Ellenbrook is a northeastern 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 i ...
, Western Australia, about from
Perth's central business district (CBD), located within the
City of Swan
The City of Swan is a local government area of Western Australia. It is in the eastern metropolitan region of Perth and includes the Swan Valley and 42 suburbs. It is centred approximately 20 km north-east of the Perth central business ...
. Ellenbrook, and its neighbouring suburbs of
The Vines and
Aveley
Aveley is a town and former civil parish in the unitary authority of Thurrock in Essex, England, and forms one of the traditional Church of England parishes. Aveley is 16 miles (26.2 km) east of Charing Cross. In the 2021 United Kingdom c ...
, are unusual for Perth in being a significant distance from neighbouring suburbs. Given this relative isolation and the distance from the CBD, Ellenbrook has been designed and developed as a self-sustainable community. Since the upgrade of
Gnangara Road
Gnangara Road is an arterial east-west road in Perth, Western Australia. It is located within the northern suburbs of Perth, from Madeley in the west, to Henley Brook in the east. Gnangara Road provides a connection between Great Northern Hig ...
and the completion of the
Tonkin Highway
Tonkin Highway is an north–south highway and partial freeway in Perth, Western Australia, linking Perth Airport and Kewdale with the city's north-eastern and south-eastern suburbs. As of April 2020, the northern terminus is at the intercha ...
Northlink, access to Ellenbrook has improved. The
Morley–Ellenbrook railway line is well underway as at June 2021 and this will enable better public transport. At the time of the
2016 census there were 22,681 people living in the gazetted suburb, by June 2018, it was estimated that the urban population for Ellenbrook and surrounds had grown to 41,382.
[ Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.] It is envisioned that Ellenbrook will eventually become a
satellite city
Satellite cities or satellite towns are smaller municipalities that are adjacent to a principal city which is the core of a metropolitan area. They differ from mere suburbs, subdivisions and especially bedroom communities in that they have m ...
, with a population of 80,000.
Transport links
Ellenbrook is approximately from
Guildford, from
Midland and from the Perth CBD (via
Beaufort Street
Beaufort Street is a major road in the inner north-eastern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, connecting the Morley area to the Perth central business district. For most of its length, it is a single-carriageway, two-way road with two lanes ...
and
Tonkin Highway
Tonkin Highway is an north–south highway and partial freeway in Perth, Western Australia, linking Perth Airport and Kewdale with the city's north-eastern and south-eastern suburbs. As of April 2020, the northern terminus is at the intercha ...
). Direct access to Tonkin Highway is nearby, with The Promenade interchange being the main access to Ellenbrook since the highway was extended northwards as part of the
NorthLink WA
NorthLink WA was a road construction project in Perth, Western Australia, that saw both the northern section of Tonkin Highway upgraded, and the road extended northwards as the Swan Valley Bypass, to bypass Great Northern Highway. These two compon ...
road project in 2019. Alternatively, Tonkin Highway also has a junction with
Gnangara Road
Gnangara Road is an arterial east-west road in Perth, Western Australia. It is located within the northern suburbs of Perth, from Madeley in the west, to Henley Brook in the east. Gnangara Road provides a connection between Great Northern Hig ...
, which links Ellenbrook with
Wangara and the northern suburbs.
West Swan Road
West Swan Road is a road in the Swan Valley wine region in the northeastern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. Starting in the centre of Guildford
Guildford ()
is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 201 ...
,
Drumpellier Drive
Drumpellier Drive is a north-south road linking Ellenbrook with Reid Highway in the north-eastern suburbs of Perth. The southern section was opened as Lord Street, and was the main link between Ellenbrook and the rest of Perth until the extensi ...
(formerly Lord Street), and
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 ...
are also nearby.
Bus services link Ellenbrook with
Morley Morley may refer to:
Places England
* Morley, Norfolk, a civil parish
* Morley, Derbyshire, a civil parish
* Morley, Cheshire, a village
* Morley, County Durham, a village
* Morley, West Yorkshire, a suburban town of Leeds and civil parish
* M ...
and
Bassendean railway station Bassendean may refer to:
*Bassendean, Western Australia, suburb of Perth, Western Australia
*Town of Bassendean, local government district in Western Australia
* Electoral district of Bassendean, Western Australia
*Bassendean, Scottish Borders
B ...
. A journey to the Perth CBD by public transport takes approximately 60 minutes. Before 2017, public transport was limited in the evenings and weekends, but in that year, Transperth introduced upgraded services, including an hourly evening connection to
Bassendean railway station Bassendean may refer to:
*Bassendean, Western Australia, suburb of Perth, Western Australia
*Town of Bassendean, local government district in Western Australia
* Electoral district of Bassendean, Western Australia
*Bassendean, Scottish Borders
B ...
and thus the city. In August 2017, a bus route was introduced which connected Ellenbrook to
Whitfords railway station
Whitfords railway station is a railway station located on the boundary of Padbury and Kingsley, suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. It is on the Joondalup railway line, which is part of the Transperth commuter rail network. It is located in th ...
, via Gnangara Road.
During the campaign for the
2008 Western Australian election, both major political parties committed to building a
rail line
Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...
. The 15 km line was expected to cost $850 million and be finished around 2015, with construction starting around 2012. However, in May 2010, the premier Colin Barnett confirmed that his government would not be proceeding with the development. Following the election of the
McGowan Labor government in 2017, it was announced that the Ellenbrook railway would be constructed as a part of the
Metronet Metronet may refer to:
*Metronet (British infrastructure company), who maintained London Underground infrastructure between 2003 and 2008.
*Metronet (Western Australia), government agency formed in 2017, responsible for managing extensions to Perth ...
project with a projected opening date of 2024.
Ellenbrook railway station is planned to be constructed as the terminus of the line on The Parkway in the Ellenbrook town centre.
History and development
The name Ellenbrook is derived from the nearby
Ellen Brook
Ellen Brook is an ephemeral stream which runs from south of Gingin to the Swan River in Western Australia.
Overview
The headwaters of Ellen Brook start south of Gingin, in the Wheatbelt region. From there, Ellen Brook travels south, gener ...
, a tributary of the
Swan River named after Ellen Stirling, the wife of
Captain James Stirling, Western Australia's first
governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
.
[Landgate (Government of Western Australia]
Geographic Names: suburb name histories: E
/ref>
The development of the suburb was conducted by the Ellenbrook Joint Venture — a partnership between the Department of Housing and Works and Morella Pty Ltd now known as LWP Property Group Pty Ltd.
The following is a fact sheet produced by the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) providing details about the development:
* The sites were acquired by the respective owners in the 1980s as rural land. They had commenced informal rezoning discussions by 1989.
* Given the challenges associated with rezoning and servicing, the owners formed the joint venture in November 1991 (ie the need for critical mass was recognised).
* The environmental approval involved a Public Environmental Review (PER) process.
* The site was rezoned to Urban Deferred in December 1992 and to urban in December 1993.
* Given its location adjacent to the Gnangara Water Mound, the Swan Valley and its distance from existing services, the rezoning was extremely challenging.
* Structure planning occurred in detail during 1993, to facilitate receipt of planning approval in 1994.
* The scale of the project demanded extensive consultation with all service providers, the local community groups and significant market research.
* The Environmental approvals, including drainage and nutrient management, together with provision of water and sewer services, represented the major challenges.
* Over $2m was expended by the owners in meeting the requirements of the rezoning process.
* Approximately of land (25% of the site) was set aside for conservation.
Ellenbrook is a masterplanned community developed in stages called "villages" which are then given storybook English names such as Woodlake or Charlotte's Vineyard. The first, Woodlake Village, was built on the site of a former sand quarry, with development commencing in 1994. Subsequent villages include The Bridges, Coolamon, Morgan Fields, Charlotte's Vineyard, Malvern Springs, Lexia and Annie's Landing.
The Ellenbrook town centre is well established, hosting of retail space and major retailers, Coles, Woolworths, Big W, Kmart, Spotlight, and Spudshed as well as around 100 speciality stores and national retail giant Bunnings Warehouse.
Natural features
Existing woodlands and wetlands (prior to development) such as conservation category wetlands, have been incorporated as public open spaces throughout the suburb. The Gnangara Pine Plantation just west of the suburb, features walks and picnic facilities accessible from Ellenbrook.
To the north of Ellenbrook, over 300 hectares of land was ceded for conservation prior to development, and is now protected under the Perth metropolitan Bush Forever strategy.
Education facilities
Ellenbrook and surrounds have a wide variety of primary and secondary schools, both public and private.
Primary schools in the area include:
* Arbor Grove Primary School - state primary school located in Charlotte's Vineyard
* Ellen Stirling Primary School - state primary school located in Coolamon
* Ellenbrook Christian College - a private kindergarten to year 12 school located in The Bridges
* Ellenbrook Independent Primary School - state primary school located in Woodlake
* Malvern Springs Primary School - state primary school located in the village of Malvern Springs
* St. Helena's Catholic Primary School - Catholic primary school located in Woodlake
* Anne Hamersley Primary School - state primary school located in the village of Annie's Landing
* Swan Valley Anglican Community School - kindergarten to year 12 Anglican school located in nearby Aveley
* Aveley Primary School - state primary school in nearby Aveley
*Aveley North Primary School - recently opened state primary school located close by in the northern section of Aveley.
High schools in the area include:
* Ellenbrook Christian College - private school that caters for students from Kindergarten to year 12.
* Ellenbrook Secondary College
Ellenbrook Secondary College (abbreviated as ESC) is an Independent public co-educational high day school, located in the Perth suburb of Ellenbrook.
Overview
Ellenbrook Secondary College was established in 2007 in the fast growing suburb of E ...
- public school serving years 7 to 12.
* Holy Cross College - Catholic high school which in as of now is catering for students from Years Pre-K through to 12
* Swan Valley Anglican Community School - An Anglican school located in the neighboring suburb of Aveley, serving students from Kindergarten to year 12.
* Aveley Secondary College
Aveley Secondary College is an Independent public co-educational high day school, located in the Perth suburb of Ellenbrook, just north of Aveley, Western Australia.
Overview
Large population growth in Ellenbrook and surrounding suburbs caus ...
- public school located in the North of Ellenbrook, opening in 2018 catering to only Year 7 students - Adding a new year group annually. As of 2021, the school serves students in Years 7 to 10 and by the year 2023, the school will serve students in Years 7 to 12.
Ellenbrook Community Library, operated by the City of Swan, is co-located within Ellenbrook Secondary College and Performing Arts Centre.
Sporting and leisure facilities
There are four main sporting grounds in Ellenbrook: Woodlake Sports Ground, Coolamon Oval, Charlotte’s Vineyard Oval and Ellenbrook District Open Space (EDOS). Coolamon Oval and Ellenbrook District Open Space (EDOS) have clubroom and changing facilities and are the home of the Ellenbrook Eels Senior Football Club, the Ellenbrook Dockers Junior Football club (Australian Rules) and the Ellenbrook Rangers.
Other facilities include:
* Dual-purpose tennis/basketball courts at Woodlake Park and Coolamon Oval.
* Cricket nets on Woodlake Oval, Coolamon Oval and EDOS.
* Skateparks at Woodlake Oval and Coolamon Oval.
* A water park, aimed at younger children, completed in late 2009 located in the town centre adjacent to the library.
* Exercise facilities located at EDOS.
* Ellenbrook Men’s Shed located adjacent to the water park.
* Ellenbrook Community Garden also located adjacent to the water park.
The suburb is also home to a junior and senior soccer club, Ellenbrook United FC.
Planning for a recreation and aquatic centre adjacent to EDOS and Aveley Secondary College in Ellenbrook has commenced and will host: a 25m indoor lane lap pool, warm water pool, spa, sauna, steam facilities, indoor multipurpose sports courts, gym/ health club, group fitness rooms, café, crèche, changing facilities and car parking.
References
External links
Official Site
UDIA Case Study
Community Website
Insurance Commission of WA (ICWA) - Details of Ellenbrook Restrictive Covenant
ICWA Retail Masterplan (The Shops development plan)
{{City of Swan suburbs
Suburbs of Perth, Western Australia
Suburbs and localities in the City of Swan