Homeschool Groups in Western Australia: Statewide Networks and How to Find Your Community

One of the first questions families ask after registering for home education in WA is: who else is doing this near me? Western Australia is the largest state by area, and the home education community reflects that geography — there are active groups in Perth's suburbs, established networks in major regional centres, and pockets of families spread through remote mining towns and pastoral properties. This post maps the landscape so you know where to look.

The Peak Body: HEWA (Home Education WA)

HEWA — Home Education WA — is the state's primary advocacy and support organisation, operating for more than 30 years. It is the single most useful starting point for any new home educating family, regardless of where you live in WA.

What HEWA provides:

• Workshops and seminars on curriculum, assessment, and registration requirements
• Advocacy with the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) and the Department of Education, including representation during policy reviews
• Free student email addresses through a HEWA-affiliated educational domain — useful for accessing student discounts, library databases, and university trial programs
• Annual Teen Ball — a formal event for home-educated secondary students, widely regarded as a genuine rite-of-passage experience
• Community forums where parents share resources, ask questions, and coordinate activities

HEWA membership is modest in cost and worth maintaining even if you have a strong local group, because it gives you access to statewide advocacy and the connections that come with it. When SCSA or the Department of Education consults the home education community, HEWA is the body at the table.

Perth Metro Groups

Perth has the densest concentration of home educators in WA. The primary informal network is Perth Homeschoolers, a Facebook group with several thousand members covering the entire metro area. Within that, there are suburb and corridor-specific groups:

• North Perth / Hills corridor — active informal meetups, several secular and faith-neutral co-ops operating out of community centres
• South of the river — groups often organised around specific curricula or learning styles
• Fremantle and coastal suburbs — smaller but active, with a strong unschooling presence

Co-ops in Perth typically meet weekly or fortnightly. Some focus on structured subject delivery — science experiments, STEM projects, art — while others are primarily social with occasional activity days. Demand for spots in established co-ops often exceeds supply; families who want guaranteed placement usually need to start their own or join a waiting list.

For co-op options in Perth specifically, the post homeschool groups perth wa covers the metro picture in more detail.

Regional Groups Outside Perth

WA's regional centres have smaller but committed home education communities. Key groups and contacts:

South West (Bunbury and surrounds): South West Home Ed is the main network for families between Bunbury, Busselton, and Harvey. The group runs regular park days, excursions to local nature reserves and farms, and occasional workshops. The ERO office for the Southwest region is in Bunbury (9791 0300).

Goldfields (Kalgoorlie and surrounds): Goldfields Home Ed operates out of Kalgoorlie-Boulder and serves families in the broader goldfields belt. Given the mining economy, the group has a strong contingent of families whose schedules flex around FIFO rosters. The ERO Goldfields office is in Kalgoorlie (9093 5600).

Pilbara (Karratha, Newman, Port Hedland): Pilbara Home Ed covers a vast area. Many families here are remote — either on stations, in small mining communities, or in town but geographically distant from any co-op. The group operates largely online with occasional in-person gatherings when families converge in Karratha or Port Hedland. ERO Pilbara is based in Karratha (9185 0111).

Kimberley (Broome and surrounds): The Kimberley has a small but active home education community, with particular depth among Aboriginal and multicultural families. PALS (Parents as Learning Supporters) is an initiative relevant to Aboriginal families in remote communities. ERO Kimberley operates from Broome (9192 0800).

Midwest (Geraldton): Midwest families are served by the Geraldton ERO office (9956 1600) and connect primarily through state-level Facebook groups and HEWA, with occasional local meetups.

Mandurah: Mandurah sits just south of the Perth metro boundary and has its own active group. Because it falls under a separate ERO region from central Perth, Mandurah families often find it easier to connect with South Metro ERO (Beaconsfield, 9336 9563) while maintaining community ties locally.

How to Find Your Group

The most reliable current list of groups is maintained informally through:

1. HEWA's member forums — active families update group listings, particularly after Facebook groups rename or migrate platforms
2. SIDE (School of Isolated and Distance Education) — for families considering SIDE as part of a hybrid arrangement, SIDE's community resources include contact lists for remote education networks
3. Facebook search — searching "homeschool [suburb/region] WA" usually surfaces the current active group; groups with recent activity (posts within the last month) are the ones worth joining

For SIDE's role relative to home education, see side distance education wa homeschool.

What Groups Cannot Do for Registration

Community groups provide peer support and activities — they do not handle your registration with the Department of Education. Every home education family in WA must register independently with their ERO region. Joining HEWA or any local group does not constitute or satisfy registration.

If you are withdrawing from school to begin home education, the withdrawal process and registration requirements are covered step-by-step in the Western Australia Legal Withdrawal Blueprint.

Starting Your Own Group

In towns where no active group exists — or where the existing group doesn't fit your family's style — starting a new group is genuinely feasible. The typical pattern:

1. Post in the statewide Facebook group asking who else is in your area
2. Start with a park day — no overhead, no commitment, no set curriculum
3. Build frequency as interest grows
4. Register as a HEWA affiliate if you want access to HEWA's resources and listing

Groups that start as loose park-day meetups often become the most sustainable because there is no pressure on any one family to organise formal programming.

Summary

Western Australia has an active and geographically spread home education community. HEWA is the anchor organisation statewide. Perth has multiple suburb-level and corridor-level groups. Every major regional centre — Bunbury, Kalgoorlie, Karratha, Broome, Geraldton, Mandurah — has a Facebook group or informal network. For remote families, the statewide groups and online forums are the primary connection point. None of this replaces the formal registration process, which remains your responsibility with the Department of Education.

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