Perth Hills is a term used primarily for marketing purposes to identify the part of the

Darling Scarp The Darling Scarp, also referred to as the Darling Range or Darling Ranges, is a low escarpment running north–south to the east of the Swan Coastal Plain and Perth, Western Australia. The escarpment extends generally north of Bindoon, to th ...

and hinterland east of the scarp that lies within the

Shire of Mundaring The Shire of Mundaring is a local government area in eastern metropolitan Perth, the capital of Western Australia. The Shire covers an area of and had a population of approximately 38,000 as at the 2016 Census. History The Greenmount Road ...

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 d ...

, and the City of Kalamunda and as part of the constituent bodies belonging to the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council 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 ...

. The term is most commonly found on tourist maps, and on the government Department of Environment and Conservation pamphlets and materials relating to the regional headquarters at

Mundaring Weir Mundaring Weir is a dam (and historically the adjoining locality) located from Perth, Western Australia in the Darling Scarp. The dam and reservoir form the boundary between the suburbs of Reservoir and Sawyers Valley. The dam impounds the Hel ...

– The Perth Hills National Parks Centre (formerly known as the Hills Forest Discovery Centre) and its "Nearer to Nature" programs and activities. It is also sometimes used in books and pamphlets. In earlier usage of the term "The Hills" by people living in

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 identification of specific locations along the Darling Scarp (also called the Darling Range) found some places more commonly referred to than others. Both Kalamunda and

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

, as separate and specific areas, were frequently referred to specifically as "The Hills", due to their presence on the edge of the scarp. Greenmount Hill is often considered the "entrance point to the Hills", because the main road – the

Great Eastern Highway Great Eastern Highway is a road that links the Western Australian capital of Perth with the city of Kalgoorlie. A key route for road vehicles accessing the eastern Wheatbelt and the Goldfields, it is the western portion of the main road link ...

– passes through this location, adjacent to the route of the much earlier road, the York Road. The "Swan Hills" is a name often given to a part of the range centred on Toodyay Road and its corridor through the north-eastern part of the

and Gidgegannup. However, the term "Swan Hills" is also used in other ways as well. A "Welcome to Perth Hills" sign within 100 metres of

Chippers Leap Chippers Leap, formerly known as Chipper's Leap, is a granite outcrop on Greenmount Hill in Perth, Western Australia. It is located at 31º54'S 116º04'E, on the northern side of Great Eastern Highway, near the border between the suburbs of Swan ...

on Greenmount Hill is the entry point for that part of the hills in the Mundaring shire. Another "Welcome to Perth Hills" sign is on

Kalamunda Road Kalamunda Road is a minor arterial road linking the historic suburb of South Guildford with the Darling Scarp suburb of Kalamunda, in Perth, Western Australia. It serves as a major access road for Perth Airport, and provides the foothills su ...

, before the road climbs to Kalamunda. The area also includes the Bickley and Carmel Wine region. The hills above Armadale and localities are quite separate from the other hills localities.

Wine region

Perth Hills is also a

wine region This list of wine-producing regions catalogues significant growing regions where vineyards are planted. Wine grapes mostly grow between the 30th and the 50th degree of latitude, in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Grapes will sometimes ...

, with some 35 wineries. The climate of warmer days and cooler nights makes it a very different region to the neighbouring Swan Valley. Larger wineries in the region combine vineyards with popular restaurants. The Australian Geographical Indication "Perth Hills" was entered in the Register of Protected Names on 25 March 1999.

Bushfires

Bushfires in the area are often cited in news media as fires in the ''Perth Hills''. The serious bushfire in 2014 was frequently referred to as the Perth Hills bushfire, rather than the Parkerville bushfire, in reports and media. A fire in February 2021 - the

2021 Wooroloo bushfires The 2021 Wooroloo bushfire was a fast moving bushfire that started on 1 February in Wooroloo, north-east of the Perth central business district, in the Shire of Mundaring, Western Australia. By 2 February, the bushfire emergency had spread to S ...

was reported as a fire in the Perth Hills.

References

{{Wine regions of Western Australia Perth Hills