Marmion Avenue is a arterial road in the northern coastal suburbs of

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

, Western Australia, linking Trigg in the south with

Yanchep Yanchep is an outer coastal suburb of Perth, Western Australia, north of the Perth CBD. It is a part of the City of Wanneroo local government area. Originally a small crayfishing settlement, it was developed by entrepreneur Alan Bond in the 1 ...

in the north. It forms part of State Route 71 along with West Coast Highway, which it joins onto at its southern terminus.

Route Description

Marmion Avenue is part of State Route 71, from the southern terminus to Hester Avenue, continuing on from West Coast Highway. It commences in Trigg, traveling generally parallel with the Indian Ocean coastline, and the other north-south arterials

Mitchell Freeway The Mitchell Freeway is a freeway in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, linking central Perth with the city of Joondalup. It is the northern section of State Route 2, which continues south as Kwinana Freeway and Forrest ...

and Wanneroo Road, through mostly residential areas and some undeveloped land north of Currambine, and terminates in

. Marmion Avenue is managed by Main Roads Western Australia after previously being managed by the

City of Joondalup The City of Joondalup is a local government area in Perth, Western Australia. Its central business district is located in the suburb Joondalup, and it includes the town centres of Hillarys and Warwick. History Prior to the 1970s, the region n ...

from Ocean Reef Road to the City of Joondalup-Wanneroo boundary, and the

City of Wanneroo The City of Wanneroo is a local government area with city status in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. It is centred approximately north of Perth's central business district and forms part of the northern boundary of the Per ...

for the rest of the road. Marmion Avenue is a four-lane dual carriageway for its entire length. The speed limit is mostly , with brief sections near the southern terminus in Karrinyup and through Butler, and a section near the northern terminus in Yanchep.

Trigg to Currambine

Marmion Avenue starts as a four-lane dual carriageway as a continuation of West Coast Highway, at the traffic light controlled intersection with Karrinyup Road in the City of Stirling. From there, Marmion Avenue travels north for , past the Hamersley Public Golf Course and the residential areas of Trigg, North Beach and Karrinyup, before intersecting with the western terminus of

Reid Highway Reid Highway is a east-west highway and partial freeway in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, linking North Beach with Middle Swan. As part of State Route 3, it forms half of Perth's outer ring road along with Roe Highway, wh ...

and the western section of North Beach Road. Then, Marmion Avenue travels for past the Star Swamp Reserve to the west and the residential area of Carine to the west, before intersecting with Beach Road, and crossing over into the

. Marmion Avenue then travels north through residential suburbs for , having traffic light controlled intersections with

Warwick Road Warwick Road is an arterial east-west road located in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. It was built in 1969 to service the Shire of Wanneroo parts of the Hamersley Development Scheme, which was later split into the suburbs o ...

and

Hepburn Avenue Hepburn Avenue is an arterial east-west road in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. The road links Sorrento in the west with Malaga and Whiteman in the east. It also connects the residential developments that span its length wit ...

, before passing Westfield Whitford City shopping centre, near Whitfords Avenue. Marmion Avenue continues north through residential areas, intersecting with

Ocean Reef Road Ocean Reef Road is an arterial east-west road in Perth, Western Australia. It is located within the northern suburbs of Perth, from Ocean Reef in the west, to Landsdale in the east, with a portion travelling northwards along the coast to Ilu ...

, Hodges Drive,

Shenton Avenue Shenton Avenue is an east-west distributor road in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Joondalup. The road primarily links Joondalup's coastal suburbs with the Joondalup central business district, which ...

and Moore Drive, and passing by Currambine Central Shopping Centre, before intersecting with

Burns Beach Road Burns Beach Road is an arterial east-west road in Perth, Western Australia, linking the suburbs of Burns Beach and Iluka to the Mitchell Freeway and Joondalup. It forms the entirety of State Route 87 and was the northern terminus of Mitchell ...

North of Currambine

North of Burns Beach Road, Marmion Avenue passes through of residential areas, before crossing into the

and travelling through of undeveloped land in Tamala Park. Marmion Avenue provides access to the Tamala Park Rubbish Disposal Site. Marmion Avenue then travels through the Clarkson – Butler region for , intersecting with Neerabup Road, Hester Avenue and Lukin Drive. Marmion Avenue loses the State Route 71 allocation at the intersection with Hester Avenue. Marmion Avenue then travels northwards through the recently developed suburbs of Alkimos and Eglinton, providing access to current and future developments. After , Marmion Avenue reaches the outer suburb of

, and terminates at a large roundabout with Yanchep Beach Road. Despite this, there is a short section of Marmion Avenue north of there, though it only provides access to a local sporting ground and newer residential development in Yanchep.

History

Marmion Avenue was first built as an arterial road that tracked the then-new outer northern suburbs of Perth, following the limit of the Perth metropolitan area as it expanded northwards. In the late 1960s, the road originally began at Beach Road in Marmion, giving the road its namesake. Until the early 1980s, the road was a two-lane single carriageway connecting the coastal suburbs of Marmion and Mullaloo Beach. In 1984–85, the road was extended southwards to Karrinyup Road where it joined seamlessly onto West Coast Highway, which had been realigned further inland around the same time. Now the most important road in Perth's coastal suburbs, Marmion Avenue was duplicated up to Whitfords Avenue. In early 1986, it was assigned State Route 71, and from then on was gradually extended as a single carriageway road further north – extending first to Prendiville Avenue (just north of

), to

in 1991 and to Quinns Road in the mid-1990s. Marmion Avenue was finally duplicated to its terminus in 2001, with the last portion being the empty stretch between Burns Beach Road & Quinns Rocks. In 2000 and 2001,

was extended as a two lane road from its terminus at

to Marmion Avenue, providing another link to the east. This section was later upgraded to a four-lane dual carriageway in 2015–2016. After delays due to disagreements at State Government level about what route the road should follow, Marmion Avenue was extended further north to

and opened to traffic in November 2008. The extension opened as a single carriageway, but earthworks have already been undertaken to enable conversion to dual carriageway at a later date, which eventuated starting from 2018. The extension also features roundabouts at future major junctions. The completion of this extension allowed the future

satellite city Satellite cities or satellite towns are smaller municipalities that are adjacent to a principal city which is the core of a metropolitan area. They differ from mere suburbs, subdivisions and especially bedroom communities in that they have m ...

of Alkimos/ Eglinton to begin construction. On 1 July 2010, fixed red light and speed cameras were installed at the Marmion Avenue / Hepburn Avenue intersection to fine people who run red lights and speed, so the number of road deaths in Western Australia can be reduced. In 2016, the existing Marmion Avenue / Mullaloo Drive intersection was upgraded from a non-signalised t-junction to a roundabout in response to a ranking as the 39th Worst Intersection. Pedestrian paths were re-aligned, off-road cycling paths were added,

Western Power The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania.

light poles were upgraded and crash barriers were installed to protect residents and pedestrians. As part of Main Roads Western Australia's Traffic Congestion Management Program, Marmion Avenue's intersections with Hepburn Avenue and Whitfords Avenue were upgraded during 2016 and 2017 to improve traffic flow and safety. Between 2010 and 2015, there were 249 crashes at both of these intersections combined, and 72,000 vehicle use both these intersections per day. This project was funded by the state government, and cost $12 million. Longer and additional turning lanes were added, pedestrian and cycling facilities were upgraded, traffic signals were upgraded and power lines were put underground. CCTV was also installed so that Main Roads can monitor traffic flow. Construction started in November 2016 and finished ahead of schedule in May 2017. During 2017, works were undertaken to widen Marmion Avenue to a four-lane dual carriageway between Lukin Drive and Butler Boulevard. The project cost $2.21 million and was funded by the City of Wanneroo. Construction started in February 2017 and was complete by August. Construction started in 2018 on upgrading Marmion Avenue north of Camborne Parkway, from the current 2-lane single carriageway to a 4-lane dual carriageway. The state government has allocated the City of Wanneroo $23 million to upgrade the road. It is being done in three stages, with the first stage up to Alkimos already completed. The whole project is scheduled to be complete by 2020.

Future

Extensions of Marmion Avenue are possible to

Two Rocks Two Rocks is an outer suburb at the northern edge of Perth, the state capital of Western Australia, located northwest of the city's central business district. It is part of the City of Wanneroo local authority and represents the furthest nor ...

. However, there are no plans for this at present. Perth's Transport at 3.5 million plan does not say that Marmion Avenue will be extended, and the Department of Planning's documents currently show Marmion Avenue terminating at Yanchep. One possible complication would be Two Rocks's past use as a munitions dump, meaning that most non-suburban sections of the suburb are fenced off. The ultimate plan is for Marmion Avenue to become a six-lane dual carriageway between Alkimos and Yanchep, and a four-lane dual carriageway for the rest of the road. Also, the intersection with Yanchep Beach Road may be grade separated by 2050.

Junction List

Gallery

Image:Marmionwhitfordsunderpass.jpg, An underpass below Marmion Avenue, near Whitfords Avenue Image:Marmion Ave 300 Alkimos 2008.jpg, Single-laned extension of Marmion Avenue when opened in 2008, heading north in the then-undeveloped suburb of Alkimos Image:Marmion avenue-EGLINTON.jpg, Single-laned extension of Marmion Avenue when opened in 2008, heading north in the then-undeveloped suburb of Eglinton