Willetton, Western Australia

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Willetton is a large southern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It sits about 12 kilometres south of Perth’s city centre, in the City of Canning. The suburb covers about 8.6 square kilometres. In 2021, 19,262 people lived there in around 6,159 homes, mostly detached houses.

Origin and history
- Willetton is named after Henry Willett of Willett & Co, who settled in the area in 1832.
- The name was officially set in 1965. The first subdivision was opened in the early 1970s as Burrendah Heights. Parts of the east were developed in the 1980s as “Rostrata.” Most housing was completed in the 1990s.

What you’ll find in Willetton
- Southlands Boulevarde shopping centre: two supermarkets, Hoyts cinemas and a food court.
- Willetton Sports and Community Centre opposite the shopping centre.
- A light industrial area in the north near Leach Highway and High Road with Bunnings and pool shops.
- Three small neighbourhood shopping centres for local services.
- Riverton Leisureplex near High Road (opened 2001) with sports, fitness facilities and a large library.
- Willetton Library near Southlands Boulevarde.
- Primary schools: Castlereagh, Burrendah, Willetton, Rostrata and Orana.
- Other schools: Woodthorpe School and Willetton Senior High School (one of WA’s largest public high schools, about 2,729 students in 2024).

Transport and access
- Willetton is bordered by Leach Highway (west) and South Street (south), with Roe Highway nearby. Major north–south routes include Vahland Avenue, Willeri Drive and Karel Avenue.
- The Southlands bus station serves the CircleRoute to Murdoch stations and Curtin and Murdoch universities. Other buses go to Cannington. All services are run by the Public Transport Authority.

Politics
- The area has often leaned Liberal in elections, but results have varied.
- In the 2022 federal election, Labor won first-preference votes in all six Willetton booths and won most seats after preferences.
- Willetton is in the federal Division of Tangney, the state electorate of Riverton, and the City of Canning’s Beeliar ward.

Geography
- The area sits on flat, sandy land that used to be Banksia woodland with paperbark swamps.
- Boundaries: Karel Avenue (west), Leach Highway/High Road (north), Willeri Drive (east), South Street/Roe Highway (south). Vahland Avenue runs north–south through the centre.