Hillarys is a northern coastal 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 ...

, in the

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 ...

of the

City of Joondalup The City of Joondalup is a local government area in Perth, Western Australia. Its central business district is located in the suburb Joondalup, and it includes the town centres of Hillarys and Warwick. History Prior to the 1970s, the region n ...

. It is part of the Whitfords precinct, and is located 21 km north-northwest of Perth's central business district via

Mitchell Freeway The Mitchell Freeway is a freeway in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, linking central Perth with the city of Joondalup. It is the northern section of State Route 2, which continues south as Kwinana Freeway and Forrest High ...

and

Hepburn Avenue Hepburn Avenue is an arterial east-west road in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. The road links Sorrento in the west with Malaga and Whiteman in the east. It also connects the residential developments that span its length wit ...

History

Hillarys was named after an early settler, Bertram John Hillary (1895-1957), who had become blind in his right eye while fighting in

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He came to the area during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

while fishing for a living with his brother Harry, and built a boatshed on the beach in 1930. Subsequently, he expanded it to accommodate himself, his wife and four children. For many years, they were the only residents of what is now Hillarys, and the nearest store, at North Beach to the south, was a 5 km walk away. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

used the area, and named it "Hillary's Beach" on their maps. Bert Hillarys died in 1957 and the shack and 14 others nearby were destroyed in a fierce storm in 1964. The Metropolitan Region Scheme, designed in 1955, had proposed that Whitford Beach, just beyond modern Hillarys's north, would be the limit of coastal settlement, and in 1962, a highway from

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

Sorrento Sorrento (, ; nap, Surriento ; la, Surrentum) is a town overlooking the Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula at the south-eastern terminus of the Circumvesuviana rail ...

was suggested by the Government. In 1967, a road to Whitford Beach was built after a major Catholic school, Sacred Heart College, relocated from inner-suburban

Highgate Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross. Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisati ...

into the region. Wanneroo Shire Council and the R&I Bank began developing the Whitford precinct and planned a town centre, which ultimately became

Westfield Whitford City Westfield Whitford City, formerly Whitford City Shopping Centre, is a major shopping centre located in Hillarys, east of St. Mark's Anglican Community School in Perth, Western Australia. Built in 1977 on the former Red Cattle Ridge site at M ...

, in the suburb's northeast, and

Marmion Avenue Marmion Avenue is a arterial road in the northern coastal suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, linking Trigg in the south with Yanchep in the north. It forms part of State Route 71 along with West Coast Highway, which it joins onto at its s ...

was built. They asked for the Government to gazette a suburb here and this was done in 1971. Many streets in the new development (including the facing portion of what was to become

Padbury Padbury is a village within the Buckinghamshire unitary authority area, England. It is located on the A413 main road that links Buckingham with Winslow. History The village name is Old English in origin, and means 'Padda's fortress'. In the D ...

were named for early explorers and pioneers of Australia. On 21 November 1978, Whitford City Shopping Centre was officially opened. Hillary's Boat Harbour, Perth Western Australia

Hillary's Boat Harbour, Perth Western Australia

In preparation for Australia's defence of the 1987

America's Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one f ...

, the State Government commissioned the building of

Hillarys Boat Harbour Hillarys Boat Harbour is a marina and tourist precinct located in Hillarys, north of Perth, Western Australia and on the Indian Ocean. History Hillarys Boat Harbour was the first such major marina in the north metropolitan region of Perth. Co ...

, the first major marina in the north metropolitan area. The retail complex on the site, called Sorrento Quay, commenced trading in December 1987 and was officially opened in January 1988. Also, in May 1987, the Government declared

Marmion Marine Park The Marmion Marine Park is a protected area along and off the coast of northern Perth, Western Australia. In 1987, this park was declared the first marine park in Western Australia. The park covers an area of 10,500 ha, from Trigg Island in the ...

over a region from Burns Beach to Trigg, to which the new marina complex provided a gateway. The shopping centre and marina development fuelled growth in the suburb and by the mid-1990s, both the northwest and southwest of the suburb had been fully developed.

Geography

Hillarys is bounded by

to the south,

to the east,

Whitfords Avenue Whitfords Avenue is an arterial east–west road located in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. Route description Whitfords Avenue is allocated State Route 83 east of Marmion Avenue, and Tourist Drive 204 (Sunset Coast Tourist D ...

to the north and the coastal road portion of Whitfords Avenue (formerly part of West Coast Highway) to the west. At the

2001 Australian census The Census in Australia, officially the Census of Population and Housing, is the national census in Australia that occurs every five years. The census collects key demographic, social and economic data from all people in Australia on census nig ...

, Hillarys had a mostly above-average-income population of 10,159. Hillarys's oceanside location, proximity to three private schools and to Hillarys Boat Harbour has seen the suburb become affluent since the 1980s, and the ABS identified many managers and professionals living within the suburb. However, many tradespeople and service employees also live in the area.

Facilities

Hillarys is mostly a residential suburb, and relies on

, a large shopping centre in its northeast, and the smaller Hillarys Shopping Centre (2003) on Flinders Avenue for commercial services.

St. Mark's Anglican Community School St Mark's Anglican Community School is an independent Anglican co-educational primary and secondary day school, located on an site on St. Mark's Drive, in the northern Perth, Western Australia suburb of Hillarys, Western Australia, on the f ...

is a K-12, co-educational private school located to the West of Westfield Whitford City, on the former Red Cattle Ridge site. Several parks and walkways of various sizes are situated in the suburb, and there are picnic facilities in a coastal park just north of Hillarys Boat Harbour. Unlike beaches further to the south, though, the beach at Hillarys is relatively difficult to access due to large sand dunes and remnant vegetation, and Whitford Beach to the north and Sorrento Beach to the south provide access. Off the coast is the

, which provides a home for many species of marine animals.

Tourism

Hillarys Boat Harbour, a large marina development which contains the Sorrento Quay retail development, was built in 1987 and includes the

Aquarium of Western Australia The Aquarium of Western Australia (AQWA) is a privately owned aquarium in Hillarys, Western Australia. AQWA was Australia's largest aquarium when it opened and still possesses Australia's largest single aquarium and walk-through underwater tunn ...

(formerly Underwater World) and numerous shops and eating spots, as well as helicopter flights and a ferry terminal offering

whale watching Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and dolphins ( cetaceans) in their natural habitat. Whale watching is mostly a recreational activity (cf. birdwatching), but it can also serve scientific and/or educational purposes.Hoyt, E. 2 ...

cruises during key breeding months, and ferry services to

Rottnest Island Rottnest Island ( nys, Wadjemup), often colloquially referred to as "Rotto", is a island off the coast of Western Australia, located west of Fremantle. A sandy, low-lying island formed on a base of aeolianite limestone, Rottnest is an A-class ...

Economy

There is a

hatchery A hatchery is a facility where eggs are hatched under artificial conditions, especially those of fish, poultry or even turtles. It may be used for ex-situ conservation purposes, i.e. to breed rare or endangered species under controlled condit ...

serving the

aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. lot ...

industry of marine

shellfish Shellfish is a colloquial and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater envir ...

in Hillarys. In 2020, spat of the black-lip rock oyster was grown in the hatchery and relocated to one of the trial sites on the coast off Karratha and

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

, at specially selected sites at Cossack and West Lewis Island. This was the first time that the oysters had been commercially grown in WA, in an industry which is expected to grow and provide an economic boost and employment opportunities for Indigenous people in the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a glo ...

region.

Education

Hillarys is served by the Hillarys Primary School, founded in 1973 and formerly known as Lymburner, and an Anglican college,

St Mark's Anglican Community School St Mark's Anglican Community School is an independent Anglican co-educational primary and secondary day school, located on an site on St. Mark's Drive, in the northern Perth, Western Australia suburb of Hillarys, Western Australia, on the for ...

, a coeducational day school built in 1986 on an site. The suburb falls within the Duncraig Senior High School catchment area.

Photos

Image:HillarysBoatHarbourSign.jpg, Sign at Hillarys File:Boat pens, Hillarys.jpg, Boat pens File:Hillarys Boat Harbour Beach.jpg, Beach

Transport

Hillarys is served by the 441, 442 and (previously) 452

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 ...

buses travelling between Whitfords and

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

railway stations on the

Joondalup line The Joondalup line is a commuter rail service in Western Australia, linking the Perth central business district (CBD) with the Perth metropolitan region, metropolitan area's north-western suburbs. The service is operated on the Northern Suburbs ...

. The 423 route from Warwick or Stirling.Northern 62 timetable
, Transperth, effective 8 August 2005. Accessed 2007-01-17

Politics

Hillarys is a reasonably affluent suburb with many " mortgage belt" families, and is one of the strongest bases in the northern suburban region for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

at both federal and state elections. Hillarys is administered by the

although it was administered by the

City of Wanneroo The City of Wanneroo is a local government area with city status in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. It is centred approximately north of Perth's central business district and forms part of the northern boundary of the Perth ...

prior to the creation of the City of Joondalup in 1998.

References

External links

WA government information on Hillarys Boat Harbour

AQWA
Aquarium of Western Australia {{City of Joondalup suburbs Suburbs of Perth, Western Australia Suburbs in the City of Joondalup