Golden Bay, Western Australia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Golden Bay Perth, Western Australia
The Shipwreck Cove area of Golden Bay
Postcode(s)	6174
Area	4.45 km2 (1.7 sq mi)
LGA(s)	City of Rockingham
State electorate(s)	Warnbro
Federal Division(s)	Brand
Suburbs around Golden Bay: Secret Harbour Karnup Golden Bay Karnup Singleton Karnup

Golden Bay is a coastal suburb located south of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. It is part of the City of Rockingham. This suburb sits between Secret Harbour and Singleton, close to Mandurah Road.

Golden Bay was once called Peelhurst. Its name was officially changed in 1985. The coastline of Golden Bay is part of the Swan Coastal Plain, which stretches along the Indian Ocean.

Life in Golden Bay

The Golden Bay community is managed by the Department of Communities WA and Peet Limited. It is home to almost 2,200 houses. The suburb has three main areas:

• The Seaside Precinct
• The Walk Precinct, near Golden Bay Primary and Comet Bay College
• The Reserve Precinct, located between natural bushland and the coast

Fun Places to Visit

Golden Bay has many public spaces for fun and relaxation. One popular spot is Shipwreck Cove. It is a playground and leisure area inspired by shipwrecks. You can find themed play equipment, sports courts, and BBQ areas there.

The suburb also has two large sports fields for football and cricket. These are called The Rhonda Scarrott Reserve. There is also the Daniel Kelly memorial skate park for skateboarders. Nearby facilities include the Secret Harbour Shopping Centre and the Secret Harbour Golf Course. You can also visit Golden Bay Beach and the Secret Harbour Surf Lifesaving Club.

The Golden Bay shoreline is part of the Perth to Peel coastal walk. This walking path starts at Siracusa Court in Secret Harbour. It finishes at the carpark at the end of Crystaluna Drive.

Community Events

Many local events bring the Golden Bay community together. These include the Golden Bay Coast Care Tree Planting Day. There is also the Car Park Café. Groups like the Golden Bay Progress Association (GBPA) and the Golden Bay Baptist Church help organize activities. Local playgroups and the Golden Bay Primary School P&C also play a role.

Schools and Learning

Golden Bay has several schools nearby. These include Golden Bay Primary School, Secret Harbour Primary School, and Singleton Primary School. St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School is also close. Comet Bay College is located right on the border of Golden Bay and Secret Harbour.

Future Plans for Golden Bay

The Western Australian government has plans for new developments. As part of the 'Building for Tomorrow' project, they want to build the Karnup Train Station. This station is part of a larger project that includes the Lakelands Station.

Cape Bouvard Investments (CBI), an Australian company, is working on a project called 'Peelhurst Park'. This is the second stage of land development in Golden Bay by CBI. It follows the successful Peelhurst Estate project.

Golden Bay's Past

The Peelhurst ruins in 2020

Thomas Peel was an early settler in Western Australia. He tried to set up a settlement called ‘Clarence’ on the south coast. This led to the creation of the Peelhurst Ruins. These ruins were abandoned by the early 1830s. Today, the Heritage Council of Western Australia manages them. This is done under the Heritage Act of 2018.

The Peelhurst Ruins are also known as the Thomas Peel Juniors Homestead. They were built around 1860 but were never fully finished. Thomas Peel and his housekeeper, Mrs Spencer, lived there until about 1882. Around that time, the property was sold to the Petersons. They planned to use it for their livestock, bringing animals from their farm in Pinjarra.

In 1949, the land was divided up by the Petersons. Eventually, the City of Rockingham took over the land in 1991. The site remains a heritage reserve today. The ruins show how early settlers built with stone in the Rockingham area. They also give us an idea of what houses looked like in the mid-1800s. The area around the ruins also shows signs of early farming practices. You can also see plants that were brought in for decoration.

Where is Golden Bay?

Golden Bay is located in the Whadjuk Region. The Whadjuk are a group of Noongar people from the Perth area. They still have a strong connection to this land. The Whadjuk region is south of the Yued group and north of the Pinjarup group. It covers an area of 5,580 square kilometers.

Golden Bay is about 64 kilometers from Perth's city center. You can get there by taking the Kwinana Freeway. It is also a 20-minute drive to the city of Rockingham. Mandurah City Centre is about a 15-minute drive away.

Golden Bay's Unique Landscape

Golden Bay is known for its tall sand dunes and special plants. The City of Rockingham manages these important natural areas. The curved sand dunes along the Golden Bay coastline are very important. They tell us a lot about the area's geological history.

The Golden Bay dunes are part of a system where sand builds up. This area is called the ‘sedimentary sink’. It is located within the Bunbury / Leschenault Peninsula area. About 100,000 cubic meters of sand are added here each year. This large amount of sand forms the Rockingham-Becher Twin Cuspate Foreland. It is the biggest one in Western Australia and Australia.

The Golden Bay dune system is part of the Swan Coastal Plains. This plain stretches for 30 kilometers along the Indian Ocean coast. The immediate coast has small dunes, sand cliffs, and blowouts. Further inland, you find large, curved dunes. These create unique hills and rough terrain. Coastal plants cover this area. The coast also has buried limestone reefs. Some of these reefs are partly uncovered. They date back to 5000-3000 B.C. These reefs are an important geological feature of the Golden Bay region.

Golden Bay's Weather

Golden Bay has a moderate Mediterranean climate. This means it has mild, wet winters and dry summers. Most of the rain falls during winter. There is very little rain in summer.

According to Elders Limited, Golden Bay gets about 626.5mm of rain each year. The average highest temperature is 23.3 degrees Celsius. The average lowest temperature is 14.8 degrees Celsius.

Who Lives in Golden Bay?

In 2016, the Golden Bay community had 3,785 people. About 49.7% were male and 50.3% were female. The average age was 31 years old.

• 26% of residents were children aged 0–14 years.
• About 67% were between 15 and 64 years old.
• 7% were 65 years or older.

In 2016, 1,956 people were working or looking for work.

• 54.4% worked full-time.
• 30.3% worked part-time.
• 9.3% were unemployed.

About 45.5% of people aged 15 and older were married. 39.2% had never been married. Around 15% were separated, divorced, or widowed. These numbers are similar to the averages for Western Australia and Australia.

About 35.6% of the community were attending an educational institution.

• 33.2% were in primary school.
• 24.7% were in secondary school.
• 15.9% were in university or other higher education.

Also, 11.2% of the population had a bachelor's degree or higher. 16.7% had finished Year 12 as their highest level of education.

People in Golden Bay come from many different backgrounds.

• 34.9% reported English ancestry. This is higher than the Australian average of 25%.
• 25.6% reported Australian ancestry.
• 7.9% reported Scottish ancestry.
• 6.5% reported Irish ancestry.
• 2.5% reported Italian ancestry.

The 2016 Census allowed people to list up to two ancestries.

Animals and Plants of Golden Bay

The coastal area of Golden Bay is home to many different animals and plants. They thrive in the wet areas of the Swan Coastal Plains and the high sand dunes.

Animals of Golden Bay

The Golden Bay coastal region has many Isoodon obesulus, also known as the southern brown bandicoot or Quenda. They like the dense plants in the area. The Department of Parks and Wildlife keeps an eye on their numbers. Predators like foxes and domestic dogs can harm them. Natural events, like the fire in the Foreshore Reserve in 2016, also affect their homes.

Quendas like to live in scrubby, often swampy areas with thick plants up to 1 meter high. They find food in burnt bushland and farmlands next to forests. Quendas are usually active at night. But in winter, you might see them during the day. They eat both plants and animals. Their diet mostly includes small creatures like earthworms and beetles. Sometimes they eat underground fungi, plant parts, and small vertebrates. Their diet changes with the seasons, depending on what food is available.

The Department of Environment and Conservation helps protect the Quenda in Western Australia. They do this under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. They control introduced predators and protect bushland along the Swan Coastal Plain. They also protect swamps from fires and reintroduce Quendas to suitable areas.

The Foreshore Reserve area is also a path for Western Grey Kangaroos. These kangaroos move around a lot. However, their presence can sometimes harm areas where new plants are growing. They can also disturb dense sedge plants. The Golden Bay dune area is also home to the Macropus Irma, or Western brush wallaby. They prefer wet, flat areas with low grasses and open, scrubby bushes.

The Golden Bay dunes are also a good home for Bobtail lizards and birds. These birds include blue wrens and black shouldered kites.

Plants of Golden Bay

Golden Bay gets its name from the many Golden Wattle plants that grow there. These plants bloom during the warmer months. In 2017, Golden Bay Coastcare, Perth NRM Coastcare, and the City of Rockingham worked together. They planted 500 local and native seedlings. These included beach spinifex, basket bush, beach saltbush, dune moses, and red-eyed wattle. This project aimed to restore the sand dunes. It also helps to protect the coastal region at the north end of Marillana Drive.

Getting Around Golden Bay

Bus Services

•        Bus route 574 goes from Lakelands Station to Warnbro Station. It serves Blue Fin Drive, Yanrey Street, Dampier Drive, and Warnbro Sound Avenue.