Balga is a suburb of

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, the capital city of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, north of Perth city's central business district (CBD). Its

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

is the

City of Stirling The City of Stirling is a local government area in the northern suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth about north of Perth's central business district. The City covers an area of and has a population of over 223,000, makin ...

. Mark Irwin is the current mayor. The name "Balga" was adopted in 1954 and is the

Noongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the so ...

( Aboriginal) word for the indigenous grass tree ''Xanthorrhoea preissii''. It was designed by the State Housing Commission along with

Nollamara Nollamara is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its Local government areas of Western Australia, local government area is the City of Stirling. The name "Nollamara" is a Noongar language, Noongar word for the flowering plant ''Macropidia'', ...

and

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

as part of the "Mirrabooka Project", and the laying of streets and building of homes commenced in the 1960s.

Geography

Balga is north of Perth, and is bounded by

Wanneroo Road Wanneroo Road is a arterial highway in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia linking Joondanna and Yokine in the south with Wanneroo and Yanchep in the north. As part of State Route 60, it begins from Charles Street in the inner ...

to the west,

Reid Highway Reid Highway is a east-west highway and partial freeway in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, linking North Beach with Middle Swan. As part of State Route 3, it forms half of Perth's outer ring road along with Roe Highway, wh ...

to the south,

Mirrabooka Avenue Mirrabooka Avenue is a major north-south road located in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. It is a four-lane dual carriageway for its entire length. It mainly passes through residential areas, as well as industrial areas on the ...

to the east and Beach Road to the north.

Demographics

At the 2011 census, Balga had a population of 10,701. Balga residents had a median age of 31, and median incomes were well below average for the Perth metropolitan area and the region — $490 per week compared with $669 per week in Perth, and $685 in the Perth North West statistical region. The population of Balga was more ethnically diverse than the Perth average, with 49.1% born in Australia and significant minorities from

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, Macedonia, Vietnam and Burma identified in the 2011 census. At the 2011 census, 3.72% of residents identified as

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

Education

Balga contains a state high school,

Balga Senior High School Balga Senior High School is a public co-educational high day school, located on Markham Way in the suburb of Balga, north of Perth, Western Australia. Established in 1970, the school caters for students from Year 7 to Year 12. Overview A ...

which opened in 1970; three state primary schools, Balga (1965), North Balga (1968) and Warriapendi (1970); one special school, the Gladys Newton School; and one private school, Majella Catholic Primary School (1971). Additionally, a campus of North Metropolitan TAFE (formerly known as

Polytechnic West Polytechnic West (formerly Swan TAFE) was a State Training Provider established under section 35 of the Vocational Education and Training Act 1996 (WA) based in Perth, Western Australia. Polytechnic West is one of the largest training providers ...

) is in the southeast of the suburb. Balga Senior High School includes an Intensive English Centre for newly arrived refugee students, a program for teenage parents, a sports-based education program for indigenous students, and an emphasis on literacy, numeracy, health and careers through all levels of the school. It is one of the few high schools in Western Australia not to offer a Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) program, although several students each year complete a university preparation course conducted by

Edith Cowan University Edith Cowan University (ECU) is a public university in Western Australia. It is named in honour of the first woman to be elected to an Parliaments of the Australian states and territories, Australian parliament, Edith Cowan, and is the only Aust ...

Transport

The suburb is served by a number of

Transperth Transperth is the brand name of the public transport system serving the city and suburban areas of Perth, the state capital of Western Australia. It is managed by the Public Transport Authority (PTA), a state government organisation. Train op ...

bus routes operated by

Swan Transit Swan Transit is an Australian bus company operating Transperth services under contract to the Public Transport Authority. It is a subsidiary of Transit Systems. History On 21 January 1996, Swan Transit commenced operating services in the Midl ...

(374-375, 385-389) and

Path Transit Path Transit is an Australian bus company operating Transperth services under contract to the Public Transport Authority. It is a subsidiary of Keolis Downer. History On 29 September 1996, Path Transit commenced operating services in the Marm ...

(371 and 376). The 374 (Mirrabooka-Darch-Whitfords) and 375 (Mirrabooka-Alexander Heights) covers Marangaroo Drive and inner portions of the Suburb, the 389 (Perth–Wanneroo) covers Wanneroo Road, and the 386 (Perth–Kingsway City Shopping Centre, Madeley), 385(Perth to Kingsway City Shopping Centre, Madeley)(limited stops), 371 (Warwick Station to Mirrabooka Station via Treen St) routes along with various routes from

Mirrabooka bus station Mirrabooka bus station is a Transperth bus station in Mirrabooka approximately 12 kilometres north of Perth, Western Australia. It has 12 stands and is served by 14 Transperth routes operated by Path Transit Path Transit is an Australian bus ...

, 376 covers eastern end of the suburb and 449 covers for the northern end.

References

{{City of Stirling suburbs Suburbs of Perth, Western Australia Suburbs in the City of Stirling