City of Kwinana

This article is about the Local Government Area. For other uses, see Kwinana (disambiguation).
City of Kwinana
Western Australia
Population 36,145 (2014 est)[1]
 • Density 306.3/km2 (793/sq mi)
Established 1954
Area 118 km2 (45.6 sq mi)
Mayor Carol Adams
Council seat Kwinana Town Centre
Region South Metropolitan Perth
State electorate(s) Kwinana
Federal Division(s) Brand
Website City of Kwinana
LGAs around City of Kwinana:
Cockburn Armadale
Cockburn Sound City of Kwinana Serpentine-Jarrahdale
Rockingham Serpentine-Jarrahdale

The City of Kwinana is a local government area of Western Australia, Australia. It covers an area of approximately 118 square kilometres in metropolitan Perth, and lies about 38 km south of Perth CBD, via the Kwinana Freeway. Kwinana maintains 287 km of roads and has an estimated population of 36,145.

History

Kwinana is a Kimberley Aboriginal word meaning either "young woman" or "pretty maiden". The ship SS Kwinana was wrecked on Cockburn Sound in 1922 and blown onto Kwinana Beach. The nearby area acquired the name and it was officially adopted for a township in 1937.[2] Some of its suburbs take their names from the sailing ships that first brought immigrants to Western Australia, for example, Medina, Calista and Parmelia.

The Kwinana Road District was formed out of part of Rockingham on 15 February 1954 as a result of the passage of the Kwinana Road District Act 1953. Section 4 of the Act stated that "there shall not be a duly elected Road Board for the Kwinana Road District but the Governor may, by Order in Council, appoint a fit and proper person having a comprehensive knowledge and experience of local government matters to be Commissioner of the district."[3]

On 11 November 1960, an Order in Council was issued dividing Kwinana into five wards in preparation for an election to be held on 11 February 1961. The Town ward would elect 3 councillors while the Rural, Industrial, Naval Base and Kwinana Beach wards would each elect one councillor.[4] In order that the election could go ahead, the Kwinana Road District Act was repealed on 14 February 1961 by proclamation, with the District now subject to the same laws as any other council.[5] The first elected councillors took office on 15 February 1961.

On 1 July 1961, the District became the Shire of Kwinana following the enactment of the Local Government Act 1960. It became a Town on 28 May 1977 and on 17 September 2012, it was proclaimed a City.[6]

Industry

Kwinana CBH grain loading terminal.

BP was the founder of the industrial area, in conjunction with the state government. The state government ensured that port facilities were developed to enable the offloading of significant amounts of oil. BP runs Western Australia's only oil refinery in Kwinana, and there are many other associated petro-chemical companies nearby, for example Coogee Chemicals .

It is also home to the Kwinana CBH grain loading terminal. A cooperative owned by 12,000 farmers, CBH Group is Western Australia’s leading grain storage, handling and marketing business. Grain from the facility is also used to supply Primary Energy’s proposed bio-fuel facility in Kwinana.[7]

Facilities

Kwinana Quit Motorplex.

That said, Kwinana is not just an urban sprawl, there are three public beaches at Cockburn Sound looking out to Garden Island. The SS Kwinana herself is actually part of the jetty at Kwinana Beach. The rusting hulk of the ship was cut down to low water level and the centre was filled with limestone to form a platform. There are also wetlands and bushlands in the Kwinana area. The Spectacles are the local wetlands and are so named because of their appearance from the air.

The local companies are keen to be seen preserving the environment and claim to demonstrate the best practice in production methods and environmental safeguards. The BP Kwinana Refinery is apparently responsible for 'Australia's cleanest petrol' - BP Ultimate, which matches the stringent environmental specifications demanded in Europe and the United States.

Kwinana also is home to a centre of attraction for Drag Racing, Dirt Track Speedway, Burnout Competitions, Street Machine shows and Super Cross events. The Perth Motorplex (formerly known as Quit Motorplex) opened in December 2000 at a cost of A$20 million with catering, licensed bars, state of the art stadium lighting and the "Snake Pit", a purpose built and dedicated burn out section. The venue holds many prestigious events including the Westernationals (drag racing), World Series Sprintcars (speedway) and Motorvation (car show).

Mayors

Suburbs

Road side sign for central Kwinana.

Population

Year Population[8]
1954 2,801
1961 4,663
1966 5,777
1971 12,224
1976 13,687
1981 13,623
1986 14,025
1991 17,242
1996 19,136
2001 20,765
2006 23,198
2011 29,227
2014 36,145

See also

References

  1. ↑ "City of Kwinana Community Profile". 3 April 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  2. ↑ Wajnryb, Ruth (2006). Australian Place Name Stories. Lothian Books. p. 114. ISBN 0-7344-0623-1.
  3. ↑ "Kwinana Road District Act 1953 (No. 26 of 1953)". 18 December 1953. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  4. ↑ "Kwinana Road District Act, 1953 - Kwlnana Road District - Division into Wards, Determination of Membership and Provisions for an Election. Order in Council. (per L.G. 762/60)". Western Australia Government Gazette. 11 November 1960. p. 1960:3450–3452.
  5. ↑ "Kwinana Road District Act, 1953. Proclamation. (per L.G. 3103/52)". Western Australia Government Gazette. 10 February 1961. p. 1961:385.
  6. ↑ Town of Kwinana (17 September 2012). "Governor declares Kwinana a City". Retrieved 26 September 2012.
  7. ↑ CBH Group secures ten year grain supply to Primary Energy’s Kwinana Bio-fuel Plant accessed: 12 November 2009
  8. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 March 2011). "Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2009-10 - Western Australia". Retrieved 10 May 2011.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Town of Kwinana.

Coordinates: 32°15′S 115°46′E / 32.250°S 115.767°E / -32.250; 115.767

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