The City of Kwinana, suburb by suburb
Refinery-era beginnings
The Anglo-Iranian Oil Company and the state government set up the industrial area in 1952, and the Kwinana Road District followed on 15 February 1954. The industrial strip still holds the oil refinery, a nickel refinery and the grain terminal.
The newer south and east
In 2021 the biggest suburbs were Wellard (14,127), Bertram (6,196) and Parmelia (6,184). The council area has 17 suburbs, from Medina, Calista and Orelia to Wandi and Anketell.
Houses and young families
93.0% of occupied homes were separate houses at the 2021 Census, 53.6% were mortgaged, 27.6% rented, and the median age was 33.
One network
Western Power runs the poles and wires. Outages and fallen lines go to 13 13 51.
Older state home or newer estate home?
| Older home | Newer estate home | |
|---|---|---|
| Switchboard | May still have rewireable fuses and few or no RCDs | Circuit breakers and RCDs |
| Main risk | Ageing wiring, and a meter board that may contain asbestos | Running short of supply as you add load |
| Typical jobs | Board upgrade, rewiring, more power points | EV charger, battery, extra circuits for air conditioning |
| Before you sell or rent | At least two RCDs on power and lighting circuits | Same rule, plus alarms that are mains-powered and in date |
Which jobs go with which house
In the older streets, the switchboard comes first. NSW Government guidance says dark bituminous boards made before 1987 can contain asbestos, and WorkSafe WA says to ask your council's environmental health team about removal. Old fuse boxes explains the upgrade.
In the newer estates, the question is capacity. Western Power's standard supply is 63 amps on single phase, and the contractor has to apply for an upgrade if new load would go over it.
Our honest take
Work out which kind of board you have before booking anything. A photo of it, nothing touched, tells an electrician a lot about an older home. In a newer one, list everything you plan to add in the next few years so the load gets worked out once, not three times.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.