Atwell is a suburb within the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia, Western Australia, situated south of Perth City, and located in the City of Cockburn local government area.
Situated on the Swan coastal plain, between the coast, and the Darling scarp, the terrain is generally flat, with many small natural and created wetlands. It is situated on the western boundary of the Jandakot ground water protection area, and hence suburban development to the east is not permitted. It is bounded to the north by Armadale Road, the Kwinana Freeway to the west, Tapper Road to the east and to the south by Gibbs Road.
The Whadjuk Nyungar aboriginal people were the first human inhabitants of the region. Occupying the region from 40,000 years ago. The many lakes and wetlands of the region were important for sustenance and spiritually.
After European settlement of the Perth region in 1829, the land of much of the area including and surrounding what is now Atwell was granted to G Dunnage. The area was later part of the dairy property owned and operated for many years by Ernest Atwell. Originally it was purchased in the 1920s to spell horses he used in his livery stable business, which was conducted in Fremantle. It was later developed into one of the largest dairies in the Perth region. The huge amount of land was slowly sold off but the Dairy was still operating until the late 1950s. The house and workers cottage were eventually demolished when the area was cleared for redevelopment.
Development of the suburb of Atwell began in the early 1990s through the creation of several housing estates such as Beeliar parklands and has continued to expand with the estates, Atwell Waters, and Harvest Lakes being developed. Most of the suburb has now been developed, with only small sections in the south remaining.