioned to establish a road board, which they proposed be called "Clarence" which was the name of the failed settlement of...
on 15 February 1954 as a result of the passage of the Kwinana Road District Act 1953. Section 4 of the Act stated that "there shall not be a duly elected Road Board for the Kwinana Road District but the Governor may, by Order in Council, appoint a fit and proper person having a comprehensive knowledge and experience of local government matters to be Commissioner of the district."
On 11 November 1960, an Order in Council was issued dividing Kwinana into five wards in preparation for an election to be held on 11 February 1961. The Town ward would elect 3 councillors while the Rural, Industrial, Naval Base and Kwinana Beach wards would each elect one councillor. In order that the election could go ahead, the Kwinana Road District Act was repealed on 14 February 1961 by proclamation, with the District now subject to the same laws as any other council. The first elected councillors took office on 15 February 1961.
On 1 July 1961, the District became the Shire of Kwinana following the enactment of the Local Government Act 1960. On 28 May 1977, it became a Town.
Industry
BPBP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
was the founder of the industrial area, in conjunction with the state government
State government
A state government is the government of a subnational entity in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or be subject to the direct control of the federal government...
. The state government ensured that port facilities were developed to enable the offloading of significant amounts of oil. BP runs Western Australia's only oil refinery
Oil refinery
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where crude oil is processed and refined into more useful petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas...
in Kwinana, and there are many other associated petro-chemical companies nearby, for example Coogee Chemicals http://www.coogee.com.au/.
It is also home to the Kwinana CBH
Co-operative Bulk Handling
Co-operative Bulk Handling or Co-operative Bulk Group, commonly known as CBH, is a Western Australian based cooperative company that operates grain receival points and also markets grain...
grain loading terminal. A cooperative owned by 12,000 farmers, CBH Group is Western Australia’s leading grain storage, handling and marketing business. Grain from the facility is also used to supply Primary Energy’s proposed bio-fuel
Biofuel
Biofuel is a type of fuel whose energy is derived from biological carbon fixation. Biofuels include fuels derived from biomass conversion, as well as solid biomass, liquid fuels and various biogases...
facility in Kwinana.
Facilities
Cockburn Sound
Cockburn Sound is an inlet of the Indian Ocean on the coast of Western Australia. It extends from the south of the mouth of the Swan River at Fremantle for about 25 km to Cape Peron near Rockingham and is located at...
looking out to Garden Island. The SS Kwinana herself is actually part of the jetty at Kwinana Beach. The rusting hulk of the ship was cut down to low water level and the centre was filled with limestone to form a platform. There are also wetlands and bushlands in the Kwinana area. The Spectacles are the local wetlands and are so named because of their appearance from the air.
The local companies are keen to be seen preserving the environment and claim to demonstrate the best practice in production methods and environmental safeguards. The BP Kwinana Refinery is apparently responsible for 'Australia's cleanest petrol' - BP Ultimate, which matches the stringent environmental specifications demanded in Europe and the USA.
Kwinana also is home to a centre of attraction for Drag Racing, Dirt Track Speedway, Burnout Competitions, Street Machine shows and Super Cross events. The Perth Motorplex
Perth Motorplex
Perth Motorplex is a motorsport venue located at Kwinana Beach, Western Australia. It caters mainly for drag racing and speedway, although other events are held there regularly. Over 275,000 patrons attend the venue each year to many varied events...
http://www.motorplex.com.au/(formerly known as Quit Motorplex) opened in December 2000 at a cost of A$20 million with catering, licensed bars, state of the art stadium lighting and the "Snake Pit", a purpose built and dedicated burn out section. The venue holds many prestigious events including the Westernationals (drag racing), World Series Sprintcars (speedway) and Motorvation (car show).
Suburbs
- AnketellAnketell, Western AustraliaAnketell is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Town of Kwinana.Anketell was part of early settler Thomas Peel's land grant, used for the 1920s Group Settlement Scheme in "Peel Estate". It is named after Peel Estate's surveyor, Richard John Anketell....
- BertramBertram, Western AustraliaBertram is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Town of Kwinana.Bertram derives its name from the family name of a Group Settler of the 1920s who owned land in the area....
- CalistaCalista, Western AustraliaCalista is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Town of Kwinana.Calista is one of the Kwinana suburbs named after a ship. The Calista was one of the first ships to bring settlers to the Swan River Colony. She arrived with 73 passengers on 5 August 1829 under the command of...
- CasuarinaCasuarina, Western AustraliaCasuarina is a suburb of Perth, located within the Town of Kwinana.Casuarina is one of the Kwinana suburbs named after a ship. The "Casuarina", under the command of Louis De Freycinet, was a 30 ton cutter used in the French exploration of the WA coast in 1802-03...
- Hope ValleyHope Valley, Western AustraliaHope Valley is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Town of Kwinana. Its postcode is 6165....
- Kwinana BeachKwinana Beach, Western AustraliaKwinana Beach is an industrial suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Town of Kwinana.Kwinana is firstly a local indigenous Australian word meaning either "young woman" or "pretty maiden". The ship SS Kwinana was wrecked on Cockburn Sound in 1922 and blown onto Kwinana Beach. The...
- Kwinana Town CentreKwinana Town Centre, Western AustraliaKwinana Town Centre, is the central suburb of the town of Kwinana in the outer southern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia.The suburb comprises three large city blocks and has no residential dwellings, instead, it houses the 'Kwinana Hub' shopping centre, the Kwinana Recreation centre, Kwinana...
- LedaLeda, Western AustraliaLeda is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Town of Kwinana. Leda is one of the five main suburbs of Kwinana.Leda is one of the Kwinana suburbs named after a ship. The brig Leda brought settlers to the new Swan River Colony in January 1830...
- MandogalupMandogalup, Western AustraliaMandogalup is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Town of Kwinana. Its postcode is 6167.The area of this suburb was originally referred to as "7 Mile Camp", but when a townsite was declared here in 1923 it was named "Balmanup". Lake Balmanup was an alternative name for...
- MedinaMedina, Western AustraliaMedina is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Town of Kwinana.Medina was the first of the Kwinana suburbs to be named after ships. The Medina arrived at the Swan River Colony in July 1830 with 51 passengers on board...
- Naval BaseNaval Base, Western AustraliaNaval Base is a heavy industrial suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Town of Kwinana....
- OreliaOrelia, Western AustraliaOrelia is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Town of Kwinana.Orelia is one of the Kwinana suburbs named after a ship. The "Orelia" arrived at Fremantle bringing settlers to the new Swan River Colony in October 1829. Development of the area commenced in 1952....
- ParmeliaParmelia, Western AustraliaParmelia is a suburb of Kwinana, Western Australia, located in the Town of Kwinana.Parmelia is one of the Kwinana suburbs named after a ship. The "Parmelia" was the first ship to arrive in June 1829 bringing settlers to establish the new colony at the Swan River in Western Australia. Its passengers...
- PostansPostans, Western AustraliaPostans is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Town of Kwinana.The suburb is named after George Postans who was one of the first settlers in the area. He arrived in the Colony as a convict in 1850 and after he was released he bought of land in 1882...
- The SpectaclesThe Spectacles, Western AustraliaThe Spectacles is a mixed use suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located in the Town of KwinanaThe Spectacles is also a wetlands area within the suburb of 'The Spectacles' and is considered to be the most valuable asset of Kwinana's natural environment, covering 3.7 square kilometres...
- WandiWandi, Western AustraliaWandi is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Town of Kwinana. The suburb was approved on 14 March 1978.The suburb is zoned Special Rural, which prevents the loss of trees from clearing...
- WellardWellard, Western AustraliaWellard is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Town of Kwinana.The suburb name commemorates an early settler, John Wellard, who in 1860 owned Serpentine Farm about 7.5 km southeast of the suburb. A government townsite with his name was declared in 1923 but cancelled in...
Population
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1954 | 2,801 |
| 1961 | 4,663 |
| 1966 | 5,777 |
| 1971 | 12,224 |
| 1976 | 13,687 |
| 1981 | 13,623 |
| 1986 | 14,025 |
| 1991 | 17,242 |
| 1996 | 19,136 |
| 2001 | 20,765 |
| 2006 | 23,198 |
| 2007 | 25,128 |
| 2008 | 26,457 |
| 2009 | 28,036 |
| 2010 | 29,029 |
External links
- Map of Industrial Area (pdf - 1.8Mb)
- Town of Kwinana Website
- Google map showing Kwinana, Garden Island on the left, the Naval base at the top and the Spectacles at the right hand side