Kardinya is a suburb 13 kilometres (8 mi) south-southwest of the central business district of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It is in the City of Melville local government area. It is predominantly a low-density residential suburb consisting of single-family detached homes. There is a commercial area in the centre of the suburb, with a shopping centre and several other shops. In the northwest is a small light industrial area. Kardinya has a population of 8,730 people.

Before European settlement, the area was inhabited by the Beeliar group of the Whadjuk Noongar people. Kardinya did not attract any interest from Europeans when the Swan River Colony was founded in 1829, as it was far away from any river and was not fertile. European use of Kardinya began in 1870 when fourteen lots were allocated to Pensioner Guards. These lots were used for piggeries, poultry farms and vineyards. In 1904, a large amount of land in the area was set aside as endowment land for the University of Western Australia. In the 1920s, this land started to be used as a pine plantation, known as the Applecross Pine Plantation, and, after 1947, the Somerville Pine Plantation. The suburb was formally gazetted on 16 June 1961. From 1967 to the early 1980s, suburban development occurred in Kardinya.

Current amenities in Kardinya include Kardinya Primary School, North Lake Senior Campus, Kardinya Park Shopping Centre, and Morris Buzacott Reserve, which is home to several sports clubs. The suburb is quadrisected by South Street and North Lake Road. Transperth bus services operate, most feeding into Murdoch railway station on the Mandurah railway line.

History
Transport
- Road
- Public transport
Demographics
Education
- Primary
- Secondary
Images for kids

History

The word "Kardinya" is believed to be of Aboriginal origin, meaning "the place of the Karda" (racehorse goanna), although it is also recognised as an Aboriginal word for "sunrise".

Much of the area was originally farmland, dating back to the early 1900s. Welby Vineyard, established in 1922 by George Welby, which was the City of Melville's solitary winery, was built on what is now Kardinya. The winery was closed in 1964 and subdivided into housing lots.

Part of the suburb was originally a Forest Departments and University of Western Australia pine plantation and reservation. Many streets in the suburb are now named after University of Western Australia personnel, as well as different varieties of pine as a result of the pine plantation.

Kardinya is one of Perth's top 10 tightly-held suburbs (July 2013).

Transport

South Street in Kardinya with bus stop in foreground

At the 2016 census, 74.7% of residents travelled to work in a car, whereas 9.9% travelled to work on public transport.

Road

Kardinya is quadrisected by South Street, which runs east–west, and North Lake Road, which runs north–south. Both of these roads are six-lane dual carriageways. North Lake Road previously followed a different alignment through Kardinya, but it was realigned to its present position in 1975. The road along its former alignment is now known as Gilbertson Road. Heading east on South Street leads to Murdoch University, St John of God Murdoch Hospital, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch railway station, the Kwinana Freeway and Roe Highway. The Kwinana Freeway is the main road into the Perth CBD. The freeway can also be accessed by heading east on Farrington Road, which travels along Kardinya's southern boundary east of North Lake Road. Heading west on South Street leads to Fremantle and Stock Road, a major north–south route that leads to Rockingham. Heading north on North Lake Road leads to Leach Highway and Canning Highway. Heading south on North Lake Road leads to Cockburn Central and Armadale Road. Other arterial roads in Kardinya include Winterfold Road, which travels along the suburb's southern boundary west of North Lake Road, Garling Street, which travels along the suburb's northern boundary west of North Lake Road, and Somerville Boulevard, which travels along the suburb's boundary east of North Lake Road.

Public transport

Transperth bus services in Kardinya include routes 115, 503, 504, 511, 512, 513, 998 and 999. These routes, except for route 115, all connect to Murdoch railway station, the closest railway station to Kardinya at approximately 4 kilometres (2 mi) east. The station is in the median of the Kwinana Freeway, and is on the Mandurah railway line. Route 115 is a limited stop service that travels between Hamilton Hill and Elizabeth Quay bus station in the Perth CBD. It travels a roughly north–south route through Kardinya, through the centre of the suburb. Routes 503 and 504 travel between Murdoch railway station and Bull Creek railway station, on the Mandurah railway line. Route 503 travels along Gilbertson Road and South Street, and route 504 travels along Prescott Drive and South Street. Route 511 travels between Murdoch railway station and Fremantle railway station near the northern side of the suburb. Route 512 travels between Murdoch railway station and Spearwood along Farrington Road. Route 513 travels between Murdoch railway station and Fremantle railway station along South Street, North Lake Road and Winterfold Avenue.

Demographics

Kardinya's population has been on a slight decline from 2001 to 2016. The suburb was home to 8,730 people according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics's 2016 census, compared to 8,794 at the 2011 census, 8,874 at the 2006 census, and 8,935 at the 2001 census. At the 2016 census, 49.6% of residents were male and 50.4% were female. The median age was 41, which was above the state and national averages of 36 and 38 respectively.

At the 2016 census, 75.7% of Kardinya households were families, above the state average of 72.7%; 19.5% were single-person households, below the state average of 23.6%; and 4.8% were group households, above the state average of 3.8%. Of those family households, 40.0% were couples without children, 44.0% were couples with children, 13.4% were single parents with children, and 2.7% were some other type of family. These figures are all close to the state averages of 38.5%, 45.3%, 14.5% and 1.7% respectively.

Out of the suburb's 3,523 dwellings, 3,197 were occupied and 326 were unoccupied at the 2016 census. Out of the 3,197 that were occupied, 2,772 were detached houses, 311 were semi-detached, and 105 were flats or apartments. 57.6% of occupied dwellings had four or more bedrooms, and the average number of bedrooms was 3.6, which was above the state average of 3.3. The average number of people per household was 2.6, which is the same as the state average. 1,375 dwellings (42.9%) were owned outright, significantly higher than the state average of 28.5%. 1,098 (34.3%) were owned with a mortgage, compared to the state average of 39.7%; 654 (20.4%) were rented, compared to the state average of 28.3%; and 77 (2.4%) were other or not stated.

At the 2016 census, the median weekly personal income was $676, compared to the state average of $724 and national average of $662; the median weekly family income was $1,981, compared to the state average of $1,910 and national average of $1,734; and the median weekly household income was $1,667, compared to the state average of $1,595 and the national average of $1,438. The most common occupations were professionals (25.8%), clerical and administrative workers (15.1%), technicians and trades workers (13.4%), managers (11.6%), and sales workers (10.4%). Major industries that residents worked in were hospitals (4.6%), primary education (3.4%), cafes and restaurants (3.1%), higher education (3.0%), and secondary education (2.5%). 27.7% of residents had a bachelor's degree or above, compared to the state average of 20.5%.

The most common ancestries that Kardinya residents identified with at the 2016 census were English (24.1%), Australian (19.0%), Chinese (8.4%), Italian (8.3%), and Irish (6.4%). 58.7% of residents were born in Australia. The next most common birthplaces were England (5.5%), Malaysia (2.8%), Italy (2.3%), China, excluding Taiwan and special administrative regions (2.1%), and Indonesia (2.0%). 33.5% of residents had both parents born in Australia, and 48.0% of residents had both parents born overseas. The most common religious affiliations were Catholic (30.4%), no religion (27.9%), Anglican (12.2%), and Uniting Church (3.0%).

Education

Kardinya has two schools: Kardinya Primary School, and North Lake Senior Campus.

Primary

Kardinya Primary School

Before there were any schools in the area, most students attended Bibra Lake State School, which opened in 1912. Students walked, cycled, or even rode a horse there. When Carawatha Primary School opened in 1959 on the corner of North Lake Road and Archibald Street in Willagee, students attended there.

As development progressed in the 1970s, a local school was needed. Residents were approaching the state government, via the Melville Council, for a school to be built in Kardinya. A site was set aside on Ochiltree Way, and in June 1975, it was announced that a school would be built there, with an estimated cost of construction of $255,220. Evangelista Bros Pty Ltd was contracted to build the school. Construction started in August 1976, and the school opened in February 1977, named Kardinya Primary School. It was incomplete, with no windows, blackboards or chalk. There were 37 pre-primary students, 214 students in years 1 to 4, and eight teachers. A parents and citizens association was established on the first day of school. Among the decisions they made in the first year of operation was for the school colours to be yellow, green, and blue. They also held a competition to determine the school motto. The motto chosen was "Rise Above All", proposed by a local family. The school crest was also based on a design submitted by a local family.

After opening, work continued on the school, including on the construction of the library, car park, bicycle racks, paths, sporting facilities and gardens. Whilst sporting facilities were being constructed, the school used the adjacent Windelya Reserve (now known as Morris Buzacott Reserve) for sport. Demountable classrooms were brought in for periods, while construction on more permanent classrooms was ongoing. The school was officially opened on 15 August 1979, by Barry MacKinnon, the member for Murdoch. In 1980, there were 77 pre-primary students, and 426 students in years 1 to 7. That year saw the completion of all construction, and the graduation of the school's first Year Seven students. Enrolments peaked in 1982, at 491.

1984 saw the formation of a parent's consultative committee, a precursor to today's school councils which are common in Western Australia. A school council was later formed in 1987. It was one of the first in the state. Kardinya Primary School became an Independent Public School in 2017. With that came the replacement of the school council with a school board. As of 2021, there are 60 students in kindergarten, 54 students in pre-primary, and 235 students in years 1 to 6.

Secondary

North Lake Senior Campus

Before there were any secondary schools in Kardinya, students attended various other schools, including Fremantle Boys' School, and Fremantle Girls' School. Students would cycle to Carrington Street and then catch a bus to Fremantle. Some students who attended Wesley College in South Perth would cycle along North Lake Road to Canning Highway, then catch a bus there. In 1960, Melville Senior High School was established. This was much closer to Kardinya, only a few kilometres north, making the journey to the nearest secondary school much shorter.

North Lake Senior High School opened in Kardinya on 4 February 1973 on its present campus at Winterfold Road (known then as Torquil Road). It was Kardinya's first secondary school. Before opening in Kardinya, the school operated for Year 8 students on the Melville Senior High School campus. It was initially going to be named Kardinya High School, but the name was changed before opening to show that its catchment covers the suburbs surrounding Kardinya as well. The school had 165 Year Eight and Nine students in 1973. Upon opening, the facilities constructed were an administration block, a science and mathematics block, a canteen, a gymnasium and a library. Construction continued after the opening. Further facilities opened in the years following 1973, and on 29 March 1979, the school was officially opened by the minister for education, Peter Jones.

In 1983, enrolments peaked at 935. After that, enrolments gradually declined. By 1995, the school had fewer than 400 students, and so the Department of Education changed the school to serve Year 11 and 12 students only, a new concept for Western Australian public schools. Alongside this, the school was renamed to North Lake Senior Campus.

Images for kids

Maritime pines left over from the Somerville Pine Plantation at Morris Buzacott Reserve.
Harold Field Reserve
Kardinya Park Shopping Centre in March 2022
Kardinya Community Centre at Morris Buzacott Reserve.
Frederick Baldwin Park.

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Kardinya, Western Australia Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.

Kardinya, Western Australia facts for kids

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