Kwinana

Kwinana, city, southwestern Western Australia. It lies along Cockburn Sound, just south of Perth. Kwinana is an industrial hub for the state.

The city’s name, an Aboriginal word meaning “young woman,” was taken from a freighter wrecked offshore in 1920 that was incorporated in the construction of a jetty. The place was a small resort until the mid-1950s, when a large oil refinery with associated port facilities was completed to receive oil shipments from the Middle East. It achieved town status in 1977 and was designated a city in 2012. The Kwinana Industrial Area (KIA) was established in the 1950s to create a local industrial base for the state. Of great economic importance to the area are mining and heavy industry, and the KIA includes oil and nickel refineries and alumina works. Port development along the 14-mile (22-km) shoreline includes facilities for grain shipment. Medina, Calista, and Parmelia are among the residential areas. Pop. (2006) local government area, 23,198; (2011) local government area, 29,227.