Welcome to the City of Melville, located on the Swan River in Perth, Western Australia, where a diverse and multicultural community enjoys a rich built and natural heritage, a blend of retail and business precincts, an abundance of opportunities for physical and social activity, open spaces and a unique natural landscape.
The City is located eight kilometres from the Perth Central Business District, in an area of 52.72 square kilometres featuring 18.1 kilometres of foreshore. The City consists of 18 suburbs divided into six wards, connected by over 1,200 kilometres of local, arterial and major roads.
With a population of approximately 109,198 within 44,343 dwellings, the City of Melville is the third largest local government authority in the metropolitan region. The total population of the City is expected to increase by more than 6,700 people by 2022.
Alfred Cove, Applecross, Ardross, Attadale, Bateman, Bicton, Booragoon, Brentwood, Bull Creek, Kardinya, Leeming, Melville, Mount Pleasant, Murdoch, Myaree, Palmyra, Willagee and Winthrop.
Commercial and Industrial Uses
The City's 773 commercial properties span over 150,000 square metres of retail floor-space. The regional commercial centre is Westfield Booragoon Shopping Centre, with six supporting district commercial centres, and 29 local shopping centres.
The Myaree Mixed Business precinct is the largest industrial area in the City (264,000 square metres of floor area) and provides a diversity of business, retail and industrial functions. A second industrial area in O'Connor accommodates larger scale manufacturing and traditional industrial uses and includes service commercial and general business uses. These two precincts support over 284 mixed business/commercial properties.
Environment, Recreation, Facilities and Education
City residents enjoy 205 parks and reserves comprising 256 hectares of Natural Areas, 778 hectares of Public Open Space and 18km of Foreshore. The City contains 28 playing fields, two golf courses in addition to two recreation centres, 13 youth centres and six libraries (including Murdoch University).
Facilities for the community use include 26 small and six major community halls. There are nine maternal and child health centres, five aged persons' recreation facilities and 28 aged persons housing facilities within the City, and educational resources include significant tertiary facilities (TAFE campus and Murdoch University), 23 pre-schools, 11 secondary schools and 25 primary schools.
The organisation employs more than 700 full-time, part-time and casual employees, and provides more than 200 products and services including: recreation centres, aquatic centres, libraries, churches, pre-school centres, community centres, food inspection services, citizenships, recycling, planning and building services, maintenance, streetscapes, landscaping disability services, immunisation clinics, cultural and educational centres, environmental preservation and management, control of bushfires, dogs, parking, neighbourhood security, sporting facilities, childrens playgrounds and tourist promotions, volunteer resources and support for community organisations.
The City of Melville was established as a Roads Board on 5 June 1901, and became a Shire in 1961, a Town 1962, and a City in 1968. In 1913, the Melville Roads Boards Council Chambers were built on the corner of Stock Road and Canning Highway, Bicton.
The Melville Roads Boards 1913 Annual Report stated that there were 67 miles (107 kilometres) of gazetted road in the District of which 21 miles (34 kilometres) were made up.
The annual income in 1913 was recorded as 2,000 pounds (approximately $4,000) and the population was under 2,000!