At it happened: WA news on Friday, July 11​on July 11, 2025 at 7:54 am

The Bureau of Meteorology says WA’s frosty mornings could hopefully be coming to an end as a cold front moves across the state.

Perth experienced its coldest morning in two years earlier this week, and this morning clocked in at just 2.2 degrees.

Meteorologist Miriam Bradbury says cloud and showers are building across the south-western part of the state over the weekend, and could travel as far east as Southern Cross.

“Rainfall totals are generally going to be on the low side of things and those showers will becoming a little bit more isolated as [Saturday] goes on,” she said.

The cold front is set to travel inland, and take the frosty weather away and to central and eastern Australia.

“Otherwise, we are looking at milder and sunnier conditions across much of Western Australia,” Bradbury said.

Good afternoon readers, thanks for following along this week.

The live blog will be back on Monday.

Keep an eye on our homepage for a late update in the search for Carolina Wilga, as police hold a press conference at 4pm.

Stay safe and have a great weekend!

Rottnest Island’s Airport is set to close for a month to complete important safety upgrades.

Used predominantly by high-flying tourists, the airport will close between July 17 and August 14 to allow for upgrades to its runway, taxiway and apron areas.

“[The project] will ensure the aerodrome continues to meet Civil Aviation Safety Authority safety and performance standards,” a spokesperson said.

Emergency services will still be able to use the airport via helicopter during the closure.

The entire project is costing the state government about $4.3 million, and have been scheduled for the winter months so as not to disrupt the island’s peak tourism season.

The ferry will run as normal from Perth, Fremantle and Hillarys.

Perth Airport recorded its highest-ever annual passenger numbers last financial year, with nearly 17.5 million travellers passing through its terminals.

The data, released on Thursday, revealed that number included 5.14 million international passengers – a 18.3 per cent increase on last financial year.

Perth Airport chief executive Jason Waters jumped on 6PR yesterday afternoon to discuss the figures.

He was also questioned on a new advert released by the airport, encouraging passengers to be patient and arrive early, with major redevelopment works causing some delays, particularly at terminals one and two.

“It’s more important than ever that people really plan their travel … just thinking through ‘how do I get to and from the airport’,” he said.

You can hear more from Waters below.

Vision obtained by this masthead shows just how far a German backpacker had driven when her car ran into trouble in outback WA.

Carolina Wilga’s car was found in remote bushland yesterday afternoon.

The Mistubish Delica was wedged in dense bush, with recovery boards underneath the tyres.

Wilga was not with the car and police continue to search Karroun Hill Nature Reserve and surrounds for any sign of the 26-year-old.

The reserve exceeds 300,000 hectares and is home to rocky outcrops.

Police are continuing their search for Wilga.

Major Crash officers say they are investigating a fatal hit-and-run in Albany.

Police say a woman was found unresponsive in the middle of Hardie Road in Spencer Park at 8pm on Wednesday.

The 57-year-old was taken to Albany Health Campus, but died a short time later from her injuries.

One person is helping police with their inquiries, but police say they’re looking for a specific type of vehicle.

“Investigations have indicated the woman was struck by a dark-coloured, mid-sized, SUV with the driver failing to stop and render assistance,” a WA Police spokesperson said.

Anyone with information has been urged to contact police.

The Bureau of Meteorology says WA’s frosty mornings could hopefully be coming to an end as a cold front moves across the state.

Perth experienced its coldest morning in two years earlier this week, and this morning clocked in at just 2.2 degrees.

Meteorologist Miriam Bradbury says cloud and showers are building across the south-western part of the state over the weekend, and could travel as far east as Southern Cross.

“Rainfall totals are generally going to be on the low side of things and those showers will becoming a little bit more isolated as [Saturday] goes on,” she said.

The cold front is set to travel inland, and take the frosty weather away and to central and eastern Australia.

“Otherwise, we are looking at milder and sunnier conditions across much of Western Australia,” Bradbury said.

There’s a bit of tongue-in-cheek about Lloyd Meek when he says he hopes Fremantle fans won’t boo him, but surely only the most cold-hearted would do so.

Stuck behind more established Dockers ruckmen, Meek left Western Australia three years ago in search of opportunity and has thrived under Sam Mitchell’s tutelage at Hawthorn.

Fresh off outpointing St Kilda’s Rowan Marshall, the 27-year-old next faces a familiar foe when he takes on former Dockers teammate Sean Darcy and Luke Jackson at Optus Stadium on Saturday night.

“I haven’t played Freo in Perth since my first year (at Hawthorn), so it will be good,” Meek told AAP.

“It’s always good to come up against some old mates and they’ve had a really good patch of form, so I’m looking forward to a good battle.

“Hopefully I don’t get booed.”

Meek managed just 15 senior games in five years at Fremantle, and has since added a further 52 with Hawthorn.

Meek admitted Hawthorn would have to improve their contest and stoppage work after a scrappy 20-point win over St Kilda, with Fremantle clearance star Caleb Serong and Andrew Brayshaw set to test their wares.

Both Hawthorn (11-5, fifth) and Fremantle (10-6, ninth) are in a log-jam of teams vying for best position on the finals starting grid ahead of their high-stakes clash.

The Hawks are on a four-match winning streak, but have plenty of room for improvement.

Fremantle lost skipper Alex Pearce (soreness) and dropped Neil Erasmus, with Oscar McDonald and Sam Switkowski recalled.

The Hawks have recalled teen forward Calsher Dear after his injury struggles, with Finn Maginness also back to replace Max Ramsden and Seamus Mitchell

AAP

The WA Road Safety Commissioner has hit back at claims on social media that drivers are being falsely accused of driving offences picked up by the state’s new road safety cameras.

Images of warnings about mobile phone use while driving – caught by the new cameras – were shared to the Bell Tower Times earlier this week but the images next to the warning showed no mobile phone in sight.

The new cameras use AI to pick up illegal activity while driving, which the government says is then verified by two humans before warnings are issued.

WAtoday queried these warnings and has been told those shared did not show photographs with a steeper angled camera which showed mobile phones were being used or were sitting on the laps of the drivers.

WA Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner said the images shared were only half the story.

“In the case of the images shared to social media recently, the posts fail to show the additional images on the caution notice that show the mobile phone offences,” he said.

“Any suggestion that caution notices are being issued in cases where there is no evidence of an offence is simply wrong.

“I want the community to have confidence in the ability of the state’s new safety cameras to correctly detect illegal mobile phone and seatbelt offences, which are backed up by human review.

“It is illegal to hold your phone in your hand or have it resting on any part of your body, including your lap, while driving.

“This applies even when you are stopped in traffic or at traffic lights.”

Since their operation in January, the cameras have picked up 12,000 offenders not wearing seat belts and 40,000 people with their phones in their hands.

Currently, the cameras are still being trialled and no drivers are receiving fines. About 50,000 warnings have been sent in the mail.

Infringements will start to be issued in October.

Some of the bad behaviour the images have picked up includes a woman nursing an unrestrained baby while their partner is driving and checking his phone, someone checking their phone while holding a beer, and a man smoking from a glass pipe.

Police say they are looking at the possibility that missing German backpacker Carolina Wilga left her vehicle after it broke down in WA’s Wheatbelt.

Wilga has been missing since June 28, after she last contacted friends.

The ABC reported a voice message, left by Wilga to a friend late on the day she was last heard from, indicated she intended to leave Perth.

WA Police Acting Inspector Jessica Securo told ABC Radio Perth the most likely theory in the search for the 26-year-old was that she had abandoned her vehicle.

“Our information to date is she’s likely to become lost in that area, and has potentially walked away from her vehicle,” she said.

Securo said the car was found a significant distance away from tracks in the Karroun Hill Nature Reserve, which is home to a number of rocky outcrops.

In a photo released by WA Police, it can be seen with recovery boards wedged under the wheels and surrounded by dense scrubland.

“You can see how it would be easy to become lost or disorientated in that area if you didn’t know it well,” she said.

“Her vehicle was located at least about 35 kilometres inland from any main tracks, so it is dense around there.”

The van was well-equipped, with water and solar panels.

Securo said it was hard to know if Wilga had taken anything with her, but police would forensically work through her car throughout Friday.

The search for Wilga is continuing.

It’s been a turbulent week for independent newspapers in Perth but things are looking up for the western suburbs-based Post Newspapers, which is celebrating its first independently printed paper today.

Post Newspapers editor Bret Christian and a consortium of unnamed businesspeople set up the ‘Fair Maiden’ printing press to tackle the monopoly held by Seven West Media-owned Colourpress after the closure of the state’s second last printing press in 2023.

The Fair Maiden’s entry into the small market saw Examiner Newspapers and the Echo newspapers jump ship and the Fremantle Herald/ Perth Voice take an almighty swipe at Seven West last week as negotiations over a new printing deal broke down.

The Fair Maiden’s first print run was last week and the Echo and Examiner Newspapers made it out the door, but the Post did not.

On the front page of today’s Post Christian confirmed a “mechanical glitch” prevented the papers from being printed but that had now been resolved and the paper would be delivered this week.

“Start up issues are to be expected for such an enormous challenge and change,” he said.