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Perth Australia Information
Perth Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Perth skyline viewed from the Swan Bells.
Perth is the state capital city of Western Australia, the largest state in
Australia. Perth is the most isolated capital city in the world, and has a
population of 1 339 993, giving Perth the fourth highest population of any city
in Australia (Census 2001).
Setting
The Perth city skyline displays the economic prosperity the state has enjoyed in
the past 20 years. Two towering skyscrapers dominate this skyline: Bankwest
Tower and the Central Park building. The Central Park tower is the fourth
tallest completely habitable skyscraper in Australia, and the tallest outside of
Melbourne.
Perth is set on the Swan River, so named because of the native Black Swans which
call the river home. It is a sprawling city, extending to Joondalup in the
north, Mandurah in the south and Mundaring in the east. The beachside suburbs
take advantage of Perth's seaside location and clean beaches. To the East, the
city is bordered by a low escarpment called the Darling Scarp.
Map of Perth.
 Map of Perth.
Perth is on generally flat, rolling land - largely due to the high amount of
sandy soils and deep bedrock. Its wide roads, many parks and well-designed
layout make it a peaceful place to live.
The Perth metropolitan area includes over thirty local governments (cities,
towns and shires). These include Fremantle, Bayswater, Canning, Stirling,
Gosnells, Nedlands, Peppermint Grove, Claremont, Victoria Park and Armadale. See
Local Government Areas of Western Australia for a comprehensive list.
History
Perth was established by the British as a free settlers' colony in 1829, and
later in 1849 as a convict colony. The initial settlement was in response to
sightings of French ships in the region, and the later importation of convicts
was at the request of settlers who wanted cheap labour. In 1901, the colony
joined the Federation of Australia. The city has prospered as a result of
repeated mining booms, especially for gold, iron ore, nickel, and alumina:
Western Australia is rich with mineral resources.
People
 Sunset over Yanchep.
Sunset over Yanchep.
Perth is generally an egalitarian and relaxed city which, although it has
pockets of extreme wealth and poverty, is almost entirely middle class and
suburban. The population is easy-going and friendly, but can be parochial,
especially towards the "Eastern States" which are often viewed with deep
suspicion.
Sport
Perth people mainly follow Australian Rules football, with both state teams in
the Australian Football League (AFL) based in Perth. These teams are the West
Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers.
Perth is also home to the annual Hopman Cup tennis tournament, the annual Avon
Descent whitewater event, and the annual Rally Australia.
Perth is very conducive to an outdoors lifestyle, and this is reflected in the
wide variety of sports available to citizens of the city.
Education
Although a relatively small city, Perth is home to five universities: the
University of Western Australia, Murdoch University, Curtin University, Edith
Cowan University, and the University of Notre Dame Australia. The 90 year-old
University of Western Australia in particular is renowned for its monumental
neo-classical architecture, most of which is carved from white limestone, and is
a notable tourist destination in the city.
Tourist attractions in and around Perth
 The Swan River.
The Swan River.
A sun-baked city that can go weeks or even months without substantial rainfall,
one of Perth's main attractions lies in the pristine quality of its beaches.
Unbroken stretches of golden sands run the entire length of the city's coastal
suburbs. While not unlike the beaches of the Gold Coast in Queensland, Perth has
not yet experienced the same level of commercialisation and development and
hence, degradation, that plagues other such naturally rich Australian urban
environments.
The centre of Perth is located on the northern bank of the Swan River, and is
roughly divided into three parallel sections.
-
the central business district, closest to the river, and which runs along St
Georges and Adelaide Terraces,
-
the retail district, which has its focus on the Hay and Murray Street Malls, and
-
the entertainment and cultural precinct, known as Northbridge.
Picturesque scenery in Kings Park.
 Picturesque scenery in Kings Park.
King's Park sits upon a large hill overlooking the CBD. Four times larger than
Central Park, New York, King's Park contains Perth's botanical gardens as well
as vast tracts of natural bushland. During spring, King's Park bursts into a
world-class display of wildflowers, which is a popular tourist attraction. Perth
is a very green city, with an abundance of parks and tree-lined boulevards.
The Swan Bells is a towering new Bell Tower siting on the edge of the Swan
River. A copper structure representing the sails of a ship, it houses old bells
from the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields (of nursery rhyme fame), which were a
gift from Great Britain to the people of Australia on the occasion of
Australia's 200 year anniversary of colonisation. It was opened to the public in
2001.
There are a few islands off the coast of Perth, notably Rottnest Island, a
significant tourist attraction. Other nearby islands include Garden Island (home
to a naval base), Carnac Island, Seal Island and Penguin Island. The deep
shipping channel between Perth and these islands is called Gage Roads, the site
of the America's Cup yachting challenge in 1983.
The historical port city of Fremantle is located at the mouth of the Swan River,
and is home to many attractions. Most notable of these is the mammoth
newly-constructed Western Australian Maritime Museum. Located on the dock at
Victoria Quay, the museum houses Australia 2, the yacht which won Australia the
America's Cup. Also in Fremantle is the Maritime Museum shipwreck galleries,
with recovered artifacts and part of the hull of the shipwrecked Batavia, from
hundreds of years ago.
Perth is home to Australia's largest underwater walk-through aquarium, AQWA (The
Aquarium of Western Australia). Located at Hillarys Boat Harbour, this attracts
large numbers of international tourists.
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