# City of Belmont

The City of Belmont is a local government area in the inner eastern suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth, located about 8 kilometres (5 mi) east of Perth's central business district on the south bank of the Swan River. The City covers an area of 39.8 square kilometres (15.4 sq mi), maintains 225 km of roads and had a population of approximately 42,000 as at the 2021 Census.
Belmont contains Perth's domestic and international airports which account for 33.7% of the City of Belmont's land area.

## History

The Belmont Road District was created on 2 December 1898. On 4 October 1907, it was renamed Belmont Park. From 1906 until 1909, Burswood Island was part of the district.
On 1 July 1961, the Belmont Park Road District became the Shire of Belmont following the enactment of the Local Government Act 1960. On 17 February 1979 it attained city status.
Ascot and Belmont are suburbs long associated with horses, being close to the race tracks (see Ascot Racecourse and Belmont Park). Until 1956 the Belmont Spur Railway linked Bayswater on the Perth to Midland line to the Ascot race track.

## Wards

The city is divided into four wards: East Ward, West Ward, Central Ward, and South Ward, each represented by two councillors. Previously, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor were elected from among the councillors. In 2023, voters elected Robert Rossi, former West Ward Councillor and Deputy Mayor, as the city's first popularly elected Mayor. He won the election from a field of five candidates. Elections are held on the third Saturday in October every odd year, with councillors elected to four year terms. Approximately half of all positions are up for election at each election.
Political parties do not typically endorse candidates in local government in Western Australia. However, elected members are required to disclose membership of any political party.
| Ward | Councillor | Joined council | Term ends | Notes |
| - | Robert Rossi (Mayor) | 2003 | 2027 | Was Deputy Mayor from 2013 - 2019 and 2021 - 2023. Elected as Mayor in 2023 |
| East | Phillip Marks | 1999 | 2027 | Was Mayor from 2011 - 2023 |
| East | Bernie Ryan | 2013 | 2025 | |
| West | Deborah Sessions | 2021 | 2025 | Elected as Deputy Mayor in 2023 |
| West | Christopher Kulczycki | 2023 | 2027 | |
| Central | George Sekulla | 2017 | 2025 | Was Deputy Mayor between 2019 - 2021 |
| Central | Vijay | 2023 | 2027 | |
| South | Janet Powell | 2024 | 2025 | |
| South | Jenny Davis | 2017 | 2025 | |

## Suburbs

The suburbs of the City of Belmont with population and size figures based on the most recent Australian census:
| Suburb | Population | Area |
| Ascot | 3,095 (SAL 2021) | 3.6 km$^2$ (1.4 sq mi) |
| Belmont | 6,959 (SAL 2021) | 4.4 km$^2$ (1.7 sq mi) |
| Cloverdale | 8,864 (SAL 2021) | 3.9 km$^2$ (1.5 sq mi) |
| Kewdale | 7,397 (SAL 2021) | 8.4 km$^2$ (3.2 sq mi) |
| Perth Airport * | 25 (SAL 2021) | 19.2 km$^2$ (7.4 sq mi) |
| Redcliffe | 5,030 (SAL 2021) | 2.7 km$^2$ (1.0 sq mi) |
| Rivervale | 10,897 (SAL 2021) | 3.3 km$^2$ (1.3 sq mi) |
( * indicates suburb partially located within City)

## Population

| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1911 | 1,088 | — |
| 1921 | 1,866 | +5.54% |
| 1933 | 3,139 | +4.43% |
| 1947 | 5,712 | +4.37% |
| 1954 | 15,820 | +15.67% |
| 1961 | 20,393 | +3.69% |
| 1966 | 26,978 | +5.76% |
| 1971 | 32,656 | +3.89% |
| 1976 | 31,531 | −0.70% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1981 | 29,855 | −1.09% |
| 1986 | 28,867 | −0.67% |
| 1991 | 26,744 | −1.52% |
| 1996 | 26,613 | −0.10% |
| 2001 | 28,817 | +1.60% |
| 2006 | 30,331 | +1.03% |
| 2011 | 35,209 | +3.03% |
| 2016 | 39,682 | +2.42% |
| 2021 | 42,257 | +1.27% |

## Sister cities

* Adachi-ku, Tokyo, Japan – 1 October 1984

## Heritage-listed places

As of 2024, 124 places are heritage-listed in the City of Belmont, of which seven are on the State Register of Heritage Places, among them the Garratt Road Bridge.