Ridgewood, Western Australia

Ridgewood
Perth, Western Australia

Whitsunday Avenue
Ridgewood
Coordinates 31°39′40″S 115°43′19″E / 31.661°S 115.722°E / -31.661; 115.722Coordinates: 31°39′40″S 115°43′19″E / 31.661°S 115.722°E / -31.661; 115.722
Population
 • Density 760/km2 (1,970/sq mi)
Established 1998
Postcode(s) 6030
Area 1.7 km2 (0.7 sq mi)
Location 37 km (23 mi) from Perth
LGA(s) City of Wanneroo
State electorate(s) Mindarie
Federal Division(s) Pearce
Suburbs around Ridgewood:
Butler Butler Nowergup
Merriwa Ridgewood Nowergup
Clarkson Clarkson Neerabup

Ridgewood is an outer suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located 37 kilometres north of Perth's central business district. It is part of the City of Wanneroo local government area.

It is primarily made up of single dwellings on blocks ranging from 220m2 up to 800m2 (primarily around the 500m2 mark) with occasional duplex or battle axe block developments.

Geography

Ridgewood is bordered to the north by Butler (Lukin Drive), to the south by Clarkson (Hester Avenue) and to the west by Merriwa (Connolly Drive). The Joondalup railway line reserve separates Ridgewood from the rural locality of Nowergup in the east.[2]

History

Ridgewood's name refers to the wooded terrain on the Swan Coastal Plain.[3] The suburb was formerly a part of Merriwa until 1998, when Merriwa was split in two along Connolly Drive. The eastern half of Merriwa was gazetted as Ridgewood.[4] At the time, only south Ridgewood was populated, containing the "Carnegie Private Estate" that was built in the mid-1990s. The estate had a small population of 968.[1]

There were campaigns for Ridgewood's separation from Merriwa as far back as 1994, not long after the Carnegie Estate had been built by developers Town and Country Holdings. The developers lodged a request with the City of Wanneroo to bifurcate the area from Merriwa and rename the new locality "Carnegie", after the estate, which in turn was named in honour of David Carnegie, one of the earliest explorers of Western Australia.[5] Although the request was rejected, the City supported the excision of the estate from Merriwa, leading to the creation of Ridgewood four years later.

The northern half of Ridgewood, "The Vistas", is a new development by Satterley, marketed as a part of the "Brighton Estate" that covers the adjoining suburbs of Butler and Jindalee.[6]

Demographics

Ridgewood had a population of 1,292 at the ABS 2006 census,[1] an increase of 324 persons since the 2001 census. The population is predicted to grow exponentially, peaking at 5,903 in 2016.[7] The demographics of Ridgewood's residents are similar to Merriwa, with the same average age of 33 (compared to 37 nationally) and income levels slightly below the national average.

Like all surrounding suburbs, Christianity is the predominant religious affiliation of Ridgewood's residents, accounting for 48.5% of the population across various Christian denominations. However, the suburb contains no churches or places of worship. 27.4% declared no religion.

Amenities and facilities

Ridgewood is primarily a residential suburb, with a BP service station in its south-west and almost no other facilities or retail establishments. However, it is positioned directly in between the suburbs of Butler, Merriwa and Clarkson, which all contain a sizeable number of shops and services that Ridgewood residents rely on, including the large Ocean Keys Shopping Centre in Clarkson.

Like other neighbouring suburbs, Ridgewood contains several parks. Ridgewood Park in the south-west is the largest by area, and contains a sports pitch and a large pond.

Telephone services are provided by the Quinns Rocks telephone exchange.[8]

Education

The West Coast Language Development Centre is the only education establishment in Ridgewood, one of five schools in Western Australia that serve language-disabled children.[9]

The nearest K-6 primary school to Ridgewood is Merriwa Primary School. Senior Ridgewood students fall into the Clarkson Community High School catchment area.[10]

Transport

Ridgewood is not directly linked to any major arterial roads in Perth. Connolly Drive runs along Ridgewood's western boundary and provides a road link into Joondalup and the Mitchell Freeway. Hester Avenue, in the south of Ridgewood, links to two major north-south arterial roads, Marmion Avenue and Wanneroo Road.

The area is served by the 484 bus route to Clarkson railway station, the nearest major transport hub, providing rail and bus links to Joondalup and Perth.[11]

Politics

Ridgewood's political leanings are unclear due to its diminutive population and lack of specified polling booth. The nearest booth in Merriwa tends to favour the Australian Labor Party at State level, while voting Liberal Party at Federal level.

Like Merriwa, the suburb is part of the Electoral district of Mindarie at state level, and the Division of Pearce at federal level.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Australian Bureau of Statistics (19 November 2002). "Community Profile Series : Ridgewood (State Suburb)". 2001 Census of Population and Housing. Retrieved 2007-06-30.
  2. ↑ Department of Land Information. StreetSmart Perth Street Directory (54th ed.). West Australian Newspapers Ltd. pp. Map 159. ISBN 978-0-909439-67-5.
  3. ↑ Western Australian Land Information Authority. "History of metropolitan suburb names – R". Retrieved 2007-01-17.
  4. ↑ City of Wanneroo. "Council Minutes, 24 March 1998, p.51" (PDF).
  5. ↑ City of Wanneroo. "Council Minutes, 21 December 1994, Report I21248" (PDF).
  6. ↑ Satterley. "Community Development".
  7. ↑ City of Wanneroo Population and Household Forecasts - Ridgewood, .id
  8. ↑ ADSL2+ for QUINNS ROCKS (WA) Exchange
  9. ↑ West Coast Language Development Centre. "About the Language Development Centre".
  10. ↑ Department of Education. "Clarkson Community High School (4160)".
  11. ↑ Northern 78 timetable Archived 25 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine., Transperth, effective 6 February 2011.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.