Joondalup

Joondalup is a northern suburb and regional centre in Perth, Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Joondalup, Western Australia.

The suburb is named after Lake Joondalup, on the banks of which the suburb resides. The name Joondalup is a Noongar Aboriginal word, first recorded in 1837 and possibly meaning either "place of whiteness or glistening", or "place of a creature that can only move backwards".

The majority of land in the area remained largely undeveloped until the 1960s.

Joondalup is bounded by Burns Beach Road to the north, the proposed Mitchell Freeway to the west, Eddystone and Lakeside Drives to the south and Lake Joondalup to the east. Grand Boulevard and Joondalup Drive run through the centre of Joondalup. Most of Joondalup is zoned commercial or residential, although a significant suburban area exists between Moore Drive and Burns Beach Road near Currambine train station, and some small residential estates have been built in recent years along Lakeside Drive. The Yellagonga Regional Park and a small bushland corridor near the TAFE and university campuses can be found in the east and south.

At the ABS 2001 census, Joondalup had a population of 6,503 people living in 2,481 dwellings.

Joondalup's centre is a shopping and retail area, Named Lakeside. As of Early 2007 it is under construction to be heavily extended, mainly to cater for the growing population of the nearby area. The other main facilities in addition to the Lakeside centre are a large library, a major police station and other commercial and government organisations.

Some entertainment venues include The Old Bailey, Dusk, Grand Boulevard Tavern, and a new Irish Bar which stay open until the early hours of the morning.

Another feature of the city is the Joondalup Resort at Connolly. This golf resort features 27 holes. The city pavements feature tiles hand-painted by local school children.

One of Perth's oldest WAFL clubs, the West Perth Football Club, moved to Joondalup in the 1990s and has since done exceedingly well in the WAFL competition, their latest premiership coming in 2003 over rivals Subiaco.

The city has a number of parks including Central Park and Neil Hawkins Park in the Yellagonga National Park. The Neil Hawkins Park is home to many parrots including the ringneck, cockatoos and kangaroos. The park sits alongside Lake Joondalup and wetlands which stretches out between Burns Beach Road to the north and Ocean Reef Road to the south. These wetlands provide refuge for migratory birds.

The main accommodation in Joondalup is the Joondalup resort, which is located at Joondalup Golf Course. A new hotel, Joondalup City Hotel, is now open on Grand Boulevard.

Walking tracks near Lake Joondalup and through the Yellagonga National Park are also available.

The Joondalup Home and Lifestyle Expo is an annual exhibition at Arena Joondalup. The Expo is usually late March to early April every year.