Facts about Perth, WA

Perth is consistently ranked among the world’s top cities for safety, liveability and quality of life, with easy access to Western Australia's stunning natural landscapes from the beach to the bush.

Western Australia's capital

The state of Western Australia (WA) is almost the size of Western Europe. Here are some other interesting facts:

• WA covers one third of the Australian continent.
• WA spans more than 2.5 million square kilometres (or one million square miles).
• WA is home to more than 2.5 million people, most of them in Perth.

Famous for its climate

Perth enjoys more sunshine than any other capital city in Australia!

Perth is also famous for some of the Hollywood stars who were born, raised or studied here including Isla Fisher (The Great Gatsby), Sam Worthington (Avatar) and Melissa George (Mulholland Drive) and the late Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight). Hugh Jackman also spent time in Perth training as a young actor.

From riverbanks to coastline

The city sits on the northern banks of the Swan River, while the suburbs of Perth stretch in all directions to the Darling Range in the east and the Indian Ocean in the west.

Murdoch University is within easy reach of Perth’s city centre and the port city of Fremantle, which is just 15 minutes away. Fremantle is bustling with music, arts and culture, festivals, markets, cafés and restaurants, making it an extremely popular destination for students.

Discover things to do in and around Perth

Murdoch University is close to the city centre

Murdoch is a suburb of Perth, and Murdoch University is located on South Street. To reach our South Street campus:

• It’s just 11 minutes from the city by train to Murdoch train station, then a quick trip by connecting bus to South Street campus or a 10 minute walk.
• Regular bus services travel past campus.
• If you have access to a car, it’s just 15 minutes drive from the city on Kwinana Freeway (exit South Street).

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Perth’s location in Australia and the world

If you would like to see more of Australia while you’re here to study, Perth is less than four hours by plane from Sydney and Melbourne.

As one of the closest Australian cities to South-East Asia, Perth is also a great starting point for exploring Australia’s Asian neighbours. Bali is a three-hour flight away and Bangkok, Jakarta, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore are all within five to seven hours flying distance.