Perth#cbd

The name of the city is taken from Perth, Scotland, in honour of the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, and Member for Perthshire in the British House of Commons, Sir George Murray.{{Sfn|ps=none|Kimberly|1897|pp=44}}{{Sfn|ps=none|Crowley|1960|p=7}} 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".{{cite wikisource |Lieutenant-Governor Stirling's Proclamation of the Colony 18 June 1829 |date=18 June 1829 |first=James |last=Stirling |author-link=James Stirling (Royal Navy officer) }} The only contemporary information on the source of the name comes from Charles Fremantle's diary entry for 12 August 1829, which records that they "named the town Perth according to the wishes of Sir George Murray".{{Sfn|ps=none|Uren|1948|pp=88}}{{Sfn|ps=none|Statham|1981|pp=297–325}}

The Noongar name Boorloo is sometimes used to denote the central business district area,{{cite news |date=15 September 2019 |title=Gnarla Boodja Mili Mili (Our Country on Paper) |publisher=Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries |url=https://www.dlgsc.wa.gov.au/department/publications/publication/gnarla-boodja-mili-mili-(our-country-on-paper) |access-date=24 April 2021 |quote=the Perth CBD area, also known as Boorlo or Burrell in the Noongar language |archive-date=19 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419132144/https://www.dlgsc.wa.gov.au/department/publications/publication/gnarla-boodja-mili-mili-(our-country-on-paper) |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |last1=Coates |first1=Erin |title=Alluvium |url=https://www.erincoates.net/alluvium |year=2020 |access-date=13 April 2022 }} the local government area,{{cite web|url=https://www.wa.gov.au/government/media-statements/Cook-Labor-Government/Strong-field-of-finalists-vie-for-prestigious-Heritage-Awards--20230922|title=Strong field of finalists vie for prestigious Heritage Awards|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026160125/https://www.wa.gov.au/government/media-statements/Cook-Labor-Government/Strong-field-of-finalists-vie-for-prestigious-Heritage-Awards--20230922|archive-date=26 October 2023|publisher=Government of Western Australia}} or the capital city in general.{{cite web|url=https://www.tourism.australia.com/en/news-and-events/news-stories/tourism-australia-adopts-aboriginal-dual-naming.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520111612/https://www.tourism.australia.com/en/news-and-events/news-stories/tourism-australia-adopts-aboriginal-dual-naming.html|archive-date=20 May 2023|title=Tourism Australia adopts Aboriginal dual naming|date=27 April 2022 |publisher=Tourism Australia|access-date=29 January 2023|quote=a dual-naming approach for capital cities}}{{Cite news |last=Cartwright |first=Lexie |date=5 July 2021 |title=Channel 10 commended for NAIDOC weather segment using traditional names for Australian cities |work=News.com.au |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121184019/https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/current-affairs/channel-10-commended-for-naidoc-weather-segment-using-traditional-names-for-australian-cities/news-story/aab88b49c36d6d140210c8d2800c2a1b|archive-date=21 January 2022|url=https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/current-affairs/channel-10-commended-for-naidoc-weather-segment-using-traditional-names-for-australian-cities/news-story/aab88b49c36d6d140210c8d2800c2a1b |access-date=29 January 2023|quote=traditional names for Australian capital cities}}{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231216035104/https://www.curtin.edu.au/study/campus-life/living-perth//|archive-date=16 December 2023|url=https://www.curtin.edu.au/study/campus-life/living-perth//|title=Living in Perth|date=4 September 2019 |publisher=Curtin University|access-date=29 January 2023|quote=state capital city}} The name Boorloo was initially recorded by Robert Menli Lyon as Boorlo in 1833,{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/46280679|title=Should Perth Have Been Boorlo?|newspaper=The West Australian|date=3 May 1947|via=Trove|access-date=1 January 2024|archive-date=2 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102055219/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/46280679|url-status=live}} which was interpreted as "Perth, properly Point Fraser" (a location in East Perth). He also gave the name Byerbrup for "the highland stretching along from Mount Eliza through the centre of the town of Perth".{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/642121/64|title=The topography of Derbal|newspaper=The Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal|date=20 April 1833|access-date=1 January 2024|via=Trove|archive-date=2 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102055211/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/642121/64|url-status=live}} 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".{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/46318755|title=Perth or Boorloo?|newspaper=The West Australian|access-date=1 January 2024|via=Trove|date=14 June 1947|archive-date=2 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102055217/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/46318755|url-status=live}} Another source has interpreted Boorloo to mean "big swamp",{{cite news|url=https://patforsterblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/noongar-placenames-with-connections-to-water-april-17-1.pdf|title=Noongar Placenames With Connections To Water|first=Pat|last=Forster|year=2020|access-date=19 May 2024|page=13}} describing the chain of lakes where the central business district and Northbridge are situated.{{cite journal |last=Harben |first=Sandra |title=Whadjuk Oral History recordings |journal=WA Museum Boola Bardip |date=2019 }}

In November 2024, when announcing the opening of Boorloo Bridge, the premier of Western Australia, Roger Cook, and two of his ministers, deputy premier Rita Saffioti and John Carey, referenced "the Noongar name for Perth{{snd}}Boorloo",{{cite press release |type=Joint media statement |title=Causeway pedestrian bridges set for December opening |first1=Roger |last1=Cook |author1-link=Roger Cook (politician) |first2=Rita |last2=Saffioti |author2-link=Rita Saffioti |first3=John |last3=Carey |author3-link=John Carey (Australian politician) |date=14 November 2024|publisher=Government of Western Australia |url=https://www.wa.gov.au/government/media-statements/Cook%20Labor%20Government/Joint-media-statement---Causeway-pedestrian-bridges-set-for-December-opening--20241114 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241117065103/https://www.wa.gov.au/government/media-statements/Cook%20Labor%20Government/Joint-media-statement---Causeway-pedestrian-bridges-set-for-December-opening--20241114 |archive-date=17 November 2024|access-date=19 December 2024|quote=Once open, the new iconic structures will be officially named Boorloo Bridge, in recognition of the Whadjuk Noongar culture and rich history embedded into the design of the bridges. The meaning of the new name reflects the Noongar name for Perth{{snd}}Boorloo. }} 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".{{cite web |title=Boorloo Bidee Mia |date=19 April 2024|website=Government of Western Australia |url=https://www.wa.gov.au/service/community-services/accommodation-services/boorloo-bidee-mia |access-date=22 December 2024}}

{{Main|History of Perth, Western Australia}}

File:Noongar regions map.svg, one of several groups in south-western Western Australia that make up the Noongar people.]]

Archaeological evidence attests to human habitation in the Perth area for at least 48,000 years;{{cite Q |Q127496561 |mode=cs1 |url-status=live |access-date=2024-05-19 |quote=Archaeologists over the past 40 years have found evidence to push the date of Aboriginal occupancy of the state earlier and earlier, with 50,000 years now widely accepted and 70,000 considered possible.}}{{rp|9}} according to Noongar tradition, they have occupied the area since "time immemorial".{{Cite web |title=Noongar History |url=https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-the-premier-and-cabinet/noongar-history |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328182409/https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-the-premier-and-cabinet/noongar-history|archive-date=28 March 2023|access-date=1 January 2024|publisher=Government of Western Australia|date=21 July 2020 }} Noongar country encompasses the south-west corner of Western Australia, with particular significance attached to the wetlands on the Swan Coastal Plain, both spiritually (featuring in local mythology) and as a source of food.{{cite journal |url= http://www.archaeology.arts.uwa.edu.au/staff/bowdler__research_interests/the_pleistocene_pacific |title= The Pleistocene Pacific |last= Bowdler |first= Sandra |journal= Published in 'Human Settlement', in D. Denoon (Ed) the Cambridge History of the Pacific Islanders. Pp. 41–50. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge |publisher= University of Western Australia |access-date= 26 February 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080216181223/http://www.archaeology.arts.uwa.edu.au/about/research/bowdler__research_interests/the_pleistocene_pacific |archive-date= 16 February 2008 |jstor= 44080296 |doi= 10.1002/arco.5110 |url-status= dead }}

The current central business district location is within the traditional territory of the Mooro, a Noongar clan, led by Yellagonga at the time of the British settlement. The Mooro was one of several Noongar clans based around the Swan River, known collectively as the Whadjuk. 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' in their language), also sometimes called the Bibbulmun.{{Sfn|ps=none|Heritage Council of Western Australia|1998|p=3}}{{cite web|url=https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/15517921|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101160600/https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/15517921|access-date=2 January 2024|archive-date=1 January 2024|website=AustLit|title=First Nations of the South-West Region}}{{Sfn|ps=none|Government House|2020|p=2}}

On 19 September 2006, the Federal Court of Australia ruled in the case of Bennell v State of Western Australia [2006] FCA 1243 that Noongar native title persisted over Perth metropolitan area.{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150506060306/http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/federal_ct/2006/1243.html|archive-date=6 May 2015|url= http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/federal_ct/2006/1243.html |title= Bennell v State of Western Australia [2006] FCA 1243 |access-date= 1 January 2024 |work= Federal Court of Australia Decisions |publisher= Australasia Legal Information Institute}} 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.{{cite web |url= http://www.nntt.gov.au/News-and-Communications/Newsletters/Native-title-Hot-Spots-archive/Documents/Hot%20Spots%2027/Bodney%20v%20Bennell.pdf |title= Newsletter: Single Noongar appeal—Perth: Bodney v Bennell 2008 |publisher= National Native Title Tribunal |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140212034834/http://www.nntt.gov.au/News-and-Communications/Newsletters/Native-title-Hot-Spots-archive/Documents/Hot%20Spots%2027/Bodney%20v%20Bennell.pdf |archive-date= 12 February 2014 |access-date= 15 August 2009 }} Following this appeal, the Western Australian Government and the South 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.{{Cite web |title=South West Native Title Settlement timeline |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230108064403/https://www.wa.gov.au/government/publications/south-west-native-title-settlement-timeline|archive-date=8 January 2023|url=https://www.wa.gov.au/government/publications/south-west-native-title-settlement-timeline |access-date=7 April 2022 |date=14 September 2023|publisher=Government of Western Australia}} As part of this agreement, the Noongar (Koorah, Nitja, Boordahwan) (Past, Present, Future) Recognition Act was passed in 2016, officially recognising the Noongar people as the traditional owners of the south-west region of Western Australia.{{Cite web |title=South West Native Title Settlement – Noongar recognition through an Act of Parliament |url=https://www.wa.gov.au/government/publications/south-west-native-title-settlement-noongar-recognition-through-act-of-parliament |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316205108/https://www.wa.gov.au/government/publications/south-west-native-title-settlement-noongar-recognition-through-act-of-parliament|archive-date=16 March 2023|publisher=Government of Western Australia|date=13 January 2020|access-date=2 January 2024}}

Image:Vlamingh ships at the Swan River, Keulen 1796.jpg's ships and black swans at the entrance to the Swan River, 1697]]

On 10 January 1697, Dutch Captain Willem 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.{{cite web | url = http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0600361h.html#ch-12 | title = Early Voyages to Terra Australis, now called Australia | access-date = 26 February 2008 | last = Major | first = Richard Henry | year = 1859 | work = Project Gutenberg of Australia | archive-date = 20 January 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120120145040/http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0600361h.html#ch-12 | url-status = live }} Vlamingh's expedition also ventured far up the Swan River, in search of native inhabitants.{{Cite web |last=Fraser |first=Gina |date=November 2015 |title=A HERITAGE IN NAMES – the Origin and Meaning of Street and Place Names in the City of South Perth |url=https://southperth.wa.gov.au/docs/default-source/4-develop/planning/heritage/heritage-in-names.pdf |access-date=26 September 2022 |website=City of South Perth|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128141024/https://southperth.wa.gov.au/docs/default-source/4-develop/planning/heritage/heritage-in-names.pdf|archive-date=28 November 2023}} They named the river Swarte Swaene-Revier, a reference to the black swans prevalent in the region. 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.{{Sfn|ps=none|Appleyard|Manford|1979|pp=10–19}}

{{Main|Swan River Colony}}

Despite the Colony of New South Wales establishing a convict-supported settlement at King George's Sound (called Frederick Town, renamed to Albany upon becoming part of Western Australia) on the south coast of the continent in 1826, responding to rumours of potential French annexation, Perth marked the first comprehensive European settlement in the western portion of the continent in 1829. Officially designated as Western Australia in 1832, the colony retained the informal moniker "Swan River Colony" for many years, after the area's major watercourse.{{cite web |url=http://search.records.nsw.gov.au/agencies/2517 |title=King George's Sound Settlement |work=State Records |publisher=State Records Authority of New South Wales |access-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140624194804/http://search.records.nsw.gov.au/agencies/2517 |archive-date=24 June 2014 }}

File:The Foundation of Perth.jpg by George 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 inline |article=Western Australia Day |section=Background |reason=Was it 1 June or 4 June? |date=June 2024}} Captain James Stirling, aboard {{ship||Parmelia|barque|2}}, noted that the site was "as beautiful as anything of this kind I had ever witnessed".{{cite web|url=https://medium.com/@brookeschaefer/a-day-in-perth-australia-48486796e208|title=A Day in Perth, Australia|website=Medium|first=Brooke|last=Schaefer|date=1 May 2015|access-date=2 January 2023|archive-date=1 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101174548/https://medium.com/@brookeschaefer/a-day-in-perth-australia-48486796e208}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.johncareymla.com.au/about/about-perth/|title=About the Perth electorate|first=John|last=Carey|publisher=Western Australian Labor Party|authorlink=John Carey (Australian politician)|date=2023|access-date=2 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217043820/https://www.johncareymla.com.au/about/about-perth/|archive-date=17 December 2023}} 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 as Thomas Peel's servant Hugh Nesbitt{{Sfn|ps=none|Goldsmith|1951|p=346}}), the execution without trial of Whadjuk elder Midgegooroo,{{sfn|Fforde|2002|p=230}} the killing of his son Yagan in 1833,{{sfn|Fforde|2002|p=231}} and the Pinjarra massacre in 1834.{{rp|114}}{{cite web |url=http://inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/Admin/api/file/a32f1bff-4af9-564a-68ce-8409d0c9f3cc |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603073630/http://inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/Admin/api/file/a32f1bff-4af9-564a-68ce-8409d0c9f3cc|archive-date=3 June 2023|title=Register of Heritage Places – Assessment Documentation, Pinjarra Massacre Site 1 |date=18 December 2007 |website=Heritage Council of Western Australia |access-date=23 November 2019}}

The strained relations between the Noongar people and the Europeans arose due to these events. Agricultural development on the land restricted the traditional hunter-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 as Boodjamooling, 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.{{cite web |url= http://www.vincent.wa.gov.au/2/145/1/history.pm |title = Town of Vincent – History |work= Adapted from 'History of the Town of Vincent', from Town of Vincent 2001 Annual Report, p.52 (possibly based on J. Gentili and others) |publisher= Town of Vincent |access-date = 26 February 2008|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080726013622/http://www.vincent.wa.gov.au/2/145/1/history.pm |archive-date= 26 July 2008}}

File:FremantlePrisonYard.jpg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.]]

File:2023-10-11-Perth-Mint-01.jpg, built in 1899 to refine gold from the gold rushes]]

In 1850, at a time when penal transportation to Australia's eastern colonies had ceased, Western Australia was opened to convicts at the request of farming and business people due to a shortage of labour.{{cite web |url=http://www.regionalwa.com.au/WAinfo/PerthHistory.htm |title = :: REGIONAL WA:: Western Australia: History |date = 23 December 2003 |access-date =26 February 2008 |publisher=Regional Web Australia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130411021319/http://www.regionalwa.com.au/WAinfo/PerthHistory.htm|archive-date=11 April 2013}} Over the next eighteen years, 9,721 convicts arrived in Western Australia aboard 43 ships,{{Sfn|ps=none|Wood|2016|p=9}}{{Sfn|ps=none|Edwards|2010|p=79}} outnumbering the approximately 7,300 free settlers.{{cite web |title=Founding of Perth |date=2023-05-04 |website=National Museum of Australia, Government of Australia |url=https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/founding-of-perth |access-date=2024-06-16 |quote=Between 1850 and 1868 around 10,000 British convicts arrived at the colony. By 1868 the total population was 17,000, with convicts outnumbering settlers, 9700 to 7300. }}

The designation of Perth as a city was formally announced by Queen Victoria in 1856. However, despite this recognition, Perth remained a tranquil town. A description from 1870 by a Melbourne journalist depicted it as:{{cite web |url = http://www.cityofperth.wa.gov.au/documentdb/63.pdf |title = History of the City of Perth |access-date = 26 February 2008 |date = 23 March 2005 |publisher = City of Perth |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080228075541/http://www.cityofperth.wa.gov.au/documentdb/63.pdf |archive-date = 28 February 2008 |url-status = dead }}'Western Australia. (From the Argyle's Special Correspondent) IV-Perth' (1870, March 18). The Perth Gazette and West Australian Times, p. 3.

{{blockquote |text=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 the discovery of gold at Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie in the late 19th century, Western Australia experienced a mining boom.{{Cite web|url=http://www.constitutionalcentre.wa.gov.au/ResearchAndSeminarPapers/LaunchingTheShip/Pages/TheGoldrush.aspx|title=The Goldrush|website=The Constitutional Centre of Western Australia|access-date=6 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140909031011/http://www.constitutionalcentre.wa.gov.au/ResearchAndSeminarPapers/LaunchingTheShip/Pages/TheGoldrush.aspx|archive-date=9 September 2014|url-status=dead}} 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.Abjorensen, Norman; Docherty, James C. Historical Dictionary of Australia. Rowman & Littlefield, 2014. {{ISBN|9781442245020}}, p. 292.

File:St Georges Terrace Perth.jpg was demolished during a period of substantial modernisation in the 1960s-70s.]]

After a referendum in 1900,{{cite web |url=http://www.naa.gov.au/naaresources/Publications/research_guides/guides/perth/chapter04.htm |title = Collections in Perth: 4. Colonial Administration |access-date =26 February 2008 |date = 23 August 2007 |work=Collections in Perth |publisher=National Archives of Australia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080714174908/http://www.naa.gov.au/naaresources/Publications/research_guides/guides/perth/chapter04.htm |archive-date=14 July 2008 }} Western Australia joined the Federation of Australia in 1901, and "became a founding state of Australia". 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 a transcontinental railway line from Port Augusta in South Australia to Kalgoorlie to link Perth with the eastern states.{{cite book |last= Howell |first= Peter |title=South Australia and Federation |year=2002 |publisher= Wakefield Press|location=Adelaide |isbn= 1-86254-549-9 |page=288}}

In 1927, Indigenous people were prohibited from entering large swathes of Perth under penalty of imprisonment, a ban that lasted until 1954.{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-29/when-perth-banned-aboriginal-people-from-the-city/11818540|title=The forbidden city: When Indigenous people were banned from Perth|last=Carmody|first=Rebecca|date=29 December 2019|website=ABC News|language=en-AU|access-date=1 January 2020|archive-date=31 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231200327/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-29/when-perth-banned-aboriginal-people-from-the-city/11818540|url-status=live}}

In 1933, two-thirds of Western Australians voted in a referendum to secede 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. The House of Commons established a select 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.{{cite web |url = http://john.curtin.edu.au/mccallum/deputy.html |title = Deputy Premier 2nd Collier Government 1933–1935 |access-date = 26 February 2008 |date = 11 May 2005 |publisher = John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library |archive-date = 1 April 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200401161931/http://john.curtin.edu.au/mccallum/deputy.html |url-status = live }}

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 the Willcock Labor Government (1936–1945), determined to change this. Planning for post-war economic development was initially driven by Russell 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 the Mundaring and Wellington dams, the development of the new Perth Airport, and the development of a new industrial zone centred on Kwinana. The advent of the McLarty 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 the Anglo-Iranian Oil Refinery at Kwinana in 1951–52.{{Cite news |date=4 March 1952 |title=Agreement On Oil |work=West Australian |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49018574 |access-date=20 April 2022}}

File:Perth WA c1955 EW Digby-14.jpg {{circa|1955}}]]

File:Perth (AU), Elizabeth Quay Bridge -- 2019 -- 0375-9.jpg

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 the Stephenson-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.{{Cite book |last1=Stephenson |first1=Gordon |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-745050840/view?partId=nla.obj-745051291 |title=Plan for the Metropolitan Region, Perth and Fremantle |last2=Hepburn |first2=J. A. |publisher=Government of Western Australia |year=1955 |location=Western Australia |archive-date=26 July 2022 |access-date=20 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220726024212/https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-745050840/view?partId=nla.obj-745051291 |url-status=live }} This was encouraged by the opening of the Narrows Bridge and the gradual closure of the Perth and Fremantle 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 astronaut John Glenn passed overhead while orbiting the Earth on Friendship 7. This led to its being nicknamed the "City of Light".{{efn

|The city most commonly referred to as the "City of Light" is Paris. However, over 30 other cities also carry the label in various forms.}}(1970) Perth – a city of light Perth, W.A. Brian Williams Productions for the Government of WA, 1970 (Video recording) The social and recreational life of Perth. Begins with a 'mock-up' of the lights of Perth as seen by astronaut John Glenn in February 1962{{cite Australian Dictionary of Biography |first=Jenny |last=Gregory |author-link=Jenny Gregory |title=Sir Henry Rudolph (Harry) Howard (1890–1970) |volume=Supplementary Volume |year=2005 |id2=howard-sir-henry-rudolph-harry-12992 |access-date=2025-03-10 }}{{cite web|url=http://museum.wa.gov.au/city-lights|title=City of light – 50 years in Space|publisher=Western Australian Museum|access-date=13 August 2019|archive-date=1 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201033900/http://museum.wa.gov.au/city-lights|url-status=live}} The city repeated the act as Glenn passed overhead on the Space Shuttle in 1998.{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/tv/canwehelp/txt/s2160601.htm|title=Moment in Time – Episode 1|website=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=15 February 2008|access-date=14 July 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080821085131/http://www.abc.net.au/tv/canwehelp/txt/s2160601.htm|archive-date=21 August 2008|url-status=dead}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/digitallife/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/1998/11/05/ecnglen05.xml |title=Grandfather Glenn's blast from the past |work=The Daily Telegraph|date=5 November 1998 |access-date=14 July 2008 |location=London |first=Charles |last=Moore }}{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

Perth's development and relative prosperity, especially since the mid-1960s,{{cite web|url=http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/7d12b0f6763c78caca257061001cc588/0c312955726b99d4ca256f2a000ffa34!OpenDocument|title=WA Statistical Indicators June 2002|publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics|date=11 July 2002|access-date=5 October 2008|archive-date=9 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009110334/https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/7d12b0f6763c78caca257061001cc588/0c312955726b99d4ca256f2a000ffa34!OpenDocument|url-status=live}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.ga.gov.au/pdf/RR0112.pdf|title = Australia's identified mineral resources, 2002|access-date=26 February 2008|date=31 October 2002|publisher=Geoscience Australia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040331135431/http://www.ga.gov.au/pdf/RR0112.pdf |archive-date=31 March 2004 }} 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.dpi.wa.gov.au/mediaFiles/dialogue_GPdp3.pdf|title=Discussion Paper: Greater Perth Economy And Employment|publisher=Department for Planning & Infrastructure|date=25 August 2003|access-date=5 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081031134821/http://www.dpi.wa.gov.au/mediaFiles/dialogue_GPdp3.pdf|archive-date=31 October 2008|url-status=dead}}

Perth experienced a period of recovery in 1990. In July 1994, the state government separated the city's CBD from its suburban districts, creating the City of Perth and three other local government areas.{{cn|date=September 2024}} 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 the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre (2004) and the redevelopment of the city's waterfront, giving rise to the mixed-use Elizabeth Quay precinct.

{{See also|Perth (suburb)}}

File:Cathedral Square Perth Hay Street.jpg and State Buildings, Hay Street]]

The central business district of Perth is bounded by the Swan River to the south and east, with Kings Park on the western end and the railway reserve as the northern border.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} A state and federally funded project named Perth City Link sank a section of the railway line to allow easy pedestrian access between Northbridge and the CBD. The Perth Arena is an entertainment and sporting arena in the city link area that has received several architectural awards from institutions such as the Design Institute of Australia, the Australian Institute of Architects, and Colorbond.{{Cite web|url=http://www.pertharena.com.au/About_Us/Venue_Awards.aspx|title=Venue Awards|website=Perth Arena|access-date=7 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171007120056/http://www.pertharena.com.au/About_Us/Venue_Awards.aspx|archive-date=7 October 2017|url-status=dead}} St Georges Terrace is the area's prominent street, with a large amount of office space in the CBD. Hay Street and Murray Street have most of the retail and entertainment facilities. The city's tallest building is Central Park, the twelfth tallest building in Australia.{{Cite web|url=http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/central-park-tower/892|title=Central Park Tower|website=The Skyscraper Centre— The Global Tall Building Database of the CTBUH|access-date=7 October 2017|archive-date=7 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171007122604/http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/central-park-tower/892|url-status=live}} The CBD until 2012 was the centre of a mining-induced boom, with several commercial and residential projects being built, including Brookfield Place, a {{convert|244|m|adj=on}} office building for Anglo-Australian mining company BHP.{{Cite web|url=http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/boom-town-to-ghost-town-perth-cbd-vacancies-hit-25year-high-20170124-gtxzas.html|title=Boom town to ghost town: Perth CBD vacancies hit 25-year high|last=Allan-Petale|first=David|date=25 January 2017|website=WA Today|access-date=7 October 2017|archive-date=7 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171007224839/http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/boom-town-to-ghost-town-perth-cbd-vacancies-hit-25year-high-20170124-gtxzas.html|url-status=live}}

{{main|Perth metropolitan region}}

Image:MASB.gif

Perth's metropolitan area extends along the coast to Two Rocks in the north and Singleton to the south,{{cite map |publisher=Western Australian Land Information Authority |title=Perth Metropolitan Region: Local Governments and Localities |year=2012 |url=http://www.landgate.wa.gov.au/docvault.nsf/web/PS_FREEMAP/$FILE/Arterial_Roads_LGA_&_Localities.pdf |cartography=Location Knowledge Services, Landgate |format=PDF |access-date=25 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322113858/http://www.landgate.wa.gov.au/docvault.nsf/web/PS_FREEMAP/%24FILE/Arterial_Roads_LGA_%26_Localities.pdf |archive-date=22 March 2012 }} a distance of approximately {{Convert|125|km|-1}}.{{cite web|title=About Us|url=http://www.abc.net.au/perth/about/|work=720 ABC Perth|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|access-date=18 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029113036/http://www.abc.net.au/perth/about/|archive-date=29 October 2013|url-status=dead}} From the coast in the west to Mundaring in the east is a distance of approximately {{Convert|50|km|-1}}. The Perth metropolitan area covers {{convert|6418|km2}}. The built-up urban area of Perth is {{convert|1722|km2}}, the same as Wuhan or Salt Lake City and slightly smaller than London, 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.{{cite web |title=Demographia World Urban Areas |url=http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf |website=Demographia |edition=18th |access-date=17 February 2023 |pages=40, 74 |date=July 2022 |archive-date=3 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503021711/http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf |url-status=live }}

The metropolitan region is defined by the Planning and Development Act 2005 to include 30 local government areas, with the outer extent being the City of Wanneroo and the City of Swan to the north, the Shire of Mundaring, City of Kalamunda and the City of Armadale to the east, the Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale to the south-east and the City of Rockingham to the south-west, and including Rottnest Island and Garden Island off the west coast.{{Cite report|author=Metropolitan Local Government Review Panel|date=September 2011|title=Defining What we mean by "Perth Metropolitan Area"|url=http://metroreview.dlg.wa.gov.au/Content/Publications/Default.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222001125/http://metroreview.dlg.wa.gov.au/Content/Publications/Default.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 February 2012|access-date=9 April 2016}} This extent correlates with the Metropolitan Region Scheme, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics' Perth (Major Statistical Division).

The metropolitan extent of Perth can be defined in other ways—the Australian Bureau of Statistics Greater Capital City Statistical Area, or Greater Perth in short, consists of that area, plus the City of Mandurah and the Pinjarra Level 2 Statistical Area{{cite web |title=2011 Census QuickStats: Pinjarra |url=http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2011/quickstat/502011029?opendocument&navpos=22 |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics |access-date=12 February 2020 |date=28 March 2013 |archive-date=28 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728084509/https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2011/quickstat/502011029?opendocument=&navpos=22 |url-status=dead }} of the Shire of Murray,{{cite web|title=Greater Capital City Statistical Areas|url=http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/d3310114.nsf/4a256353001af3ed4b2562bb00121564/6b6e07234c98365aca25792d0010d730/$FILE/Greater%20Capital%20City%20Statistical%20Area%20-%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf|website=Australian Bureau Statistics|publisher=Commonwealth of Australia|access-date=2 November 2014|date=2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141030212708/http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/d3310114.nsf/4a256353001af3ed4b2562bb00121564/6b6e07234c98365aca25792d0010d730/$FILE/Greater%20Capital%20City%20Statistical%20Area%20-%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf|archive-date=30 October 2014|url-status=dead}}{{Census 2011 AUS|id=5GPER|name=Greater Perth (Greater Capital City Statistical Area) |access-date=2 November 2014|quick=on}} while the Regional Development Commissions Act 1993 includes the Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale in the Peel region.{{cite web|title=Metropolitan Local Government Review, Final Report of the Independent Panel|url=http://www.kalamunda.wa.gov.au/files/0874c84a-6872-4b69-ab3e-a24d011bcb62/FINAL-REPORT-JULY-2012-Metropolitan-Local-Government-Review-Panel-Final-Report.pdf|website=City of Kalamunda|page=56|date=July 2012|access-date=12 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403072421/http://www.kalamunda.wa.gov.au/files/0874c84a-6872-4b69-ab3e-a24d011bcb62/FINAL-REPORT-JULY-2012-Metropolitan-Local-Government-Review-Panel-Final-Report.pdf|archive-date=3 April 2019|url-status=dead}}

{{See also|List of islands of Perth, Western Australia}}

The largest river flowing through Perth is the Swan River, named for the native black swans by Willem de Vlamingh, captain of a Dutch expedition and namer of Western Australia's Rottnest Island, who discovered the birds while exploring the area in 1697.{{cite web |url=http://www.ccentre.wa.gov.au/index.cfm?event=heritageIconsJanuary |title = 175th Anniversary of Western Australia – Heritage Icons: January – The Swan River|access-date =13 November 2008 |date = 31 December 2004 |publisher=Department of the Premier and Cabinet|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206041947/http://www.ccentre.wa.gov.au/index.cfm?event=heritageIconsJanuary |archive-date=6 December 2008}} This water body is also known as Derbarl Yerrigan.{{cite web | url=http://www.det.wa.edu.au/aboriginaleducation/apac/detcms/aboriginal-education/apac/regions/beechboro/history-of-the-swan-district.en?oid=MultiPartArticle-id-9430685 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224105521/http://www.det.wa.edu.au/aboriginaleducation/apac/detcms/aboriginal-education/apac/regions/beechboro/history-of-the-swan-district.en?oid=MultiPartArticle-id-9430685 | url-status=dead | archive-date=24 December 2013 | title=History of the North Metro Region | publisher=Government of Western Australia | work=Department of Education | access-date=27 August 2013}} The city centre and most of the suburbs are on the sandy and relatively flat Swan Coastal Plain, which lies between the Darling Scarp and the Indian Ocean. The soils of this area are quite infertile.

Much of colonial Perth was built on the Perth Wetlands, a series of freshwater wetlands running from Herdsman Lake in the west through to Claisebrook Cove in the east.{{cite conference |url=http://edit.epa.wa.gov.au/EPADocLib/EPA-bulletin_372.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213083252/http://edit.epa.wa.gov.au/EPADocLib/EPA-bulletin_372.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 December 2013 |title=The Value of Wetlands |first=Norm |last=Godfrey |date=July 1989 |conference=Planning and Management for Wetland Conservation Conference, 15 June 1988 |volume=372 |publisher=Environmental Protection Authority |location=Perth, Western Australia |pages=4–11 |isbn=0-7309-1911-0 |access-date=11 October 2013 }}

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. The Perth metropolitan area has two major river systems, one made up of the Swan and Canning Rivers, and one of the Serpentine and Murray Rivers, which discharge into the Peel Inlet at Mandurah. The Perth-Gingin Shrublands and Woodlands and Banksia Woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain straddle the metropolitan area.

{{Main|Climate of Perth}}

File:Beach sunset Perth.jpg at City Beach]]

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 a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa).{{Cite book|last1=Tapper|first1=Andrew|last2=Tapper|first2=Nigel|title=The weather and climate of Australia and New Zealand|year=1996|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Melbourne, Australia|isbn=0-19-553393-3|edition=First|editor=Gray, Kathleen|page=300}}{{cite book | last = Linacre | first = Edward |author2=Geerts, Bart | title = Climates and Weather Explained | publisher=Routledge | location = London | year = 1997 | page = 379 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mkZa1KLHCAQC&pg=PA379 | isbn = 0-415-12519-7}} 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.

Summers are typically hot and dry but not completely devoid of rain, with sporadic rainfall in the form of short-lived thunderstorms, weak cold fronts and on occasions decaying tropical cyclones from Western Australia's north-west, which can bring heavy rain. Temperatures above {{cvt|35|C}} occur, on average, 26 days per year and rise above {{cvt|40|C}} on 5 days per year. The highest temperature recorded in Perth was {{cvt|46.2|C}} on 23 February 1991, although Perth Airport recorded {{cvt|46.7|C}} on the same day.{{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_009021_All.shtml |title=Perth Airport climate statistics |access-date=25 December 2012 |publisher=Bureau of Meteorology |archive-date=4 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204015316/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_009021_All.shtml |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/annual/wa/archive/2008.perth.shtml|title=Annual Climate Summary for Perth: Near average rainfall with warmer days for Perth in 2008|publisher=Bureau of Meteorology|date=2 January 2009|access-date=5 August 2009|archive-date=21 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321022801/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/annual/wa/archive/2008.perth.shtml|url-status=live}} On most summer afternoons a sea breeze, known locally as the Fremantle Doctor, blows from the south-west, providing relief from the hot north-easterly winds. Temperatures often fall below {{cvt|30|C}} a few hours after the arrival of the wind change.{{cite web|url=http://www.ga.gov.au/servlet/BigObjFileManager?bigobjid=GA6525|title=Meteorological hazards|publisher=Geoscience Australia|work=Natural hazard risk in Perth, Western Australia – Cities Project Perth Report|first1=Joe|last1=Courtney|first2=Miriam|last2=Middelmann|format=PDF|year=2005|access-date=25 December 2012|archive-date=28 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728084506/http://www.ga.gov.au/webtemp/image_cache/GA6525.pdf|url-status=live}} In the summer, the 3{{nbsp}}p.m. dewpoint averages at around {{cvt|12|C}}.

Winters are mild and wet, with most of Perth's annual rainfall between May and September. Winters see significant rainfall as frontal systems move across the region, interspersed with clear and sunny days where minimum temperatures tend to drop below {{cvt|5|C}}. The lowest temperature recorded in Perth was {{cvt|-0.7|C}} on 17 June 2006. The lowest temperature within the Perth metropolitan area was {{cvt|-3.4|C}} on the same day at Jandakot Airport, although temperatures at or below zero are rare occurrences. The lowest maximum temperature recorded in Perth is {{cvt|8.8|C}} on 26 June 1956. It occasionally gets cold enough for frost to form.{{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_009172_All.shtml |title=Jandakot Airport climate statistics |access-date=2 September 2015 |publisher=Bureau of Meteorology |archive-date=14 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914182747/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_009172_All.shtml |url-status=live }} While snow has never been recorded in the Perth CBD, light snowfalls have been reported in outer suburbs of Perth in the Perth Hills around Kalamunda, Roleystone and Mundaring. The most recent snowfall was in 1968.

The rainfall pattern has changed in Perth and south-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,{{cite web|url=http://www.water.wa.gov.au/Tools/Water+Education+Tools/Resources/Downloads_GetFile.aspx?id=931|title=How extreme south-west rainfalls have changed|publisher=Indian Ocean Climate Initiative|year=2000|format=PDF|access-date=5 August 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090723011219/http://www.water.wa.gov.au/Tools/Water+Education+Tools/Resources/Downloads_GetFile.aspx?id=931|archive-date=23 July 2009}} such as the slow-moving storms on 8 February 1992 that brought {{convert|120.6|mm}} of rain, heavy rainfall associated with a tropical low on 10 February 2017, which brought {{convert|114.4|mm}} of rain,{{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/dwo/IDCJDW6111.latest.shtml |title=Perth, Western Australia February 2017 Daily Weather Observations |publisher=Bureau of Meteorology |access-date=10 February 2017 |archive-date=15 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215230503/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/dwo/IDCJDW6111.latest.shtml |url-status=live }} and the remnants of ex-Tropical Cyclone Joyce on 15 January 2018 with {{convert|96.2|mm}}.{{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/dwo/201801/html/IDCJDW6111.201801.shtml |title=Perth, Western Australia January 2018 Daily Weather Observations |publisher=Bureau of Meteorology |access-date=19 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180120000504/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/dwo/201801/html/IDCJDW6111.201801.shtml |archive-date=20 January 2018 |url-status=dead }}. Perth was also hit by a severe thunderstorm on 22 March 2010, which brought {{cvt|40.2|mm}} of rain, and large hail and caused significant damage in the metropolitan area.{{cite news|url=http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/newshome/6967134/storm-brings-huge-damage-bill/|title=Storm brings huge damage bill|newspaper=The West Australian|first1=Ronan|last1=O'Connell|first2=Lindsay|last2=McPhee|first3=Bethany|last3=Hiatt|date=23 March 2010|access-date=23 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111203140417/http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/newshome/6967134/storm-brings-huge-damage-bill/|archive-date=3 December 2011|url-status=dead}}

The average sea temperature ranges from {{cvt|18.9|C}} in October to {{cvt|23.4|C}} in March.{{cite web |author=Copyright Global Sea Temperatures — A-Connect Ltd |url=https://www.seatemperature.org/australia-pacific/australia/perth.htm |title=Perth Sea Temperature | Australia Water Temperatures |location=31.952240;115.861400 |publisher=Seatemperature.org |access-date=23 September 2017 |archive-date=23 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923145021/https://www.seatemperature.org/australia-pacific/australia/perth.htm |url-status=live }}

{{Weather box

|location = Perth Metro

|metric first = Yes

|single line = Yes

|Jan record high C = 44.4

|Feb record high C = 46.2

|Mar record high C = 42.4

|Apr record high C = 39.5

|May record high C = 34.3

|Jun record high C = 26.2

|Jul record high C = 25.8

|Aug record high C = 30.0

|Sep record high C = 34.3

|Oct record high C = 37.2

|Nov record high C = 40.4

|Dec record high C = 44.2

|Jan avg record high C = 40.4

|Feb avg record high C = 40.1

|Mar avg record high C = 38.6

|Apr avg record high C = 33.9

|May avg record high C = 28.7

|Jun avg record high C = 24.2

|Jul avg record high C = 22.7

|Aug avg record high C = 24.5

|Sep avg record high C = 27.3

|Oct avg record high C = 33.0

|Nov avg record high C = 36.9

|Dec avg record high C = 39.5

|year avg record high C = 41.8

|Jan high C = 31.4

|Feb high C = 31.7

|Mar high C = 29.7

|Apr high C = 26.0

|May high C = 22.4

|Jun high C = 19.5

|Jul high C = 18.5

|Aug high C = 19.2

|Sep high C = 20.6

|Oct high C = 23.5

|Nov high C = 26.8

|Dec high C = 29.6

|year high C = 24.9

|Jan mean C = 24.8

|Feb mean C = 25.0

|Mar mean C = 23.3

|Apr mean C = 19.9

|May mean C = 16.5

|Jun mean C = 14.1

|Jul mean C = 13.3

|Aug mean C = 13.9

|Sep mean C = 15.2

|Oct mean C = 17.6

|Nov mean C = 20.6

|Dec mean C = 23.1

|year mean C =

|Jan low C = 18.1

|Feb low C = 18.4

|Mar low C = 16.9

|Apr low C = 13.8

|May low C = 10.5

|Jun low C = 8.7

|Jul low C = 8.1

|Aug low C = 8.5

|Sep low C = 9.7

|Oct low C = 11.7

|Nov low C = 14.4

|Dec low C = 16.6

|year low C = 13.0

|Jan avg record low C = 12.6

|Feb avg record low C = 13.1

|Mar avg record low C = 10.0

|Apr avg record low C = 7.6

|May avg record low C = 4.3

|Jun avg record low C = 2.3

|Jul avg record low C = 1.8

|Aug avg record low C = 2.6

|Sep avg record low C = 3.6

|Oct avg record low C = 5.4

|Nov avg record low C = 8.8

|Dec avg record low C = 11.1

|year avg record low C = 1.1

|Jan record low C = 8.9

|Feb record low C = 9.9

|Mar record low C = 6.3

|Apr record low C = 4.7

|May record low C = 1.3

|Jun record low C = −0.7

|Jul record low C = 0.0

|Aug record low C = 1.3

|Sep record low C = 1.0

|Oct record low C = 2.2

|Nov record low C = 5.0

|Dec record low C = 6.6

|rain colour = green

|Jan rain mm = 16.7

|Feb rain mm = 13.1

|Mar rain mm = 20.0

|Apr rain mm = 35.9

|May rain mm = 86.2

|Jun rain mm = 127.1

|Jul rain mm = 147.0

|Aug rain mm = 122.7

|Sep rain mm = 79.3

|Oct rain mm = 39.5

|Nov rain mm = 24.2

|Dec rain mm = 9.4

|year rain mm = 723.9

| unit precipitation days = 1 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 1.5

|Feb precipitation days = 1.2

|Mar precipitation days = 2.6

|Apr precipitation days = 4.7

|May precipitation days = 8.7

|Jun precipitation days = 11.8

|Jul precipitation days = 14.8

|Aug precipitation days = 13.1

|Sep precipitation days = 10.7

|Oct precipitation days = 5.7

|Nov precipitation days = 3.8

|Dec precipitation days = 1.8

|year precipitation days = 80.4

|time day = 15:00

|humidity colour = green

|Jan afthumidity = 39

|Feb afthumidity = 38

|Mar afthumidity = 40

|Apr afthumidity = 46

|May afthumidity = 50

|Jun afthumidity = 56

|Jul afthumidity = 57

|Aug afthumidity = 54

|Sep afthumidity = 53

|Oct afthumidity = 47

|Nov afthumidity = 44

|Dec afthumidity = 41

|year humidity = 47

|Jan percentsun= 83

|Feb percentsun= 83

|Mar percentsun= 74

|Apr percentsun= 70

|May percentsun= 63

|Jun percentsun= 57

|Jul percentsun= 57

|Aug percentsun= 63

|Sep percentsun= 64

|Oct percentsun= 72

|Nov percentsun= 77

|Dec percentsun= 79

|Jan sun= 356.5

|Feb sun= 319.0

|Mar sun= 297.6

|Apr sun= 249.0

|May sun= 207.0

|Jun sun= 177.0

|Jul sun= 189.1

|Aug sun= 223.2

|Sep sun= 231.0

|Oct sun= 297.6

|Nov sun= 318.0

|Dec sun= 356.5

|year sun =

|Jan uv= 12

|Feb uv= 11

|Mar uv= 9

|Apr uv= 6

|May uv= 4

|Jun uv= 3

|Jul uv= 3

|Aug uv= 4

|Sep uv= 6

|Oct uv= 8

|Nov uv= 10

|Dec uv= 12

|source = Bureau of Meteorology{{cite web |title=Climate statistics for Australian locations – Perth Metro |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_009225_All.shtml |website=Bureau of Meteorology |access-date=7 June 2023 |archive-date=14 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914193212/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_009225_All.shtml |url-status=live }}
Temperatures: 1993–2023; Rainfall: 1993–2023; Relative humidity: 1994–2011

|date = June 2023

}}

With more than two million residents, Perth is one of the most isolated major cities in the world. The nearest city with a population of more than 100,000 is Adelaide, over {{cvt|2100|km|0}} away.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/aug/19/where-worlds-most-remote-city |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=13 September 2019 |title=Where is the world's most remote city? |first=Nicholas |last=Gill |date=19 August 2019 |archive-date=23 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221123102227/https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/aug/19/where-worlds-most-remote-city |url-status=live }} Perth is geographically closer to both East Timor ({{cvt|2800|km|disp=or}}), and Jakarta, Indonesia ({{cvt|3000|km|disp=or}}), than to Sydney ({{cvt|3300|km|disp=or}}).

File:Perth density.jpg

Perth is Australia's fourth-most-populous city, having overtaken Adelaide in 1984.{{cite web|title=3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2012–13 |url=http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/products/AC53A071B4B231A6CA257CAE000ECCE5|publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics|access-date=22 March 2017|date=30 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322203146/http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/products/AC53A071B4B231A6CA257CAE000ECCE5|archive-date=22 March 2017|url-status=dead}} 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.

At the 2021 census, the most commonly nominated ancestries were:

{{columns-list|colwidth=13em|

• English (36.8%)
• Australian (27.8%){{efn |The Australian Bureau of Statistics has stated that most who nominate Australian as their ancestry are part of the Anglo-Celtic group.{{cite web |url = http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/94713ad445ff1425ca25682000192af2/49f609c83cf34d69ca2569de0025c182!OpenDocument |title = Feature Article – Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Australia (Feature Article) |website = Australian Bureau of Statistics |date = January 1995 |access-date = 16 June 2019 |archive-date = 20 April 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160420205113/http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs%40.nsf/94713ad445ff1425ca25682000192af2/49f609c83cf34d69ca2569de0025c182%21OpenDocument |url-status = live }}}}
• Irish (8.8%)
• Scottish (8.7%)
• Italian (5.5%)
• Chinese (5.5%)
• Indian (3.6%)
• German (2.8%)
• Dutch (2%)
• Filipino (1.9%)
• Aboriginal (1.8%){{efn |Those who nominated their ancestry as Aboriginal. Does not include Torres 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.}}
• South African (1.4%)
• Maori (1.1%)
• Vietnamese (1.1%)
• New Zealander (1.1%)
• Croatian (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, ahead of even Sydney (151,614),{{Cite web |title=2016 Census Community Profiles: Greater Sydney |url=https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/communityprofile/1GSYD?opendocument |access-date=25 February 2021 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics |archive-date=8 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308055413/https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/communityprofile/1GSYD?opendocument |url-status=dead }} despite the latter having well over twice the population.

File:Russell Square Perth 9261.jpg, Northbridge—historically the favoured meeting place of the Italian community of "Little Italy"{{Cite web |title=Russell Square |url=https://visitperth.com/see-and-do/parks-gardens-and-reserves/venues/russell-square |access-date=6 March 2022 |website=Visit Perth |language=en |archive-date=6 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220306074010/https://visitperth.com/see-and-do/parks-gardens-and-reserves/venues/russell-square |url-status=live }}]]

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 completely Anglo-Celtic in ethnic origin. As Fremantle 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, including Italians, Greeks, Dutch, Germans, Turks, Croats and Macedonians. 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 Italian blessing 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 as Spearwood and Hamilton Hill, also contain high concentrations of Italians, Croatians and Portuguese. Perth has also been home to a small Jewish community since 1829{{cite web |title=The Jewish Community of Perth |url=https://dbs.bh.org.il/place/perth |website=Beit Hatfutsot Open Databases Project |publisher=The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot |access-date=22 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722155424/https://dbs.bh.org.il/place/perth |archive-date=22 July 2018 |url-status=dead }}—numbering 6,331 in 2021—who have emigrated primarily from Eastern Europe and more recently from South Africa.

File:Chinatown Perth 2023 b.jpg entry on Roe Street]]

A more recent wave of arrivals includes white 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.{{cite web |title = 2016 Census Community Profiles: Greater Perth |url = https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/communityprofile/5GPER |access-date = 25 February 2021 |website = quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au |archive-date = 25 February 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210225212547/https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/communityprofile/5GPER |url-status = dead }} Many Afrikaners and Anglo-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.[https://books.google.com/books?id=1VdPAQAAMAAJ&q=%22packing+for+Perth%22 Debates of Parliament], Government Printer, 1988, page 1787[http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/eserv/UQ:11195/louw2.pdf Packing for Perth: The Growth of a Southern African Diaspora] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512200418/http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/eserv/UQ:11195/louw2.pdf |date=12 May 2013 }}, Eric Louw, Gary Mersham, Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, Vol. 10, No. 2, 2001 303 As a result, the city has been described as "the Australian capital of South Africans in exile".{{cite web |url = https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/packing-for-perth-because-of-the-poo-268405 |title = Packing for Perth because of the poo! |access-date = 6 July 2019 |date = 6 March 2006 |last = Yeld |first = John |work = IOL |publisher = Cape Argus |archive-date = 6 July 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190706131506/https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/packing-for-perth-because-of-the-poo-268405 |url-status = live }} The reason for Perth's popularity among white 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 a Mediterranean climate reminiscent of Cape Town.

Since the end of the White Australia policy in 1973, Asia has become an increasingly significant source of migrants, with communities from Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Mainland China and India all now well established. There were 112,293 persons of Chinese descent in Perth in 2016—5.3% of the city's population. These are supported by the Australian Eurasian Association of Western Australia,[http://www.aeawa.asn.au/ Australian Eurasian Association of WA Inc.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106120920/http://www.aeawa.asn.au/ |date=6 January 2012 }} Official site which also serves a community of Portuguese-Malacca Eurasian or Kristang immigrants.{{cite web |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111010102041/http://www.aeawa.asn.au/?page_id=1078 |title=500th Anniversary of Portuguese Landing in Malacca 1511 |website=Australian Eurasian Association of WA Inc |url=http://www.aeawa.asn.au/?page_id=1078 |archive-date=10 October 2011 }}

Middle Eastern immigrants have a presence in Perth. They come from a variety of countries, including Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, The United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen and Afghanistan.

The Indian community includes a substantial number of Parsees who emigrated from Bombay—Perth being the closest Australian city to India—in 2021 those with Indian ancestry accounted for 3.5% of Perth's population Perth is also home to the largest population of Anglo-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.{{cite journal|last=Kei|first=Nemoto|year=2014|title=The Anglo-Burmese in the 1940s: To become Burmese or not|url=http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs21/Nemoto-2014-The_Anglo-Burmese_in_the_1940s.pdf|journal=The Journal of Sophia Asian Studies|volume=32|page=18|archive-date=23 September 2017|access-date=2 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923194059/http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs21/Nemoto-2014-The_Anglo-Burmese_in_the_1940s.pdf|url-status=live}} There is also a substantial Anglo-Indian population in Perth, who also settled in the city following the independence of India.

At the 2021 census, 2% of Perth's population identified as being Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.{{efn |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.}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/5GPER|title=2021 Greater Perth, Census All persons QuickStats|website=Australian Bureau of Statistics|access-date=2 July 2022|archive-date=29 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629063424/https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/5GPER|url-status=live}}

At the 2021 census, 74% of inhabitants spoke only English at home, with the next most common languages being Mandarin (2.3%), Italian (1.1%), Vietnamese (1.0%), Punjabi (0.9%) and Cantonese (0.9%).

File:St Mary's Cathedral, Perth. Exterior of the new side from the north west b.jpg]]

41.8% of the 2021 census respondents in Perth had no religion, as against 38.4% of national population. In 1911, the national figure was 0.4%.{{cite web|url=http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Main+Features30Nov+2013|title=Main Features— Losing my religion?|website=Australian Bureau of Statistics|date=20 November 2013|language=en|access-date=17 May 2016|archive-date=29 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729165013/http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Main+Features30Nov+2013|url-status=live}}

Catholics are the largest single Christian denomination in the Greater Perth area at 19.5%. Perth is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Perth.{{cite web |title=Overview |url=http://www.perthcatholic.org.au/about-us/index.cfm?loadref=2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150801155049/http://www.perthcatholic.org.au/about-us/index.cfm?loadref=2 |archive-date=1 August 2015 |access-date=2 July 2015 |publisher=Archdiocese of Perth }} The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross claims over 2,000 members.[http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/daupo.html Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920105718/http://catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/daupo.html |date=20 September 2012 }} at Catholic Hierarchy.org Anglicans are 9.9% of the population. Perth is the seat of the Anglican Diocese of Perth.{{cite web|title=Anglican Diocese of Perth|url=http://www.perth.anglican.org|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120917120949/http://www.perth.anglican.org/diocese/|archive-date=17 September 2012|access-date=2 July 2015|website=Anglican Diocese of Perth}}

Buddhism and Islam each have more than 50,000 adherents.{{Cite web |title=Religion {{!}} Australia {{!}} Community profile |url=https://profile.id.com.au/australia/religion?WebID=300 |access-date=2023-07-17 |website=profile.id.com.au |archive-date=8 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408162642/http://profile.id.com.au/australia/religion?WebID=300 |url-status=dead }} The suburb of Gidgengannup in the Perth Hills is home to the Dhammasara Nuns Monastery of the Buddhist Thai Forest Tradition.{{Cite web |date=2017-07-20 |title=Dhammasara Buddhist Community Nuns |url=https://www.perthnow.com.au/community-news/the-advocate/gidgegannup-dhammasara-buddhist-community-nuns-get-property-ready-for-fire-season-c-819042 |access-date=2023-05-27 |website=Community News |language=en |archive-date=27 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230527133201/https://www.perthnow.com.au/community-news/the-advocate/gidgegannup-dhammasara-buddhist-community-nuns-get-property-ready-for-fire-season-c-819042 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=about dhammasara |url=https://bswa.org/our-locations/history-of-dhammasara/ |access-date=2023-05-27 |website=Buddhist Society of Western Australia |language=en-AU |archive-date=27 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230527133211/https://bswa.org/our-locations/history-of-dhammasara/ |url-status=live }} Over 31,000 members of the Uniting Church in Australia live in Perth.

Perth has the third largest Jewish population in Australia, numbering approximately 6,331 in the 2021 census.[https://jca.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/The-Jewish-Population-of-Australia-Report_2021-Census-1.pdf The Jewish population of Australia] jca.org.au. May 2024 Perth's Jewish Day School, Carmel School claims a city Jewish population closer to 10,000.[https://www.carmel.wa.edu.au/community/life-in-perth/the-perth-jewish-community/ The Perth Jewish Community] Carmel School. Retrieved on 14 November 2024 The city is home to both Orthodox and Progressive synagogues, most notably Perth Hebrew Congregation and Temple David. There is also a Chabad house in Perth.

The Baháʼí community in Perth numbers around 2,178. Hinduism has over 49,000 adherents in Perth; the Diwali (festival of lights) celebration in 2009 attracted over 20,000 visitors. There are Hindu temples in Canning Vale, Anketell and a Swaminarayan temple in Bennett Springs.{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com.au/maps/search/hindu+temples/@-31.9664213,115.9313298,9z?hl=en-AU|title=Google Maps|website=Google Maps|access-date=17 May 2016|archive-date=8 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708074308/https://www.google.com.au/maps/search/hindu+temples/@-31.9664213,115.9313298,9z?hl=en-AU|url-status=live}} Hinduism is the fastest growing religion in Australia.{{cite web|url=http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/censushome.nsf/home/CO-61|title=2011 Census reveals Hinduism|last=Statistics|language=en|access-date=17 May 2016|archive-date=18 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318063452/http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/censushome.nsf/home/CO-61|url-status=live}} Perth is also home to 4,719 Mormons and the Perth Australia Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Perth, like the rest of Australia, is governed by three levels of government: local, state and federal.{{cite web |title=Three levels of government: governing Australia – Parliament... – Archived Website |url=http://www.peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/how-parliament-works/three-levels-of-government/three-levels-of-government-governing-australia/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200414123616/https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/how-parliament-works/three-levels-of-government/three-levels-of-government-governing-australia/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 April 2020 |website=Parliament Education Office |publisher=Government of Australia |language=en |date=7 November 2019 |access-date=5 April 2020 }}

{{Further|Local government areas of Western Australia}}

File:AUS Perth, Central Business District, Parliament House 002.jpg]]

The Perth metropolitan area is divided into thirty local government bodies, including the City of Perth which administers Perth's central business district. The outer extent of the administrative region of Perth comprises the City of Wanneroo and the City of Swan to the north, the Shire of Mundaring, City of Kalamunda and the City of Armadale to the east, the Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale to the south-east and the City of Rockingham to the south-west, and including the islands of Rottnest Island and Garden Island off the west coast.{{Cite report|author=Metropolitan Local Government Review Panel|date=September 2011|title=Defining What we mean by "Perth Metropolitan Area"|url=http://metroreview.dlg.wa.gov.au/Content/Publications/Default.aspx|access-date=9 April 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414053059/http://metroreview.dlg.wa.gov.au/Content/Publications/Default.aspx|archive-date=14 April 2016}}

{{Further|Government of Western Australia}}

File:Perth Supreme Court building.jpg]]

Perth houses the Parliament of Western Australia and the Governor of Western Australia. {{As of|2008|alt=As of the 2008 state election}}, 42 of the Legislative Assembly's 59 seats and 18 of the Legislative Council's 36 seats are based in Perth's metropolitan area.

The state's highest court, the Supreme Court, is located in Perth,{{cite web|url=http://www.supremecourt.wa.gov.au/content/about/default.aspx|title=Jurisdiction|publisher=Supreme Court of WA|date=16 October 2008|access-date=16 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081019174724/http://www.supremecourt.wa.gov.au/content/about/default.aspx |archive-date=19 October 2008}} along with the District{{cite web|url=http://www.districtcourt.wa.gov.au/A/aboutDistrictCourt.aspx?uid=7689-4890-3639-8152|title=About the District Court|publisher=District Court of WA|date=16 October 2008|access-date=16 October 2008|archive-date=9 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009110324/http://www.districtcourt.wa.gov.au/A/aboutDistrictCourt.aspx%3Fuid%3D7689-4890-3639-8152|url-status=live}} and Family{{cite web|url=http://www.familycourt.wa.gov.au/A/about_the_family_court.aspx?uid=0585-2574-5706-9153|title=About the Family Court|publisher=Family Court of WA|date=16 October 2008|access-date=16 October 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081224123147/http://www.familycourt.wa.gov.au/A/about_the_family_court.aspx?uid=0585-2574-5706-9153|archive-date=24 December 2008}} Courts. The Magistrates' Court has six metropolitan locations.{{cite web|url=http://www.justice.wa.gov.au/M/magistrates_locations.aspx?uid=0987-0974-4964-6070

|title=Magistrate Court Locations|publisher=Department of Justice|date=16 October 2008|access-date=16 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014044908/http://www.justice.wa.gov.au/M/magistrates_locations.aspx?uid=0987-0974-4964-6070 |archive-date=14 October 2008}}

{{Further|Government of Australia}}

File:WAGovernmentHouse1crop gobeirne.JPG]]

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.

The Federal Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court of Australia (previously the Federal Magistrates Court){{cite web|url=http://www.federalcircuitcourt.gov.au/html/introduction.html|title=Introduction to the Federal Circuit Court of Australia|publisher=Federal Circuit Court of Australia|date=4 July 2014|access-date=4 July 2014|archive-date=1 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701065755/http://federalcircuitcourt.gov.au/html/introduction.html|url-status=live}}Federal Circuit Court of Australia Legislation Amendment Act 2012 on 12 April 2013 occupy the Commonwealth Law Courts building on Victoria Avenue,{{cite web|url=http://www.fedcourt.gov.au/contacts/contacts_wa.html|title=WA Registry|publisher=Federal Court of Australia|date=2 August 2008|access-date=16 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206062037/http://www.fedcourt.gov.au/contacts/contacts_wa.html|archive-date=6 December 2008|url-status=dead}} which is also the location for annual Perth sittings of Australia's High Court.{{cite web|url=http://www.hcourt.gov.au/annual_reports/2007annual.pdf|title=2007 Annual Report|publisher=High Court of Australia|date=18 March 2008|access-date=16 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081031134819/http://www.hcourt.gov.au/annual_reports/2007annual.pdf|archive-date=31 October 2008|url-status=dead}}

{{See also|Economy of Western Australia}}

File:BHP tower gnangarra-10.jpg towering above heritage buildings in the CBD. Built during the late 2000s mining boom, it is tenanted by the mining company BHP.]]

By virtue of its population and role as the administrative centre for business and government, Perth dominates the Western Australian economy, despite the major mining, petroleum and agricultural export industries being located elsewhere in the state.{{cite web|url=http://www.dpi.wa.gov.au/mediaFiles/dialogue_GPdp3.pdf|title=Greater Perth Economy and Employment|publisher=WA Department of Planning and Infrastructure|date=25 August 2003|access-date=1 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207233658/http://www.dpi.wa.gov.au/mediaFiles/dialogue_GPdp3.pdf|archive-date=7 February 2009|url-status=dead}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.dtf.wa.gov.au/cms/uploadedFiles/structure_wa_economy_2005.pdf|title=Structure of the WA Economy|publisher=WA Department of Treasury and Finance|date=24 January 2006|access-date=10 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081001203306/http://www.dtf.wa.gov.au/cms/uploadedFiles/structure_wa_economy_2005.pdf|archive-date=1 October 2008|url-status=dead}}

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 the eastern 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."

File:CBH Grain Jetty in the evening, March 2021 02.jpg in East Rockingham]]

Industrial estates such as Kwinana, Welshpool and Kewdale 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 the Kewdale Freight Terminal was developed adjacent to the Welshpool industrial area, replacing the former Perth railway yards.

With significant population growth post-WWII,{{cite web|url=http://abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/productsbyCatalogue/632CDC28637CF57ECA256F1F0080EBCC?OpenDocument|title=Australian Historical Population Statistics 2008|publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics|date=5 August 2008|access-date=1 January 2009|archive-date=10 February 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210205542/http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/ProductsbyCatalogue/632CDC28637CF57ECA256F1F0080EBCC?OpenDocument|url-status=live}} 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.

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 as Canva, 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.{{Cite web |title=Startup WA |url=https://www.startupwa.org/ |access-date=2024-06-18 |website=Startup WA |language=en-US}}

{{See also|Education in Western Australia}}

Education is compulsory in Western Australia between the ages of six and seventeen, corresponding to primary and secondary school.{{cite web|title=Pre-compulsory and compulsory education period|url=http://det.wa.edu.au/policies/detcms/policy-planning-and-accountability/policies-framework/definitions/pre-compulsory-and-compulsory-education-period.en?oid=com.arsdigita.cms.contenttypes.GlossaryItem-id-3870002|publisher=Government of Western Australia|access-date=6 December 2013|author=Department of Education|archive-date=4 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904012508/http://det.wa.edu.au/policies/detcms/policy-planning-and-accountability/policies-framework/definitions/pre-compulsory-and-compulsory-education-period.en?oid=com.arsdigita.cms.contenttypes.GlossaryItem-id-3870002|url-status=live}} Tertiary education is available through several universities and technical and further education (TAFE) colleges.

File:Perth Modern School, 2015 01.jpg, Perth's first public high school]]

Students may attend either public schools, run by the state government's Department of Education, or private schools, usually associated with a religion, or engage in home schooling.

The Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) is the credential given to students who have completed Years 11 and 12 of their secondary schooling.{{cite web|title=WACE requirements and certification|url=http://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/internet/Senior_Secondary/The_WACE/WACE_Requirements|publisher=Government of Western Australia|access-date=6 December 2013|author=School Curriculum and Standards Authority|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140528092129/http://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/internet/Senior_Secondary/The_WACE/WACE_Requirements|archive-date=28 May 2014|url-status=dead}}

In 2012 the minimum requirements for students to receive their WACE changed{{how|date=July 2015}}.{{cite web |title=WACE Requirements 2012 and Beyond |url=http://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/internet/Senior_Secondary/The_WACE/WACE_Requirements/WACE_Requirements_2012 |publisher=School Curriculum and Standards Authority |access-date=19 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513011823/http://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/internet/Senior_Secondary/The_WACE/WACE_Requirements/WACE_Requirements_2012 |archive-date=13 May 2013 }}

File:UWAWinthropHallSunsetcurves gobeirne.jpg, located in Crawley]]

Perth is home to four public universities: the University of Western Australia, Curtin University, Murdoch University and Edith Cowan University. There are also two private universities, the University of Notre Dame Australia, and a local campus of the University of Divinity.

The University of Western Australia, which was founded in 1911,{{cite web |url=http://www.uwa.edu.au/visitors/about/history |title=Visitors – History of the University |access-date=14 April 2007 |publisher=University of Western Australia |quote=The University of Western Australia has helped to shape the careers of more than 75,000 graduates since it was established in 1911. |archive-date=8 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208202255/http://www.uwa.edu.au/visitors/about/history |url-status=dead }} is renowned as one of Australia's leading research institutions.{{cite web|url=http://www.australianuniversities.com.au/rankings/|title=Rankings of Australian Universities 2016–2017 n|website=Australianuniversities.com.au|access-date=17 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150408030955/http://www.australianuniversities.com.au/rankings/|archive-date=8 April 2015|url-status=dead}} 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 the Group of Eight, as well as the Sandstone universities. It is also the state's only university to have produced a Nobel Laureate:{{cite web|url=http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/australias-nobel-laureates|title=Australia's Nobel Laureates and the Nobel Prize |website=Australia.gov.au|language=en|access-date=17 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819205739/http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/australias-nobel-laureates|archive-date=19 August 2016|url-status=dead}} 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 with Robin 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.{{Cite web |title=Curtin University on The Conversation |url=https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873 |access-date=2023-07-16 |website=theconversation.com |archive-date=16 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230716235506/https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873 |url-status=live }}

Murdoch University was founded in 1973 and incorporates Western Australia's only veterinary school and, until its controversial closure in 2020, Australia's only theology program to be completely integrated into a secular university.

Edith Cowan University was established in 1991 from the existing Western Australian College of Advanced Education which itself was formed on 11 December 1981 from the existing Teachers Colleges at Claremont, Nedlands, Churchlands and Mount Lawley after Graylands had merged into Claremont, Churchlands and Mount Lawley in 1979. It incorporates the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.

The University of Notre Dame Australia was established in 1990. Notre Dame was established as a Catholic university with its lead campus in Fremantle 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.

The Melbourne-based University of Divinity established a campus in Perth in 2022 through its admission of Wollaston College, the theological college of the Anglican Diocese of Perth, as a collegiate college of the University.

Colleges of TAFE provide trade and vocational training, including certificate- and diploma-level courses. TAFE began as a system of technical colleges and schools under the Education Department, from which they were separated in the 1980s and ultimately formed into regional colleges. Two are in the Perth metropolitan area: North Metropolitan TAFE (formerly Central Institute of Technology and West Coast Institute of Training); and South Metropolitan TAFE (formerly Polytechnic West and Challenger Institute of Technology).

The main newspapers for Perth are The West Australian and The Sunday Times. Localised free community papers cater to each local government area. The local business paper is Western Australian Business News.

Radio stations are on AM, FM and DAB+ frequencies. ABC stations include ABC News, ABC Radio Perth, Radio National, Classic FM and Triple J. The six local commercial stations are 6PR and 6IX on AM; Triple M, Nova 93.7, Mix 94.5 and 96FM 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 and 98five Christian radio. Major community radio stations include RTRFM, Sonshine FM,{{cite web |url=http://www.98five.com/ |title=98five Sonshine FM |publisher=Sonshine FM |access-date=18 January 2013 |archive-date=18 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118084838/http://www.98five.com/ |url-status=live }} SportFM{{cite web |url=http://www.sportfm.com.au/ |title=91.3 SportFM Perth |publisher=SportFM 91.3 Perth |access-date=18 January 2013 |archive-date=21 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121085223/http://www.sportfm.com.au/ |url-status=live }} and Curtin FM.{{cite web |url=http://www.curtinfm.com.au/ |title=Curtin FM 100.1 |publisher=Curtin FM |access-date=18 January 2013 |archive-date=9 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130309183853/http://curtinfm.com.au/ |url-status=live }}

Perth is served by thirty digital free-to-air television channels:

{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}

• ABC TV
• ABC TV HD (ABC TV broadcast in HD)
• ABC TV Plus
• ABC Me
• ABC News
• SBS
• SBS HD (SBS broadcast in HD)
• SBS Viceland
• SBS World Movies
• SBS Food
• NITV
• SBS WorldWatch
• Seven
• 7HD (Seven broadcast in HD)
• 7two
• 7mate
• 7mate HD (7mate broadcast in HD)
• 7flix
• Racing.com
• Nine
• 9HD (Nine broadcast in HD)
• 9Gem
• 9Gem HD (9Gem broadcast in HD)
• 9Go!
• 9Life
• 9Rush
• 10
• 10 HD (10 broadcast in HD)
• 10 Bold (only in HD)
• 10 Peach
• 10 Shake
• TVSN
• Gecko TV (formerly Spree TV)

{{Div col end}}

ABC, SBS, Seven, Nine and 10 were also broadcast in an analogue format until 16 April 2013, when the analogue transmission was switched off.{{cite web|title=Digital TV Switchover Australia  – Perth and surrounding areas|url=http://www.digitalready.gov.au/what-is-the-switch/digital-tv-switchover-map/perth-and-surrounding-areas|access-date=18 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205222511/http://www.digitalready.gov.au/what-is-the-switch/digital-tv-switchover-map/perth-and-surrounding-areas|archive-date=5 December 2013|url-status=dead}} Community station Access 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.

Foxtel provides a subscription-based satellite and cable television service. Perth has its own local newsreaders on ABC (Pamela Medlen), Seven (Rick Ardon, Susannah Carr), Nine (Michael Thomson, Monika Kos) and Ten (Natalie Forrest).

An annual telethon has been broadcast since 1968 to raise funds for charities including Princess Margaret Hospital for Children. The 24-hour Perth Telethon claims to be "the most successful fundraising event per capita in the world"."[https://web.archive.org/web/20090708051459/http://telethon.7perth.com.au/view/about-telethon/ About Telethon]", telethon.7perth.com.au. Archived from [http://telethon.7perth.com.au/view/about-telethon/ the original] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010154627/http://telethon.7perth.com.au/view/about-telethon/ |date=10 October 2008 }} on 8 July 2009.

{{Gallery

|align=centre

|width=285

|height=160

|mode=packed

|File:ABC Perth, 2016 (02).JPG

|ABC Perth studios in East Perth, home of ABC Radio Perth radio and ABC television in Western Australia

|File:Nine Plaza, Perth - Exterior.jpg

|Channel 9's Perth studio

}}

Online news media outlets covering the Perth area include TheWest.com.au backed by The West Australian, Perth Now from the newsroom of The Sunday Times, and WAToday from Nine Entertainment.

{{See also|Music of Perth|List of musical acts from Western Australia|Category:People from Perth, Western Australia |label 3=People from Perth, Western Australia }}

File:Giant Diver.jpg, 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 the Perth Writers Festival and the Winter Arts Festival. The Fringe World Festival has been held annually across January and February in Perth since 2012.{{Cite web |title=Media Statements – WA welcomes biggest Fringe World Festival yet |url=https://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/Barnett/2014/01/WA-welcomes-biggest-Fringe-World-Festival-yet.aspx |access-date=2023-01-29 |website=www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au |archive-date=29 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129140008/https://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/Barnett/2014/01/WA-welcomes-biggest-Fringe-World-Festival-yet.aspx |url-status=dead }} Perth also hosts annual music festivals including Listen Out, Origin and St Jerome's Laneway Festival. The Perth 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 along Cottesloe Beach. There is also a wide variety of public art and sculptures on permanent display across the city.

The Perth Cultural Centre is home to many of the city's major arts, cultural and educational institutions, including the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Western Australian Museum, State Library of Western Australia, State Records Office and Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA).{{cite web|title=Perth Cultural Centre: About|url=http://www.perthculturalcentre.com.au/About/|publisher=Government of Western Australia|access-date=23 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501081506/http://www.perthculturalcentre.com.au/About/|archive-date=1 May 2013|url-status=dead}} The State Theatre Centre of Western Australia is also located there, and is the home of the Black Swan State Theatre Company{{cite web|title=About Black Swan State Theatre Company|url=http://www.blackswantheatre.com.au/about/|publisher=Black Swan State Theatre Company|access-date=23 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510174218/http://www.bsstc.com.au/about/|archive-date=10 May 2013|url-status=dead}} and the Perth Theatre Company.{{cite web|title=Company History|url=http://www.perththeatre.com.au/about/|work=About|publisher=Perth Theatre Company|access-date=23 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130425120929/http://www.perththeatre.com.au/about/history/|archive-date=25 April 2013|url-status=dead}} Other performing arts companies based in Perth include the West Australian Ballet, the West Australian Opera and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, all of which present regular programs.{{cite web|title=About Us – Our Story|url=http://www.waballet.com.au/about_us.php|publisher=West Australian Ballet|access-date=29 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815001841/http://waballet.com.au/about_us.php|archive-date=15 August 2013|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=History|url=http://www.waopera.asn.au/AboutUs/History.aspx|publisher=West Australian Opera|access-date=29 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130702023528/http://www.waopera.asn.au/AboutUs/History.aspx|archive-date=2 July 2013|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=About WASO|url=http://www.waso.com.au/about|publisher=West Australian Symphony Orchestra|access-date=29 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801062445/http://www.waso.com.au/about|archive-date=1 August 2013|url-status=dead}} The Western Australian Youth Orchestras provide young musicians with performance opportunities in orchestral and other musical ensembles.{{cite web |url=http://www.wayma.asn.au/go/about |title=About |publisher=WA Youth Music Association |access-date=29 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929010459/http://www.wayma.asn.au/go/about |archive-date=29 September 2013 |url-status=dead }}

File:His Majesty's Theatre 2022.jpg|left]]

Perth is also home to the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts at Edith Cowan University, from which many actors and broadcasters have launched their careers.{{cite magazine|last=Appelo|first=Tim|title=The Hollywood Reporter's List of the 25 Top Drama Schools|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/top-25-drama-schools-319963|magazine=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=16 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104011115/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/top-25-drama-schools-319963|archive-date=4 November 2012|url-status=live|date=4 May 2012}}{{cite web|title=Welcome to WAAPA|url=http://www.waapa.ecu.edu.au/about/welcome-to-waapa|work=Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts|date=11 May 2012|publisher=Edith Cowan University|access-date=16 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001035250/http://www.waapa.ecu.edu.au/about/welcome-to-waapa|archive-date=1 October 2013|url-status=live}} The city's main performance venues include the Riverside Theatre within the Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre,{{cite web|title=Concerts|url=http://www.pcec.com.au/plan-an-event/events/concerts.aspx|work=Plan an event|publisher=Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre|access-date=16 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514031457/http://www.pcec.com.au/plan-an-event/events/concerts.aspx|archive-date=14 May 2013|url-status=dead}} the Perth Concert Hall,{{cite web|title=About Perth Concert Hall|url=http://www.perthconcerthall.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=62|publisher=Perth Concert Hall|access-date=16 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130814114125/http://www.perthconcerthall.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=62|archive-date=14 August 2013|url-status=dead}} the historic His Majesty's Theatre,{{cite web |url=http://www.dca.wa.gov.au/about/properties/property_listing/his_majestys |title=His Majesty's Theatre |access-date=7 December 2013 |publisher=Government of Western Australia |author=Department of Culture and the Arts |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090710173521/http://www.dca.wa.gov.au/about/properties/property_listing/his_majestys |archive-date=10 July 2009}} the Regal Theatre in Subiaco{{cite web|title=Welcome to the Regal Theatre|url=http://www.regaltheatre.com.au/index.php|publisher=The Regal Theatre|access-date=7 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801074319/http://regaltheatre.com.au/index.php|archive-date=1 August 2013|url-status=live}} and the Astor Theatre in Mount Lawley.{{cite web|title=About the Venue|url=http://www.liveattheastor.com.au/about/|publisher=Live at the Astor|access-date=7 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130503065452/http://www.liveattheastor.com.au/about/|archive-date=3 May 2013|url-status=dead}} Perth Arena can be configured as an entertainment or sporting arena, and concerts are also hosted at other sporting venues, including Perth Stadium, Perth High Performance Centre and Perth Rectangular Stadium. Outdoor concert venues include Quarry Amphitheatre, Supreme Court Gardens, Kings Park and Russell Square.

The largest performance area within the State Theatre Centre, the Heath Ledger Theatre, is named in honour of Perth-born film actor Heath Ledger. Other performers from Perth include

Judy Davis,{{cite news

|last=McRae

|first=Ross

|date=29 October 2015

|title=The power and passion of Judy Davis

|url=https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/the-power-and-passion-of-judy-davis-ng-ya-131518

|work=The West Australian

|access-date=25 November 2018

|archive-date=25 November 2018

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125073919/https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/the-power-and-passion-of-judy-davis-ng-ya-131518

|url-status=live

}} Melissa George,{{cite web

|first=Jane

|last=Albert

|url=https://www.vogue.com.au/culture/features/australian-actress-melissa-george-talks-home-hardship-and-her-career/news-story/fab403005018d060a402424c5624b175

|title=Australian actress Melissa George talks home, hardship and her career

|date=13 April 2018

|website=Vogue Australia

|access-date=25 November 2018

|archive-date=30 July 2018

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180730022025/https://www.vogue.com.au/culture/features/australian-actress-melissa-george-talks-home-hardship-and-her-career/news-story/fab403005018d060a402424c5624b175

|url-status=live

}}{{cite web

|first=Helen

|last=Barlow

|url=https://www.whimn.com.au/talk/people/melissa-george-breaks-her-silence-ive-spent-one-year-alone-and-im-doing-okay/news-story/a710410f558e3a1f416ff986bdd2bb4b

|title=Melissa George Breaks Her Silence: "I've Spent One Year Alone And I'm Doing Okay"

|date=15 November 2017

|website=whimn

|access-date=25 November 2018

|archive-date=25 November 2018

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125115516/https://www.whimn.com.au/talk/people/melissa-george-breaks-her-silence-ive-spent-one-year-alone-and-im-doing-okay/news-story/a710410f558e3a1f416ff986bdd2bb4b

|url-status=dead

}} Tim Minchin,{{cite web

|url=https://www.timminchin.com/about/

|title=About Tim

|date=August 2018

|website=Tim Minchin.com

|access-date=25 November 2018

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125115443/https://www.timminchin.com/about/

|archive-date=25 November 2018

|url-status=dead

}} Lisa McCune,{{cite web

|first=Chris

|last=Thomson

|url=http://www.oneperth.com.au/2013/11/22/lisa-mccune-perth/

|title=Perth actor now honorary Perth citizen

|date=22 November 2013

|website=oneperth.com.au

|access-date=25 November 2018

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125115801/http://www.oneperth.com.au/2013/11/22/lisa-mccune-perth/

|archive-date=25 November 2018

|url-status=dead

}} Troye Sivan, Sam Worthington and Isla Fisher.{{cite web

|first=Peter

|last=Mitchell

|url=https://www.youngwitness.com.au/story/5467071/isla-fisher-recalls-chasey-in-perth/

|title=Isla Fisher recalls "chasey" in Perth

|date=14 June 2018

|website=The Young Witness

|access-date=26 November 2018

|archive-date=26 November 2018

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181126134820/https://www.youngwitness.com.au/story/5467071/isla-fisher-recalls-chasey-in-perth/

|url-status=dead

}} Performers that studied in Perth at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts include Hugh Jackman and Lisa McCune.

File:Perth Concert Hall south east corner.jpg]]

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, with many bands and artists hailing from the city.{{cite book |last = Ballico |first = Christina |author-link = |title = Geographically Isolated and Peripheral Music Scenes: Global Insights and Perspectives |publisher = Palgrave Macmillan |year = 2021 |isbn = 9789811645815 |pages = 35-53}} Famous musical performers from Perth include the late AC/DC frontman Bon Scott, whose heritage-listed grave at Fremantle Cemetery is reportedly the most visited grave in Australia.[https://www.couriermail.com.au/travel/tourists-flock-to-grave-of-rock-stars-and-icons/news-story/f426adaa2b0a5dda1d64d61d45c0b78a "Tourists flock to grave of rock stars and icons"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728084506/https://www.couriermail.com.au/travel/tourists-flock-to-grave-of-rock-stars-and-icons/news-story/f426adaa2b0a5dda1d64d61d45c0b78a?nk=beb970dacc686a08f3d62270bd6eb328-1595925906 |date=28 July 2020 }} (20 December 2013), Courier Mail. Retrieved 19 December 2018. Further notable music acts from Perth include The Triffids,{{cite web|url=https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/triffic-triffids-come-home-for-festival-ng-ya-136575|title=Triffic Triffids come Home for festival|last=Purvis|first=Ray|work=The West Australian|access-date=18 December 2018|date=10 February 2016|publisher=Seven West Media|archive-date=18 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181218193538/https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/triffic-triffids-come-home-for-festival-ng-ya-136575|url-status=live}} The Scientists,{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1997284/80s-post-punk-band-the-scientists-announce-first-ever-us-tour/news/|title='80s Post-Punk Band The Scientists Announce First-Ever US Tour|access-date=18 December 2018|date=21 May 2018|website=Stereogum|archive-date=18 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181218193602/https://www.stereogum.com/1997284/80s-post-punk-band-the-scientists-announce-first-ever-us-tour/news/|url-status=live}} The Drones,{{cite web|url=https://rtrfm.com.au/show-post/the-drones-now-and-then/|title=The Drones: Now and Then|access-date=19 December 2018|work=Alternative Frequencies|publisher=RTRFM|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430092716/http://rtrfm.com.au/show-post/the-drones-now-and-then/|archive-date=30 April 2016|url-status=dead}} Tame Impala,{{cite web|first=Greg|last=Moskovitch|url=https://tonedeaf.com.au/tame-impala-play-to-nobody/|title=Watch Tame Impala play to almost nobody in 2008|date=2 October 2017|website=Tone Deaf|access-date=26 November 2018|archive-date=10 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180310105511/https://tonedeaf.com.au/tame-impala-play-to-nobody/|url-status=live}} Karnivool{{cite web|first=Jody|last=Macgregor|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/karnivool-mn0001422105|title=Karnivool|date=2018|website=AllMusic|access-date=25 November 2018|archive-date=26 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026064443/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/karnivool-mn0001422105|url-status=live}} and Pendulum.{{Cite news |last=Maddams |first=Kevin |date=26 February 2011 |title=Pendulum |url=http://www.outlineonline.co.uk/content/pendulum/interviews/109322/2482 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828183831/http://www.outlineonline.co.uk/content/pendulum/interviews/109322/2482 |archive-date=28 August 2017 |access-date=8 April 2025 |work=Outline Magazine}}

Perth has inspired various artistic and cultural works. John Boyle O'Reilly, a Fenian convict transported to Western Australia, published Moondyne in 1879, the most famous early novel about the Swan River Colony. Perth is also the setting for various works by novelist Tim Winton, most notably Cloudstreet (1991). Songs that refer to the city include "I Love Perth" (1996) by Pavement, "Perth" (2011) by Bon Iver, and "Perth" (2015) by Beirut. Films shot or set in Perth include Japanese Story (2003), These Final Hours (2013), Kill Me Three Times (2014) and Paper Planes (2015).

{{Main|Tourism in Perth}}

File:WTF Roel Loopers High Street from above, Fremantle.jpg is home to hundreds of Victorian and Edwardian era buildings.]]

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.{{cite web |title=Quarterly Visitor Snapshot – Year Ending March 2012 |url=http://www.tourism.wa.gov.au/Publications%20Library/Research/Research%20and%20Reports/QVS%20YE%20March%202012v3.pdf |publisher=Government of Western Australia |access-date=8 July 2012 |author=Tourism Western Australia |page=32 |date=June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516161723/http://www.tourism.wa.gov.au/Publications%20Library/Research/Research%20and%20Reports/QVS%20YE%20March%202012v3.pdf |archive-date=16 May 2013 }} Tourist attractions are generally focused around the city centre, Fremantle, the coast and the Swan River.

In addition to the Perth Cultural Centre, there are dozens of museums across the city. The Scitech Discovery Centre in {{WAcity|West 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 adjacent Horizon planetarium. The Western Australian Maritime Museum in Fremantle displays maritime objects from all eras. It houses Australia II, the yacht that won the 1983 America's Cup, as well as a former Royal Australian Navy submarine. Also in Fremantle is the Army 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.{{cite web|title=Museum History|url=http://www.armymuseumwa.com.au/History.html|publisher=Army Museum of Western Australia|access-date=15 August 2012|date=4 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321063951/http://armymuseumwa.com.au/History.html|archive-date=21 March 2012|url-status=dead}} The museum holds numerous items of significance, including three Victoria Crosses.{{cite web|title=The Collection – Items of significance|url=http://www.armymuseumwa.com.au/sig_items.html|publisher=Army Museum of Western Australia|access-date=15 August 2012|date=4 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321105945/http://armymuseumwa.com.au/sig_items.html|archive-date=21 March 2012|url-status=dead}} Aviation history is represented by the Aviation Heritage Museum in Bull Creek, with its significant collection of aircraft, including a Lancaster bomber and a Catalina of the type operated from the Swan River during WWII.{{cite web|url=http://www.raafawa.org.au/museum/|title=Aviation Heritage Museum|work=raafawa.org.au|access-date=9 May 2015|archive-date=4 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504122357/http://www.raafawa.org.au/museum/|url-status=dead}}

File:Yagan Square.jpg]]

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 the Round House in Fremantle, the Old Mill in South Perth, and the Old Court House in the city centre. Registers of important buildings are maintained by the Heritage Council of Western Australia and local governments. A late heritage building is the Perth Mint.{{cite web|url=http://inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/Public/Inventory/Details/514966e9-d0de-4fee-83e4-77fc342a8e68|title=The Perth Mint|publisher=State Heritage Office|date=19 September 2014|access-date=11 November 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111020458/https://inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/Public/Inventory/Details/514966e9-d0de-4fee-83e4-77fc342a8e68|archive-date=11 November 2014}} Yagan Square connects Northbridge and the Perth CBD, with a 45-metre-high digital tower and the 9-metre statue Wirin designed by Noongar artist Tjyllyungoo. Elizabeth Quay is also a notable attraction in Perth, featuring Swan Bells, a panoramic view of Swan River, and the sculpture Spanda by artist Christian de Vietri.

File:Perth CBD 200520 gnangarra-112.jpg

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 the Perth railway station. A number of arcades run between Hay Street and Murray Street, including the Piccadilly Arcade, which housed the Piccadilly Cinema until it closed in late 2013. Other shopping precincts include Watertown in West Perth, featuring factory outlets for major brands, the historically significant Fremantle Markets, which date to 1897, and the Midland townsite on Great Eastern Highway, combining historic development around the Town Hall and Post Office buildings with the modern Midland Gate shopping centre further east. Joondalup's central business district is largely a shopping and retail area lined with townhouses and apartments, and also features Lakeside Joondalup. Joondalup was granted the status of "tourism precinct" by the State Government in 2009, allowing for extended retail trading hours.

File:Riverbank Estate Winery, Caversham, April 2021 02.jpg]]

Restaurants, bars and nightclubs can be found in the entertainment hubs of Northbridge (just north of the Perth CBD), the west end of the CBD itself, Elizabeth Quay, Leederville, Beaufort Street, Scarborough and Fremantle. The Crown casino and resort is located at Burswood.

The Swan Valley, with fertile soil, uncommon in the Perth region, features numerous wineries, such as the large complex at Houghtons, 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 on West Swan Road and Great Northern Highway.

File:Cottesloe Beach, Perth, Western Australia (4431664542).jpg is a notable attraction ]]

Kings Park, in central Perth between the CBD and the University of Western Australia, is one of the world's largest inner-city parks,{{cite web|title=Kings Park|url=http://www.experienceperth.com/destinations/perth/kings-park|work=Experience Perth|publisher=Perth Region Tourism Organisation Inc|access-date=28 August 2013|archive-date=17 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130817024229/http://www.experienceperth.com/destinations/perth/kings-park|url-status=dead}} at {{convert|400.6|ha}}.{{cite web|title=Kings Park and Botanic Garden|url=http://www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/kings-park|work=Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority|publisher=Government of Western Australia|access-date=6 November 2012|archive-date=11 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011111525/http://www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/kings-park|url-status=live}} It has many landmarks and attractions, including the State War Memorial Precinct on Mount Eliza, Western Australian Botanic Garden and children's playgrounds. Other features include DNA Tower, a {{cvt|15|m}} high double helix staircase that resembles the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecule,{{cite web|title=DNA Tower Climb|url=http://www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/kings-park/walks/dna-tower-climb|publisher=Government of Western Australia|access-date=19 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203004318/http://www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/kings-park/walks/dna-tower-climb|archive-date=3 December 2013|url-status=dead}} and Jacob's Ladder, comprising 242 steps that lead down to Mounts Bay Road.

Hyde Park is another inner-city park {{cvt|2|km}} north of the CBD. It was gazetted as a public park in 1897, created from {{cvt|15|ha}} of a chain of wetlands known as Third Swamp.{{cite web|title=History|url=http://www.vincent.wa.gov.au/Welcome_to_Vincent/About_Vincent/History|publisher=City of Vincent|access-date=17 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130503043559/http://www.vincent.wa.gov.au/Welcome_to_Vincent/About_Vincent/History|archive-date=3 May 2013|url-status=dead}} Avon Valley, John Forrest and Yanchep 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 {{convert|4000|ha|adj=on}} bushland area, with bushwalking trails, bike paths, sports facilities, playgrounds, a vintage tramway, a light railway on a {{convert|6|km|adj=on}} track, motor and tractor museums, and Caversham Wildlife Park.

{{Wide image|HydeParkPerth05 gobeirne.jpg|1030px|Hyde 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 for orangutans and giraffes, and participates in captive breeding and reintroduction efforts for a number of Western Australian species, including the numbat, the dibbler, the chuditch and the western swamp tortoise.{{cite web |url=http://www.perthzoo.wa.gov.au/conservation/native-species-breeding-programs/ |title=Native Species Breeding Program, Perth Zoo |publisher=perthzoo.wa.gov.au |access-date=23 February 2012 |archive-date=11 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111111161652/http://www.perthzoo.wa.gov.au/conservation/native-species-breeding-programs/ |url-status=dead }}

More wildlife can be observed at the Aquarium of Western Australia in Hillarys, Australia's largest aquarium, specialising in marine animals that inhabit the {{convert|12000|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} western coast of Australia. The northern Perth section of the coastline is known as Sunset Coast; it includes numerous beaches and the Marmion Marine Park, a protected area inhabited by tropical fish, Australian sea lions and bottlenose dolphins, and traversed by humpback whales. Tourist Drive 204, also known as Sunset Coast Tourist Drive, is a designated route from North Fremantle to Iluka along coastal roads.

{{Main|Sport in Western Australia}}

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 the 1962 Commonwealth Games and the 1987 America's Cup defence (based at Fremantle). 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.{{cite web|title=Spectator Attendance at Sporting Events|url=http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/subscriber.nsf/0/663AF77641585AC8CA2577FF0011ECEC/$File/41740_2009-10.pdf|website=Australian Bureau of Statistics|publisher=Commonwealth of Australia|access-date=5 November 2014|page=11|date=21 December 2010|archive-date=4 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304163857/http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/subscriber.nsf/0/663AF77641585AC8CA2577FF0011ECEC/$File/41740_2009-10.pdf|url-status=live}} The two Australian Football League teams located in Perth, the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle 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 the Western 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 the Perth Football League, comprising 68 clubs servicing senior footballers within the metropolitan area. Other popular sports include cricket, basketball, soccer, rugby league and rugby union.{{cite web|url=http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Products/4174.0~2009-10~Main+Features~Most+popular+sports+attended?OpenDocument|title=Main Features— Most popular sports attended|website=Australian Bureau of Statistics|date=21 December 2010|language=en|access-date=17 May 2016|archive-date=1 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601122902/http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Products/4174.0~2009-10~Main+Features~Most+popular+sports+attended?OpenDocument|url-status=live}}

{{gallery

|align=centre

|width=255

|height=170

|File:Perth Stadium opening 210118 gnangarra-12.jpg

|Optus Stadium hosts cricket and Australian rules football, Perth's most popular spectator sports

|File:Nib Stadium.jpg

|HBF Park hosts rugby league, rugby union and soccer

|File:RAC Arena, October 2018.jpg

|The exterior of Perth Arena

}}

Perth has hosted numerous state and international sporting events. Ongoing international events include the ATP Cup (replacing the Hopman Cup in 2020) during the first week of January at the Perth Arena, and the Perth International golf tournament at Lake Karrinyup Country Club. In addition to these Perth has hosted the Rally Australia of the World Rally Championships from 1989 to 2006, international rugby union games, including qualifying and pool stage matches for the 2003 Rugby World Cup and the Bledisloe Cup in 2019. The 1991 and 1998 FINA World Championships were held in Perth.{{cite news |first = David |last = Marsh |title = 'New Era' For Swimming |work=The West Australian |publisher=West Australian Newspapers Ltd |page = 139 |date = 28 May 1997}}

Four races (2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010) in the Red Bull Air Race World Championship have been held on a stretch of the Swan River called Perth Water, using Langley Park as a temporary airfield.{{cite news | url=http://www.news.com.au/national-news/western-australia/perth-dumps-red-bull-air-race-over-costs/story-fndo4e3y-1226534557174 | title=Perth won't' bid for Red Bull Air Race over costs | work=news.com.au | date=11 December 2012 | access-date=6 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601191757/http://www.news.com.au/national-news/western-australia/perth-dumps-red-bull-air-race-over-costs/story-fndo4e3y-1226534557174|archive-date=1 June 2013}} Several motorsport facilities exist in Perth including Perth Motorplex, catering to drag racing and speedway, and Wanneroo Raceway for circuit racing and drifting, which hosts a V8 Supercars round. Perth also has two thoroughbred racing facilities: Ascot, home of the Railway Stakes and Perth Cup; and Belmont Park. Daniel Ricciardo is a Perth-born Formula 1 driver who most recently raced for the Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team from 2023 to 2024 and previously from 2012 to 2013 when the team was known as Scuderia Toro Rosso, having also raced for Red Bull Racing, Renault and McLaren, respectively.

The WACA Ground opened in the 1890s and has hosted Test cricket since 1970. The Western Australian Athletics Stadium opened in 2009.

{{see also|List of hospitals in Western Australia}}

File:Perth Children's Hospital, March 2018 01.jpg]]

Perth has ten large hospitals with emergency departments. {{As of|2013}}, Royal Perth Hospital in the city centre is the largest, with others spread around the metropolitan area: Armadale Health Service, Joondalup Health Campus, King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women in Subiaco, Rockingham General Hospital, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Nedlands, St John of God Murdoch and Subiaco Hospitals, Midland Health Campus in Midland, and Fiona Stanley Hospital in Murdoch. Perth Children's Hospital is the state's only specialist children's hospital, and Graylands Hospital is the only public stand-alone psychiatric teaching hospital. Most of these are public hospitals, with some operating under public-private partnerships. St John of God Murdoch and Subiaco Hospitals, and Hollywood Hospital are large privately owned and operated hospitals.

A number of other public and private hospitals operate in Perth.{{cite web|title=Hospitals in Perth|url=http://www.myhospitals.gov.au/browse/wa/perth|work=My Hospitals|publisher=Commonwealth of Australia|access-date=17 September 2013|author=National Health Performance Authority|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926043401/http://www.myhospitals.gov.au/browse/wa/perth|archive-date=26 September 2013|url-status=dead}}

{{Main|Transport in Perth, Western Australia}}

File:High Wycombe train gn1.jpg at Perth railway station]]

Perth is served by Perth Airport in the city's east for regional, domestic and international flights and Jandakot Airport in the city's southern suburbs for general aviation and charter flights.

Perth has a road network with three freeways—Mitchell, Kwinana and Graham Farmer—and nine metropolitan highways. The Northbridge Tunnel, part of the Graham Farmer Freeway, is the only significant road tunnel in Perth.

Perth metropolitan public transport is known as Transperth, and includes trains, buses and ferries, which are provided by the Public Transport Authority. Links to rural areas provided by Transwa. There are 74 railway stations and 14 bus-only stations on the Transperth network.{{cite web |title=Transperth Zone Map |url=https://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/Portals/0/Asset/Documents/Tickets%20%26%20Fares/Transperth_zone_map.pdf |website=Transperth |access-date=11 January 2023 |archive-date=21 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921130532/https://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/Portals/0/Asset/Documents/Tickets%20%26%20Fares/Transperth_zone_map.pdf |url-status=live }}

Perth provides zero-fare bus and train trips around the city centre (the "Free Transit Zone"), including four high-frequency CAT bus routes.

The Indian Pacific passenger rail service connects Perth with Adelaide and Sydney once per week in each direction. The Prospector passenger rail service connects Perth with Kalgoorlie via several Wheatbelt towns, while the Australind connects to Bunbury, the MerredinLink connects to Merredin and the AvonLink connects to Northam.

Rail freight terminates at the Kewdale Rail Terminal, {{cvt|15|km|0}} south-east of the city centre.

Perth's main container and passenger port is at Fremantle, {{cvt|19|km|0}} south-west at the mouth of the Swan River.{{cite web |url=http://www.fremantleports.com.au/Shipping/Business/PortInformation.asp |title=Port Information |access-date=14 April 2007 |publisher=Fremantle Ports |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070514232254/http://www.fremantleports.com.au/Shipping/Business/PortInformation.asp |archive-date=14 May 2007 |url-status=dead }} The Fremantle Outer Harbour at Cockburn Sound is one of Australia's major bulk cargo ports.{{cite web|title=Fremantle Ports Profile|url=http://www.fremantleports.com.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/Fremantle%20Ports%20Profile%20folder.pdf|website=Fremantle Ports Western Australia|access-date=31 July 2016|page=2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317032847/http://fremantleports.com.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/Fremantle%20Ports%20Profile%20folder.pdf|archive-date=17 March 2016|url-status=dead}}

File:Mundaring Weir SMC9.jpg]]

Perth's electricity is predominantly generated, supplied and retailed by three Western Australian Government corporations. Verve Energy operates coal and gas power generation stations, as well as wind farms and other power sources.{{cite web|title=About Us|url=http://www.verveenergy.com.au/verve-energy/our-company/about-us|publisher=Verve Energy|access-date=17 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724173138/http://verveenergy.com.au/verve-energy/our-company/about-us|archive-date=24 July 2013|url-status=dead}} The physical network is maintained by Western Power,{{cite web|title=About us|url=http://www.westernpower.com.au/aboutus/aboutus.html|publisher=Western Power|access-date=17 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728102335/http://westernpower.com.au/aboutus/aboutus.html|archive-date=28 July 2013|url-status=dead}} while Synergy, the state's largest energy retailer, sells electricity to residential and business customers.{{cite web|title=Who we are|url=http://www.synergy.net.au/who_we_are.xhtml|publisher=Synergy|access-date=17 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510025842/https://www.synergy.net.au/who_we_are.xhtml|archive-date=10 May 2013|url-status=live}}

Alinta Energy, which was previously a government owned company, had a monopoly in the domestic gas market since the 1990s. However, in 2013 Kleenheat Gas began operating in the market, allowing consumers to choose their gas retailer.{{cite news|title=Kleenheat Gas gives West Australians a choice of gas supplier|url=http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/kleenheat-gas-gives-west-australians-a-choice-of-gas-supplier/story-e6frg13u-1226604439348|access-date=17 September 2013|newspaper=Perth Now|date=24 March 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528053138/http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/kleenheat-gas-gives-west-australians-a-choice-of-gas-supplier/story-e6frg13u-1226604439348|archive-date=28 May 2013}}

The Water Corporation is the dominant supplier of water, as well as wastewater and drainage services, in Perth and throughout Western Australia. It is also owned by the state government.{{cite web|title=The way we work|url=http://www.watercorporation.com.au/about-us/the-way-we-work|publisher=Water Corporation|access-date=17 September 2013|archive-date=25 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925205740/http://www.watercorporation.com.au/about-us/the-way-we-work|url-status=live}}

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.{{cite news | first = Eloise | last = Dortch | title = Plan for a second desalination plant | work=The West Australian | publisher=West Australian Newspapers Ltd | page = 1 | date = 7 May 2005 | quote = A document dated 12 January obtained by The West Australian under Freedom of Information laws shows that the Water Corporation fears Perth will begin running out of water by late 2008 without one of the two developments.

}} The Western Australian Government responded by building desalination plants, and introducing mandatory household sprinkler restrictions. The Kwinana Desalination Plant was opened in 2006,{{cite web |url = http://www.watercorporation.com.au/m/media_detail.cfm?id=3301 |title = Premier opens Australia's first major desalination plant |access-date = 14 April 2007 |date = 19 November 2006 |publisher = Water Corporation |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080726224555/http://www.watercorporation.com.au/m/media_detail.cfm?id=3301 |archive-date = 26 July 2008 |quote = When fully operational it will produce on average 130 million litres per day and supply 17 per cent of Perth's needs. |url-status = dead }}{{cite news |title=Kwinana desalination plant open in months |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-09-26/kwinana-desalination-plant-open-in-months/1271552 |work=ABC News Online |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=26 September 2006 |access-date=14 April 2007 |archive-date=3 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103053313/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-09-26/kwinana-desalination-plant-open-in-months/1271552 |url-status=live }} and Southern Seawater Desalination Plant at Binningup (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.{{cite web

| title = Winter sprinkler ban made permanent

| publisher = ABC News

| date = 9 September 2009

| url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/09/2681052.htm

| access-date = 25 September 2009

| archive-date = 25 September 2009

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090925201505/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/09/2681052.htm

| url-status = dead

}}

• 1955 Plan for the Metropolitan Region, Perth and Fremantle
• List of islands of Perth, Western Australia
• List of Perth suburbs

{{notelist}}

{{reflist|group=note}}

{{reflist}}

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• {{cite book |last1=Appleyard |first1=Reginald T. |url=https://archive.org/details/beginningeuropea0000appl |title=The Beginning: European Discovery and Early Settlement of Swan River, Western Australia |last2=Manford |first2=Toby |publisher=University of Western Australia Press |year=1979 |isbn=0-85564-146-0 |location=Nedlands, Western Australia |mode=cs2 |oclc=6423026 |url-access=registration }}
• {{cite book |first=Francis Keble |last=Crowley |year=1960 |title=Australia's Western Third |url=https://archive.org/details/australiaswester0000crow |url-access=registration |location=London |publisher=Macmillan & Co |lccn=60050715 |oclc=1147751323 |ol=OL5811700M }}
• {{cite book|year=2010|title=Australia's Most Notorious Convicts|first=B.M.|last=Edwards| publisher=Read How You Want Limited|isbn=978-1-925-33332-9}}
• {{cite book|last=Fforde|first=Cressida|year=2002|chapter=Chapter 18: Yagan|title=The Dead and Their Possessions: Repatriation in Principle, Policy, and Practice|editor=Fforde, Cressida |editor2=Hubert, Jane |editor3=Turnbull, Paul| publisher=Routledge|pages=229–241|isbn=0-415-23385-2}}
• {{cite journal | url = https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-603706599/view?sectionId=nla.obj-609479253&partId=nla.obj-603737641#page/n35 | title = The Battle of Pinjara. An Early Incident in Western Australia | first = F.H. | last = Goldsmith | journal = Journal and Proceedings | year = 1951 | publisher = Royal Australian Historical Society | publication-date = 1951 | volume = 37 | access-date = 15 May 2023 | archive-date = 15 May 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230515134026/https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-603706599/view?sectionId=nla.obj-609479253&partId=nla.obj-603737641#page/n35 | url-status = live }}
• {{cite web|url=https://govhouse.wa.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/201110-CCFTT.pdf|title=Establishment of The Carrolup Centre for Truth-telling|author=Government House|author-link=Government House, Perth|year=2020|access-date=2 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221029043902/https://govhouse.wa.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/201110-CCFTT.pdf|archive-date=29 October 2022}}
• {{cite web|url=http://trails.heritage.wa.gov.au/ht_pdf/YaberooBudjara.pdf|title=Heritage Trail|author=Heritage Council of Western Australia|author-link=Heritage Council of Western Australia|date=June 1998|access-date=1 January 2024|archive-date=20 August 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060820011810/http://trails.heritage.wa.gov.au/ht_pdf/YaberooBudjara.pdf|url-status=dead}}
• {{cite wikisource |wslink=History of West Australia |editor-first=Warren Bert |editor-last=Kimberly |editor-link=Warren Burt Kimberly |publication-date=1897 |publication-place=Melbourne |publisher=F. W. Niven }}
• {{cite Q |Q125995168 |mode=cs1 |last=Statham |first=Pamela |chapter=Swan River Colony }}{{sfn whitelist |CITEREFStatham1981}}
• {{cite book |last=Uren |first=Malcolm J. L. |author-link=Malcolm Uren |title=Land Looking West |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1948 |location=London |lccn=49001251 |oclc=5591431 |ol=OL6044164M }}
• {{cite book|year=2016|title=Australia's Secular Foundations|first=Malcom|last=Wood| publisher=Australian Scholarly Publishing|isbn=978-1-925-33332-9}}

{{refend}}

{{refbegin |30em |indent=yes}}

• {{cite book |last=Fremantle |first=John |author-link = John Fremantle, 4th Baron Cottesloe |year = 1928 |title = Diary & Letters of Admiral Sir C. H. Fremantle, G.C.B. Relating the Founding of the Colony of Western Australia 1829 |location = London | isbn = 978-0-909-14419-7 | publisher=Hazell, Watson and Viney}}

{{refend}}

{{sister project auto}}

• [https://perth.wa.gov.au/ City of Perth]
• [http://nfsa.gov.au/blog/2012/05/15/west-australian-time-capsule/ Watch historical footage of Perth and Western Australia] from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's collection.
• [http://catalogue.slwa.wa.gov.au/search~S6/?searchtype=t&searcharg=Perth&searchscope=5&sortdropdown=c&SORT=DZ Historical photos of Perth] from the State Library of Western Australia
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20160301162029/http://www.australia.com/en-us/places/perth.html Tourism Australia Page]
• [https://www.dplh.wa.gov.au/departmentofplanninglandsheritage/media/mapping/mrs/20210831_mrs_a4_map.pdf Metropolitan Region Scheme] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924065331/https://www.dplh.wa.gov.au/departmentofplanninglandsheritage/media/mapping/mrs/20210831_mrs_a4_map.pdf |date=24 September 2021 }}—The Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage
• [http://www.drd.wa.gov.au/Publications/Documents/Metropolitan_Perth_LGA_boundaries.pdf Metropolitan Perth LGA boundaries] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229132817/http://www.drd.wa.gov.au/Publications/Documents/Metropolitan_Perth_LGA_boundaries.pdf |date=29 December 2021 }}—The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

{{Capital cities of Australia}}

{{Cities of Western Australia}}

{{Commonwealth Games Host Cities}}

{{Perth landmarks}}

{{Western Australia}}

{{Western Australian regions}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Populated places established in 1829

Category:1829 establishments in Australia

Category:Metropolitan areas of Australia

Category:Australian capital cities