Mandurah

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, such as Halls Head, Dudley Park and Wannanup.

In terms of geology, much of Mandurah lies on the dune systems which dominate South Western WA's coastline, progressively grading towards the Swan Coastal Plain as one travels inland. The area has infertile soils due to the dunes being rather sandy, having poor water retention qualities. Limestone outcrops are found to the north of the city especially along the Mandurah railway line. Mandurah is the closest city to Yalgorup National Park which is home to modern thrombolites as well as an array of flora and fauna.

Mandurah is located in the Swan Coastal Plain ecoregion. The ecoregion contains an array of vegetation, from coastal dune and sandplains to banksia and eucalypt woodlands. Mandurah is covered by shoreline and dune deposits from the Pleistocene and Holocene that overlie Paleozoic and Neogene deposits of the Perth Basin. Coastal dunes feature scrub-heath communities, though banksia low woodlands occur on the soils of coastal dunes. Progressing inland give way to eucalypt woodlands.[4]

Seasonal wetlands (dry in the summer and wet in winter) are the most diverse habitat in the Swan Coastal Plain, which Mandurah has several wetland regions around the Peel Inlet. The wetlands feature several osprey nests, spoonbill and darters. Other fauna includes galah, short-billed black cockatoo, long-billed black cockatoo, and Australian ringneck among others. Australian ringnecks face competition for nesting space from rainbow lorikeet, an introduced species in Western Australia, that has now spread to Mandurah. Despite attempts to eradicate rainbow lorikeets, the population has grown to the point that they can no longer be eradicated.[5]

Mandurah is typically considered a marginal area for the major parties in Australian politics. Northern Mandurah lies in the safe Labor Federal seat of Brand, held by Gary Gray, while southern and central Mandurah lies in the more marginal Canning, held by the Liberal Party's Andrew Hastie. At state level, northern and central Mandurah is located in the safe Labor seat of Mandurah held by David Templeman, while southern Mandurah is located in Dawesville, a traditionally safe Liberal seat that was swept up in Labor's landslide of 2021, and is now held by Labor's Lisa Munday. A sliver of eastern Mandurah is located in Murray-Wellington, held by Labor's Robyn Clarke. Despite technically being in a regional area, the National Party vote is negligible.

Mandurah has a typical Mediterranean climate (Köppen classification Csa) with hot dry summers and mild wet winters. During summer (December to February), the average maximum temperature is 27 °C (80 °F) with an average minimum temperature of 19 °C (66 °F). At its extreme it can get very hot, often having a couple of days exceed 40 °C (104 °F) in the latter half of summer. In winter (June to August), the average maximum temperature is 18 °C (64 °F) with an average minimum temperature of 9 °C (48 °F). Mandurah's proximity to the ocean moderates diurnal temperatures somewhat, with temperatures a few kilometres inland often 4 or 5 degrees warmer during summer days (or cooler during winter nights). Frosts are very rare as a result, but do occur annually around areas such as Greenfields. The current weather station opened in 2001 and is situated on the coastline, causing data recorded to appear warmer during winter nights and cooler in summer days compared to surrounding areas.

Mandurah also receives a moderate though highly seasonal rainfall of about 850 mm a year, however recent trends have seen this once reliable rainfall drop significantly. In addition, most of the winter rains are usually accompanied by severe winds and storms capable of causing widespread damage, making Mandurah one of the windiest cities in Australia. These conditions are perfect for tornado formation, which Mandurah's climate is remarkable for producing one of the highest densities of tornadoes in the world.[6]

Summer storms are rare due to the Mediterranean climate in the city, but not unheard of. Mandurah was affected to a lesser degree than Perth in the 2010 Western Australian storms, but the 2011–12 summer was notable for Mandurah bearing the brunt of three severe thunderstorms. One such storm on 12 December 2011 gave Mandurah almost seven times its monthly average (69.4 mm compared to an average of 15.5 mm), which was eclipsed exactly one year later on 12 December 2012 (74.2 mm). Another storm on 20 January 2012 dumped 57 mm on the city causing power outages and flash flooding. One man and numerous buildings in the city were struck by lightning during the storm, which produced 2,300 strikes within 30 kilometres of the city, which was more than what neighbouring Perth receives in an entire year and comparable to the most severe electrical storms for which places in the tropics like Darwin are known.[7][8][9]

• Cooper's Mill (c.1843), Murray Terrace, Cooleenup Island, North Yunderup.[22]
• Christ's Church (historically Christ Church) (Anglican) (c.1870), 34–36 Pinjarra Road (corner Sholl Street), Mandurah.[23]
• Peel's house site (1830), southern side of the corner of Mandurah Terrace & Stewart Street, Mandurah.[24]
• Uniting Church (Former Methodist Church – 1940), 26 Sutton Street (corner of Gibson Street), Mandurah.[25]
• Eacott Cottage (1830), 35 Gibla St Mandurah.[26]
• Brighton Hotel (1882), 8–10 Mandurah Terrace, Mandurah.[27]
• Little Theatre and site of the old Fish Cannery (aka Peel Inlet Preserving Works), 5 Mandurah Terrace, Mandurah.[28]
• Sutton's Corner Store and house, Eureka Shops/Cottage (1862, 1928), 2 Mandurah Terrace, Mandurah.[29]
• Tuckey Store & House & Slim Jim Cotton Palm, 1 Mandurah Terrace, Mandurah.[30]
• Mandurah Museum (incorporating old school – 1900), corner Mandurah Terrace & Pinjarra Road, Mandurah.[31]
• Mandurah Bridge (1894, replaced 1953, 2018), linking the town centre to Halls Head.[32]
• Hall's Cottage (1833), 7 Leighton Place, Halls Head.[33]
• Sutton's Farm (1860s), Apollo Place & Picaroon Place, Halls Head.[34]
• Sutton's graveyard (1860s), corner Finistere Island Retreat & Picaroon Place, Halls Head.[35]
• Allandale Homestead (Dawes House – 1913), Lot 102 Estuary Road, Dawesville.[36]
• Herron Homestead (1866), Lot 85 Quail Road, Herron Lake, Clifton.[37]
• Hardy House (c.1853), 860 Estuary Rd Mandurah.[38]
• Fouracres Cottage ruin (c.1854), west side of Old Coast Road between Peppermint Grove and Coronation Roads, Waroona.[39]

Mandurah is considered the unofficial gateway to the South West and possesses a variety of tourist attractions, most of which are located near the water. It is a major fishing and crabbing area in Western Australia, with the city well known for the blue manna crab (Portunus pelagicus) with a festival held in March known as Mandurah Crab Fest.

Mandurah is home to WA's largest population of Bootlenose Dolphins (Tursiops), currently estimated at 120.[42]

Like neighbouring settlements Bunbury and Rockingham dolphins and whales frequent the city annually and dolphin and whale watching are a popular pastime. In December, the canal areas in Mandurah becomes well known for their Christmas lights and special boat cruises are often promoted as a result.

There are two zoos within the outskirts of the city, as well as a miniature village, a tourist railway and a national park.

Mandurah has year-round seven-day shopping. Mandurah has five distinct shopping areas, including Mandurah Forum, which opened in 1983 and has had major renovations during 2016 to 2018[43] and is located at the intersection of Pinjarra and Mandurah Roads, The Bridge Quarter (or The Foreshore) located in the CBD, and Dolphin Quay/Mandurah Ocean Marina built at the intersection of Mandjar Bay and the Peel Inlet. There are also significant retail centres in Meadow Springs, Greenfields, Halls Head and Falcon.

Although not a mining settlement, Mandurah has a number of mines within two hours of the city. This includes bauxite mining and alumina refining at Pinjarra and Wagerup with the Huntly Mine at Pinjarra the largest in the world. Mandurah is also just one hour away from the Boddington Gold Mine, which has recently become Australia's largest producing gold mine.[44]

The Mandurah Crab Fest is held annually on the estuary foreshore on the third weekend in March. Celebrating the region's seafood, the event features food stalls and cooking demonstrations as well as live music and entertainment.[45] It was first held in 1999, succeeding the Kanyana Carnival, which was held annually between 1966 and 1988, with sporadic events held during the 1990s.[46]

Every New Year's Eve, there are fireworks and live entertainment and activities throughout the evening through to midnight.[47]