Wanneroo's roads and land
Wanneroo Road
Wanneroo Road, State Route 60, is the alternative to the Mitchell Freeway and runs 43.6 km from the inner city to Yanchep. Bus route 389 goes straight down it to Perth Busport.
Turning rural
North of Joondalup Drive the houses thin out and the landscape turns rural. Much of the road was duplicated between 2016 and 2019, but past Neerabup Road the limit is 80 km/h and there are still two-lane single-carriageway sections further north.
On the coastal plain
Wanneroo sits on the Swan Coastal Plain, with wetlands running parallel to the coast north and south of the suburb. If the car goes onto soft tracks around a rural block, the air filter and suspension take the brunt.
Show time
The Wanneroo Agricultural Show, the state's largest regional show, has run every year since 1909, usually in late November. That's the start of summer, so a car towing a float or trailer to it wants its cooling system and tyres in order.
A City that grew fast
The City of Wanneroo grew by almost 110,000 people between 2001 and 2016, but its north and east are still predominantly rural.
Utes, trailers and the daily commute
A ute that works a rural block and does the Wanneroo Road commute should be serviced to the harder of the two. RACV says towing, carrying heavy loads and driving on dusty or unsealed roads can call for a service around every six months, so ask the mechanic which schedule in the book fits.
4WD and diesel mechanics in Perth covers utes in more depth, and radiators and cooling in Perth the summer side.
What we'd do before summer
Before the show and the first heatwave, we'd have the cooling system, tyres and trailer lights checked in one visit. RAC WA says to flush and replace the coolant at least every one to two years, so we'd ask when ours was last done.