Yanchep's homes and risks
From Sun City to boom suburb
Alan Bond bought about 8,100 hectares here in 1970 for 'Yanchep Sun City', and the first houses went up in 1972. There were 2032 people at the 2001 census and 11,022 at the 2021 Census.
Houses by the coast, bush all round
Yanchep covers more than 220 square kilometres, including all of Yanchep National Park, but the houses sit in an enclave near the coast around Marmion Avenue and Yanchep Beach Road.
The 2019 fire
The fire burnt across Two Rocks and into the Shire of Gingin. About 6,000 homes were saved and one was lost. The City of Wanneroo reported about 100 Western Power poles down.
Family homes, mostly mortgaged
At the 2021 Census, 97.2% of homes were separate houses, 60.0% had four or more bedrooms and 56.4% were owned with a mortgage.
Fire season and your power
In bushfire season, Western Power won't switch power back on after an unplanned outage while the fire danger rating is Extreme or Catastrophic. On high risk days it may patrol the line before restoring it, so an outage can stretch into the evening.
After the 2019 fire, the City of Wanneroo passed on that Western Power had changed its work procedures because the area is high bushfire risk, which could slow restoration. That's a safety call, not something an electrician can speed up.
If a network outage runs for 12 continuous hours or more, the State's extended outage payment, run by Western Power, may apply. Claims have to be lodged within 60 days.
After a fire or a long outage
Keep away from damaged lines
Treat any fallen line or pole as live, stay at least 8 metres back, and call Western Power on 13 13 51. Call 000 first if anyone's at risk.
Turn off what you don't need
Switch off big appliances at the wall while you wait, so they don't all start at once when the power returns.
Get heat or water damage checked
If heat, smoke or water reached the meter box, outdoor power points or lights, don't switch them back on until a licensed electrician has checked them.
What we'd do before summer in Yanchep
We'd make sure Western Power has your current mobile for outage texts (it signs up more than a million households automatically), keep a torch and a charged power bank where you can find them in the dark, and have outdoor fittings looked at before the fire season starts. If you're thinking about a battery, we'd ask the installer to put in writing what it will and won't run when the grid is down.
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.