Yanchep

Geography

Yanchep is bounded to the north-west by Two Rocks and to the south by the rural localities of Eglinton, Carabooda and Pinjar. The non-metropolitan Shires of Gingin and Chittering surround Yanchep's northern and eastern boundaries. West of Yanchep is the Indian Ocean.

Its boundaries as a suburb are extremely large, covering over 220 square kilometres (85 sq mi) and taking up almost the entire northern and north-eastern portion of the City of Wanneroo. Despite this, Yanchep's urban concentration is almost entirely located in a small enclave around Yanchep Beach Road, near the coast.

History

The lands comprising Yanchep were initially used as a sheep station, up until 1970 when Alan Bond bought approximately 8,100 hectares (20,000 acres) of land in the area. Bond Corporation presented designs for "Yanchep Sun City" - a future satellite city of over 200,000 residents. The area's first houses were built in 1972, and the marina at nearby Two Rocks was built as part of the same project two years later. However, sales of homes in the area had already slowed down by 1974. In 1977, the project was bought out by Tokyu Corporation after Bond Corporation began experiencing financial difficulties.

Spudshed started as a farm in the area in 1965.

In the Western Australian State Government's "Directions 2031" urban expansion plan, Yanchep was once again highlighted as a future satellite city and major metropolitan centre.

Demographics

Yanchep had a population of 2,482 at the ABS 2006 census, a marginal increase of 450 persons since the 2001 census. The population is predicted to continue growing gradually, hitting 20,702 in 2031. 61.4% were born in Australia, just below the national average of 70.9%. Like many other northern suburbs of Perth, a significant British minority is present, comprising 17.2%.

The population share an average age of 38, in line with the national average of 37. Income levels in Yanchep are noticeably below the Australian national average, with a median household income of $828 per week compared to $1,027 per week nationally.

In 2011, 46.5% of Yanchep residents declared a denomination of Christianity as their religious affiliation, with Anglicanism being the most populous at 24.5%. However, the highest response was 30.6% who declared no religion. This compared with the 2006 results where 45.7% of Yanchep residents declared a denomination of Christianity as their religious affiliation, with Anglicanism being the most populous at 23.1% and 27.6% declared no religion.

Amenities and facilities

As a suburb, Yanchep has a brand new shopping centre with a large woolworths, various specialty shops such as a newsagency, butcher, bakery, hair salon, travel agency, cafe, massage and nail salons and fast food outlets. A garden centre, vet and various other businesses are also located in the industrial area a few hundred metres from the shopping centre. Residents can also rely on Butler, Clarkson and Joondalup, 15–30 km south, for more shops and public services.

Yanchep is a popular tourist destination. With the Yanchep lagoon, Yanchep Inn in the National Park.

Yanchep National Park includes guided tours of Crystal Cave, bush walks, koala displays, and the Loch McNess lake. During the 1980s the area was home to popular tourist attractions including Atlantis Marine Park (in Two Rocks) and the Sun City Marina.

While there is no hospital at Yanchep, the area has a medical facility, and also has one large dedicated aged care facility with 160 high care beds available, reducing the need for travel for local families.

Education

Yanchep has two schools catering for primary school aged students. Yanchep Beach Primary School opened in 2014 and caters for students from kindergarten to Year Six. It is an Independent Public School and only accepts students from within its designated catchment area.

There is also a K-10 school in the area, Yanchep District High School. Yanchep District High was established in 1975 as a K-7 primary school, then later reclassified as a high school. It covers a wide catchment area, primarily serving students in Yanchep, Two Rocks and Carabooda, as well as the non-metropolitan rural town of Woodridge in the north. Senior Yanchep students from Year 11 onwards have the option of attending Mindarie Senior College or Clarkson Community High School, both some 17 kilometres south.

Transport

Yanchep Beach Road, one of the suburb's main distributor roads, links to Marmion Avenue and Wanneroo Road, two north-south arterial roads that link Yanchep to the rest of metropolitan Perth. Marmion Avenue was extended to Yanchep in 2008; Wanneroo Road was the only route to Yanchep from Perth prior to the extension.

Two bus routes serve Yanchep, running from Two Rocks to Butler railway station, 10 kilometres to the south in Butler. It is the nearest public transport hub to Yanchep, providing further bus and rail links to the regional city of Joondalup, as well as Perth's central business district.

Politics

Like many other northern Perth suburbs, Yanchep's population strongly supports Liberal at Federal level, but Labor at State level. Residents initially had strong support for the One Nation minority party, but since One Nation's decline have turned to The Greens.