The City is located 8 km from the Perth Central Business District, in an area of 52.72 sq km featuring 18.1 km of foreshore.  The City consists of 18 suburbs divided into 6 wards, connected by over 1200 km of local, arterial and major roads.

With a population of approximately 97,821 within 39260 dwellings, the City of Melville is the third largest local government authority in the metropolitan region. The total population of the City is expected to increase by more than 9838 people to 107,659 by 2016, an average annual growth rate of 0.87%.

City of Melville Suburbs

Alfred Cove, Applecross, Ardross, Attadale, Bateman, Bicton, Booragoon, Brentwood, Bull Creek, Kardinya, Leeming, Melville, Mount Pleasant, Murdoch, Myaree, Palmyra, Willagee and Winthrop.

Commercial and industrial uses

The City’s 773 commercial properties span over 150,000 square metres of retail floor-space. The regional commercial centre is Garden City Shopping Centre in Booragoon, with six supporting district commercial centres, and 29 local shopping centres.

The Myaree Mixed Business precinct is the largest industrial area in the City (264,000 square metres of floor area) and provides a diversity of business, retail and industrial functions. A second industrial area in O’Connor accommodates larger scale manufacturing and traditional industrial uses and includes service commercial and general business uses.  These two precincts support over 284 mixed business/commercial properties.

Environment, recreation, facilities and education

City residents enjoy 210 parks and reserves comprising 600 hectares of public open space and 300 hectares of bushland.  The City contains more than 20 playing fields, 2 golf courses in addition to 3 recreation centres 13 youth centres and 6 libraries (including Murdoch University).

 Facilities for the community use include 26 small and six major community halls. There are 9 maternal and child health centres, 5 aged persons' recreation facilities and 28 aged persons’ housing facilities within the City, and educational resources include significant tertiary facilities (TAFE campus and Murdoch University), 23 pre-schools, 11 secondary schools and 25 primary schools.

 City of Melville – the organisation

The organisation employs 650 full-time, part-time and casual employees, and provides more than 90 services including: recreation centres, aquatic centres, libraries, crèches, pre-school centres, community centres, food inspection services, citizenships, recycling, planning and building services, maintenance, streetscapes, landscaping disability services, immunisation clinics, cultural and educational centres, environmental preservation and management, control of bushfires, dogs, parking, neighbourhood security, sporting facilities, children’s playgrounds and tourist promotions, volunteer resources and support for community organisations.

Moments in City of Melville history

The City of Melville was established as a Roads Board on 5 June 1901, and became a Shire in 1961, a Town 1962, and a City in 1968. In 1913, the Melville Roads Board’s Council Chambers were built on the corner of Stock Road and Canning Highway, Bicton.

The Melville Roads Board’s 1913 Annual Report stated that there were 67 miles (107 kilometres) of gazetted road in the District of which 21 miles (34 kilometres) were ‘made up’.  The annual income in 1913 was recorded as ₤2,000 pounds (approximately $4,000) and the population was under 2,000!