The City of Mandurah
Mandurah is a
city in
Western Australia located approximately
72 kilometres (45 mi) south of the state
capital,
Perth,
Western Australia.
Mandurah is the
fastest-growing regional city in Australia,
and is also the largest city in Western
Australia outside the Perth metropolitan
area, having experienced hyper-growth for
several years. The city grew from isolated
holiday communities along the shores of the
Peel-Harvey Estuary, and, with the growth of
Perth, it has become a popular lifestyle
alternative. Mandurah's connection with the
Perth CBD has been strengthened with the
opening of the Perth-Mandurah railway line
in December 2007. A housing affordability
survey of 227 cities in 2008 ranked it the
least affordable city in Australia.
The city centre foreshore
is home to a variety of wildlife including
dolphins, pelicans, shags, and an abundance
of marine life including the blue manna crab
which has become synonymous with the area.
The city welcomes
thousands of tourists every year, including
many international visitors. Mandurah is
famous for its protected waterways, superb
beaches and excellent boating and fishing
activities. The City of Mandurah holds a
nationally significant arts festival in
April each year, called the 'Stretch'
festival. The event attracts wide community
participation.
The
waters of the Peel Inlet and Harvey Estuary
(one of Australia's larger inlet systems)
form the centre of Mandurah. The estuary is
approximately twice the size of
Sydney Harbour. The city lies in and
around this freshwater system which in turn
feeds into the Indian Ocean. The city and
its suburbs have many kilometres of ocean
coastline most of which is sandy beaches.
Mandurah also has a number of suburbs built
around artificially created canal systems
that extend from the Peel Inlet. The area is
governed by the
City of Mandurah, although a couple of
suburbs east of the Serpentine River are
governed by the Shire of Murray.
The Noongar (or
Bibbulmun) people, who inhabited the South
West of Western Australia, named the area
Mandjar ('meeting place'). After European
settlement the name changed, possibly due to
mispronunciation, to Mandurah.
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