Merriwa is an outer coastal suburb of Perth, Western Australia, 38 kilometres north of the Perth CBD. Select MORE for information on the suburb, its neighbourhood and history.
Welcome to Merriwa
Although predominantly residential, Merriwa does contain local shopping and retail facilities.
The suburb is 2 kilometres from Quinns Beach and the Indian Ocean to the west. It is bounded by Butler to the north (Lukin Drive), Ridgewood to the east (Connolly Drive), Quinns Rocks and Mindarie to the west (Marmion Avenue) and Clarkson to the south (Hester Avenue).
Inside my neighbourhood
Merriwa is part of the City of Wanneroo local government area and sits within the City’s Established Coastal Place Management Area.
More than 6,000 people currently live in Merriwa, with the suburb's population predicted to remain the same over the next 20 years.
Origin of name and history
The City of Wanneroo originally proposed the name ‘Hester' for this suburb - after Thomas Hester one of the first land owners in the vicinity, this was approved in 1980. However, the name was opposed by Australia Post due to duplication. Consequently, name Merriwa was adopted, which is an Aboriginal word for “a good place” on 31 March 1980.
Up until the late 1980s, Merriwa was bushland with Quinns Road, a two-lane arterial road, linking the adjacent townsite of Quinns Rocks to Wanneroo Road.
The original Quinns Beach Estate in the south of Merriwa was developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The suburb was originally much larger, extending to the Joondalup railway line reserve in the east, but was split in two in 1998 with the eastern half, including the Carnegie Estate, was gazetted as the new suburb of Ridgewood.
Merriwa Primary School was established in 1995 and caters for over 300 students. Alkimos Baptist College followed in 2011 for students K-12.
Details
Population: 6,025 (2021 estimate from 2016 Census)
Area: 2.3 km2 (0.9 sq mi)
Local Government Area: City of Wanneroo
Phone: 08 9405 5000
Email: enquiries@wanneroo.wa.gov.au