Ellenbrook, Western Australia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ellenbrook Perth, Western Australia
Ellenbrook Library as seen from Main Street
Established	1994
Postcode(s)	6069
LGA(s)	City of Swan
State electorate(s)	Swan Hills, West Swan
Federal Division(s)	Hasluck
Suburbs around Ellenbrook: Melaleuca Melaleuca The Vines Lexia Ellenbrook Aveley Whiteman Henley Brook Aveley

Ellenbrook is a cool suburb located northeast of Perth, Western Australia. It's about 30 km (19 mi) away from Perth's main city area, known as the CBD. Ellenbrook is part of the City of Swan.

What makes Ellenbrook special is that it's a bit far from other suburbs. Because of this, it was planned to be a "self-sustainable community." This means it has many things its residents need right there. Getting to Ellenbrook has become easier thanks to road upgrades like Gnangara Road and the Tonkin Highway Northlink. A new train line, the Morley–Ellenbrook railway line, is also being built to improve public transport.

In 2016, about 22,681 people lived here. By 2018, the population had grown to over 41,000! The plan is for Ellenbrook to become a bigger "satellite city" with a population of 80,000 people.

Getting Around Ellenbrook: Transport Links

Ellenbrook is about 17 kilometres (11 mi) from Guildford and 19 kilometres (12 mi) from Midland. It's about 29 kilometres (18 mi) from Perth's city centre.

You can easily get onto the Tonkin Highway from Ellenbrook. This highway was extended in 2019, making travel much better. Gnangara Road also connects Ellenbrook to other northern suburbs like Wangara. Other important roads nearby include West Swan Road, Drumpellier Drive, and Reid Highway.

Bus Services in Ellenbrook

Transperth offers bus services that connect Ellenbrook to places like Morley and Bassendean railway station. A bus trip to Perth's city centre usually takes about an hour. Bus services have improved a lot since 2017, with more frequent buses, especially in the evenings and on weekends. There's even a bus route that connects Ellenbrook to Whitfords railway station.

Here are some of the main bus routes:

•        Route 334: Travels from Ellenbrook Central to different parts of Ellenbrook.
•        Route 335: Connects Ellenbrook Central to Midland Station.
•        Route 336: Goes from Ellenbrook to Henley Brook Bus Station.
•        Routes 337 and 338: Also connect Ellenbrook Central to Henley Brook Bus Station.
•        Route 355: Travels from Ellenbrook Central to Whitfords Station.
•        Route 955: Connects Ellenbrook North to Morley Bus Station.

Future Train Line

For a long time, people wanted a train line for Ellenbrook. In 2008, politicians promised to build one. It was expected to be finished around 2015. However, the plan was put on hold in 2010.

Good news came in 2017! The new government announced that the Ellenbrook train line would be built as part of the Metronet project. It's expected to open in 2024. The Ellenbrook railway station will be the last stop on the line, located right in the Ellenbrook town centre.

Ellenbrook's Story: History and Development

The name Ellenbrook comes from a nearby stream called Ellen Brook. This stream was named after Ellen Stirling, who was the wife of Captain James Stirling, Western Australia's very first governor.

Ellenbrook was developed by a group called the Ellenbrook Joint Venture. They worked together to plan and build the suburb.

Here are some interesting facts about how Ellenbrook was planned:

• The land was bought in the 1980s as rural land.
• The developers started talking about changing the land use in 1989.
• They formed a partnership in 1991 because they knew it would be a big project.
• The land was officially changed for urban use in 1993.
• Planning for the suburb happened in 1993, and building started in 1994.
• It was a big challenge to plan Ellenbrook because of its location near the Gnangara Water Mound and the Swan Valley.
• A lot of effort went into making sure the environment was protected, especially with water and drainage.
• About 25% of the land (around 300 ha (740 acres)) was set aside to protect nature.

Ellenbrook is a "masterplanned community." This means it was carefully designed and built in stages, which they call "villages." These villages have cool English storybook names like Woodlake or Charlotte's Vineyard.

The first village, Woodlake, was built in 1994 on what used to be a sand quarry. Other villages built later include The Bridges, Coolamon, Morgan Fields, Charlotte's Vineyard, Malvern Springs, Lexia, and Annie's Landing.

The Ellenbrook town centre is a busy place! It has over 33,000 m² (360,000 sq ft) of shops. You can find big stores like Coles, Woolworths, Big W, Kmart, Spotlight, and Bunnings Warehouse, plus about 100 other smaller shops.

Nature and Green Spaces

Ellenbrook has kept many of its natural areas, like woodlands and wetlands, as public parks and open spaces. West of the suburb, you can find the Gnangara Pine Plantation, which has walking trails and picnic spots.

North of Ellenbrook, over 300 hectares of land were set aside for conservation before building started. This land is now protected under a plan called Bush Forever, which helps save important natural areas in Perth.

Learning in Ellenbrook: Education Facilities

Ellenbrook and the areas around it have many different schools, both public and private, for primary and secondary students.

Primary Schools

• Arbor Grove Primary School (state school in Charlotte's Vineyard)
• Ellen Stirling Primary School (state school in Coolamon)
• Ellenbrook Christian College (private school for Kindergarten to Year 12)
• Ellenbrook Primary School (state school in Woodlake)
• Malvern Springs Primary School (state school in Malvern Springs)
• St. Helena's Catholic Primary School (Catholic school in Woodlake)
• Anne Hamersley Primary School (state school in Annie's Landing)
• Swan Valley Anglican Community School (Anglican school in nearby Aveley, for Kindergarten to Year 12)
• Aveley Primary School (state school in nearby Aveley)
• Aveley North Primary School (new state school in northern Aveley)

High Schools

• Ellenbrook Christian College (private school for Kindergarten to Year 12)
• Ellenbrook Secondary College (public school for Years 7 to 12)
• Holy Cross College (Catholic high school for Pre-K to Year 12)
• Swan Valley Anglican Community School (Anglican school in Aveley, for Pre-Kindergarten to Year 12)
• Aveley Secondary College (public school in northern Ellenbrook, opened in 2018 for Year 7, now serving Years 7 to 10, and will go up to Year 12 by 2023)

The Ellenbrook Community Library is located inside the Ellenbrook Secondary College and Performing Arts Centre. It's run by the City of Swan.

Fun and Games: Sporting and Leisure Facilities

Ellenbrook has four main sports grounds: Woodlake Sports Ground, Coolamon Oval, Charlotte's Vineyard Oval, and Ellenbrook District Open Space (EDOS).

Coolamon Oval and EDOS have clubrooms and changing facilities. They are home to local sports clubs like the Ellenbrook Eels Senior Football Club, the Ellenbrook Dockers Junior Football Club (Australian Rules), and the Ellenbrook Rangers.

Other cool places for fun include:

• Tennis and basketball courts at Woodlake Park and Coolamon Oval.
• Cricket nets at Woodlake Oval, Coolamon Oval, and EDOS.
• Skateparks at Woodlake Oval and Coolamon Oval.
• A water park for younger kids, opened in 2009, located near the library in the town centre.
• Exercise areas at EDOS.
• The Ellenbrook Men's Shed, next to the water park.
• The Ellenbrook Community Garden, also next to the water park.

Ellenbrook also has a junior and senior soccer club called Ellenbrook United FC.

There are plans for a new recreation and aquatic centre near EDOS and Aveley Secondary College. This centre will have a 25-meter indoor lap pool, a warm water pool, a spa, sauna, steam rooms, indoor sports courts, a gym, fitness rooms, a café, and a crèche.