Sorrento Perth, Western Australia | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coordinates | 31°49′37″S115°45′14″E / 31.827°S 115.754°E | ||||||||||||||
Population | 7,795 (SAL 2021) [1] | ||||||||||||||
Established | 1971 | ||||||||||||||
Postcode(s) | 6020 | ||||||||||||||
Area | 3.5 km2 (1.4 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Location | 19 km (12 mi) NW of Perth CBD | ||||||||||||||
LGA(s) | City of Joondalup | ||||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Carine | ||||||||||||||
Federal division(s) | Moore | ||||||||||||||
|
Sorrento is a northern coastal suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia in the local government area of the City of Joondalup. At its northwestern corner is the Hillarys Boat Harbour, built in the late 1980s.
A private subdivision of freehold land known as "Sorrento" was surveyed here in 1929. It is assumed that the name was taken from the Italian seaside town of Sorrento which is located south of Naples opposite the Isle of Capri. [2] Prior to white settlement, the Whadjuk Aboriginal people, who called the area Mooro, gathered abalone and other shellfish in large numbers off the nearby reefs.
The first European to settle in the area was Patrick Marmion, master whaler, who operated a whaling station in the area in 1849. There are still some remains of the old whaling station at the present-day Surf Lifesaving Club site, and a monument to Marmion can be found in Geneff Park in Padbury Circle.
The area was popular with fishermen in the 1930s, and numerous boatsheds and shacks were built there. Residential settlement commenced in the early 1950s and until 1981, it was part of the suburb of Marmion.
In 1958, the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions bought land in Sorrento at what was then the end of the West Coast Highway, and in 1967, the Sisters and boarding students moved from Highgate to the new site, Sacred Heart College Sorrento. The college became coeducational in 1977, and in 1989, the Catholic Education Commission took over management of the school. [3]
In preparation for Australia's defence of the 1987 America's Cup at Fremantle, the State Government commissioned the building of Hillarys Boat Harbour, 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 over a region from Burns Beach to Trigg, to which the new marina complex provided a gateway. [4] [5]
Sorrento is bounded by Hepburn Avenue to the north, Marmion Avenue to the east, Marine Terrace to the south and West Coast Drive and the Indian Ocean to the west. [6]
At the 2001 Australian census, Sorrento had a population of 7,321 people living in 2,796 dwellings. Sorrento's oceanside location 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. [7]
Sorrento is a residential suburb, relying on the Seacrest Village shopping centre for liquor, take-away food, the Seacrest pharmacy for medical goods, and Whitford City and Centro Warwick for other services. Several parks of various sizes are situated in the suburb. [6]
The Sorrento Quay retail development within the Hillarys Boat Harbour sits on the northwestern boundary of the suburb. Off the coast is the Marmion Marine Park, [5] which provides a home for many species of marine animals.
Sorrento Beach has a shark siren alert system meaning if a shark is in near by waters a siren goes off. [8] Sorrento Beach also has a Surf Life Saving Club, providing patrols, education training and sporting facilities. [9]
The Sorrento foreshore is currently being developed with an eight story apartment being built along West Coast Drive. This will add to the current Sorrento Beach Resort and Sorrento Estate along West Coast Drive. The apartment will also see restaurants, cafes, liquor stores, and shops opening underneath.
A new childcare centre on Seacrest Drive is also currently being built, expecting to be opened in 2025.
There are many parks situated in Sorrento. Seacrest Park is the largest park in Sorrento with two AFL size ovals used in winter for the Sorrento Duncraig Football Club and in summer the Sorrento Cricket Club, half a soccer pitch, a basketball ring, cricket nets, large children play area, change rooms/community hall and public toilets. Other parks in Sorrento include Robin Reserve (oval), Albacore Park, Lacepede Park and pond, Harman Park (bushland), Geneff Park, Tom Walker Park and Porteous Park (bushland).
Sorrento contains a Catholic private school, Sacred Heart College, and a state primary school Sorrento Primary School [10] (founded 1970). The suburb falls within Duncraig Senior High School's catchment area.
Sorrento is served by the 441 and 442 buses from Warwick Train Station and Whitfords Train Station, [11] as well as the 423 bus from Warwick Train Station and Stirling Train Station operated by Swan Transit.
The Seacrest Drive/Marmion Avenue intersection has come under recent scrutiny, after several accidents on the dangerpus corner. In August of 2024, the State Government of Western Australia allowed funding for a traffic light system to be installed at the intersection, making it a safer road.
There are many sporting clubs based in Sorrento:
Club | Nickname | Sport | Location | Est |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sorrento Duncraig Football Club | Hawks | Australian Football | Seacrest Park | 1971 |
Sorrento Football Club | Gulls | Soccer | Percy Doyle Reserve | 1972 |
Sorrento Tennis Club | Planets (MSL) | Tennis | Percy Doyle Reserve | |
Sorrento Netball Club | Saints | Netball | Kingsway Sport Complex | 1993 |
Sorrento Bowling Club | N/A | Lawn Bowls | Percy Doyle Reserve | 1976 |
Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club | N/A | Surf Life Saving | Sorrento Beach | 1958 |
Sorrento is a reasonably affluent suburb with many "mortgage belt" families. The beachside part of Sorrento, together with Hillarys to its north, is the strongest base in the northern suburban region for the Liberal Party at both federal and state elections.
Carine is a suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, and is located 14 kilometres (9 mi) north of Perth's central business district (CBD) between Marmion Avenue and Mitchell Freeway. Its local government area is the City of Stirling.
Currambine is a northern suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, 29 km north of Perth's central business district. Its local government area is the City of Joondalup.
Joondalup is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, approximately 26 kilometres (16 mi) north of Perth's central business district. It contains the central business district of the regional City of Joondalup and acts as the primary urban centre of Perth's outer northern suburbs.
Watermans Bay is a northern coastal suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. Its local government area is the City of Stirling.
Duncraig is a northern suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, and is located 16 kilometres (10 mi) north of Perth's central business district (CBD) between Marmion Avenue and Mitchell Freeway. Its local government area is the City of Joondalup.
Butler is an outer suburb of Perth, Western Australia, 41 kilometres north of Perth's central business district. It is part of the City of Wanneroo local government area. It forms the majority of the Brighton Estate, a large commercial and residential development by Satterley.
Clarkson is an outer northern suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located 34 kilometres north of Perth's central business district in the City of Wanneroo.
Tamala Park is an unpopulated locality in Perth, Western Australia. It sits on the border between the City of Wanneroo and the City of Joondalup local authorities, and separates the Clarkson-Butler region from the suburbs of Joondalup.
Tapping is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Wanneroo. It came into being in the early 1990s as a subdivision of Wanneroo, originally as part of the Carramar estate.
Beldon is a small suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Joondalup, to the north of Craigie.
Craigie is a northern suburb of Perth. Craigie was chosen as a suburb name in 1970 and honours an early councillor of the City of Wanneroo who did work in developing the City. Craigie is one of the four "Whitfords" suburbs that resulted from the State Government rezoning a large area of coastal land for development in 1969.
Heathridge is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located 33 kilometres (21 mi) south of Yanchep within the City of Joondalup.
Hillarys is a northern coastal suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, in the local government area of the City of Joondalup. It is part of the Whitfords precinct, and is located 21 km north-northwest of Perth's central business district via Mitchell Freeway and Hepburn Avenue.
Marmion is a northern coastal suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. Its local government area is the City of Joondalup.
Warwick is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, within the City of Joondalup. Its postcode is 6024. The eastern third of the suburb is a native bushland area known as the Warwick Open Space.
Mullaloo is a northern coastal suburb of Perth, Western Australia, within 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.
Sunset Coast is the name given to the coastal section of the northern metropolitan area of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. While the name is not in extensive use locally, with its many white sand beaches Sunset Coast has been a centrepiece of Western Australian tourism planning since the 1990s and is used in interstate and overseas marketing of the region.
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 with several local facilities, as well as major road routes into central Perth.
Ocean Reef Marina is a development project in Ocean Reef, Western Australia to construct a new marina with commercial and residential areas at the existing Ocean Reef Boat Harbour. The site is being developed by DevelopmentWA; construction of its two breakwaters started in April 2021, with the whole project expected to be fully completed in 2036 and then becoming part of the City of Joondalup. The concept for a marina by developers in the area of Mullaloo and Ocean Reef had been proposed as far back as 1973.