This month, we were delighted to sit down with the City of Wanneroo’s Mayor, Tracey Roberts. Mayor Roberts has been a big supporter of Yanchep for many years, and recently she took some time out of her extremely busy schedule to tell us why.
What makes Yanchep so special to you?
Mayor Roberts: It’s actually really easy to answer as I personally think Yanchep is one of the most beautiful coastal suburbs in Perth. I love the undulation of the land and its history, as well as the fact that it has a majestic national park. There’s also the beautiful Yanchep Lagoon, and when you put those two things in such close proximity to one another, it makes for a really gorgeous place that is only 56km north of the Perth CBD. And then we are going to have the train line coming through shortly as well.
There are also the limestone caves, where many weddings have already been held. How unique is that? So it’s certainly a lifestyle that generally isn’t really easy to describe because it means so much to so many different people. It’s popular with young families, retirees and people just visiting.
What are the latest developments coming to Yanchep, and what do they mean for the community?
Mayor Roberts: There is currently such significant growth in that community, and Yanchep’s population over the next 20 years is expected to increase by about 280%. That’s because we have put in the infrastructure that is going to enable that growth.
We have the freeway that’s going to be extended to Romeo Road, and we have commitments from both the State and Federal Governments for that to happen. We’ll also have the Metronet train line going into the heart of Yanchep. That infrastructure will encourage small business, which in turn will provide job opportunities.
From the City’s perspective, we’re already investing heavily in vital infrastructure for Yanchep. We’ve invested $21 million since 2014, which includes the Yanchep Surf Lifesaving Club and the Yanchep Active Open Space, which is a sports precinct. We’re now looking at a master plan to ensure the beautiful Yanchep Lagoon area is preserved due to more and more residents and businesses moving into the area.
How has Yanchep changed over the past 10-20 years?
Mayor Roberts: It has changed so much. It used to be a very sleepy costal town, and now it’s been identified as Perth’s next Coogee metropolitan centre.
The key for me as the Mayor and for the community is to be really respectful of Yanchep’s natural beauty and ensure that developments occur which don’t undermine and destroy what make it so special. We want to make sure that it still retains that sense of location and place that people who have lived there for many years still love.
Why do you think people should move to Yanchep?
Mayor Roberts: We currently have our families, we have our retirees and we have our businesses. I think the improvement in transport opportunities and infrastructure is now going to make getting around far easier. Yanchep is one of our next growing areas as a strategic metropolitan centre, with a hospital, university and TAFE, but with so much natural beauty and coastline surrounding it. It really offers a great lifestyle to move into.
What does the future look like for Yanchep?
Mayor Roberts: The area is currently growing, and is set to become a thriving metropolitan corridor that will stretch from Yanchep right the way through to Two Rocks. And with all the changes to infrastructure, it will allow families to reach their dream of home ownership in the outer metropolitan area while still being able to work in the CBD. Yanchep will be a place that provides something for everybody, in a really beautiful part of the world.
