Rockingham, Western Australia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids RockinghamPerth, Western Australia |
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Rockingham as seen from Palm Beach Jetty
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| Established | 1847 | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 6168 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 12.8 km2 (4.9 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | City of Rockingham | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Rockingham | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Brand | ||||||||||||||
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Rockingham is a cool suburb located near Perth, Western Australia. It's about 47 kilometers southwest of Perth's city center. Rockingham is like the main hub for the whole City of Rockingham area. You'll find it right by the beach at Mangles Bay, which is part of Cockburn Sound.
North of Rockingham, there are big industrial areas like Kwinana and Henderson. Offshore to the northwest is Garden Island, home to Australia's largest naval fleet. This island is connected to the mainland by a special road called a causeway. To the west and south, you can explore the beautiful Shoalwater Islands Marine Park.
Contents
Rockingham's History: From Ships to Seaside Fun
Rockingham got its name from a sailing ship called the Rockingham. This ship was one of three that Thomas Peel used to bring settlers to Western Australia. The Rockingham arrived on May 14, 1830. Sadly, it was blown ashore and eventually broke apart. Settlers supposedly camped near the wreck and started calling the area "Rockingham Town."
For thousands of years before European settlement, the Noongar people lived in this region. Their leader at that time was Galyute.
Rockingham was first mapped out and land was offered for sale in 1847. However, not many people bought land until 1872. That's when a railway and a jetty (a pier for ships) were built. These were used to transport jarrah timber and sandalwood from Jarrahdale to be shipped overseas.
Rockingham was a busy timber port until 1897. That's when the Inner Harbour was built in Fremantle. This new harbor could handle bigger ships, causing Rockingham's importance as a timber port to slowly fade away. Also, the South Western Railway opened in 1893. This railway made it easier to send timber to Fremantle or Bunbury, which also had deeper ports. By the early 1900s, Rockingham was no longer used for timber exports.
Rockingham Becomes a Holiday Spot
As the port declined, cars became popular. This new way to travel helped Rockingham become a fun seaside resort town. It was an easy day trip from Fremantle and Perth. People could even buy alcoholic drinks at the Rockingham Hotel on Sundays, which was special back then. The old jetties were used by holidaymakers until they were destroyed by storms by 1947.
From the early 1900s, holiday homes started appearing in Rockingham. By the 1970s, it also became a popular place for people to retire.
In recent years, Rockingham has grown into a major city in Perth's southwest, similar to Mandurah. It's one of Australia's fastest-growing areas. The area's connection to the sea has grown stronger too. This is thanks to the Royal Australian Navy's main base, HMAS Stirling, and new shipbuilding services at nearby Henderson.
Since the 1800s, Rockingham has been a great place for tourism. Visitors can launch small boats or take ferries to see dolphins, seals, pelicans, and penguins in the nearby Shoalwater Islands Marine Park. The coast at Safety Bay is perfect for windsurfing and kitesurfing.
In 2009, the Rockingham Train Station officially became part of Rockingham. This happened after a boundary change with Cooloongup and Hillman.
Rockingham's Geography and Landscape
Rockingham is a flat area with sandy soil and plants that grow near the coast. It faces north towards Cockburn Sound, with Rockingham Beach and Palm Beach being popular spots.
Getting Around Rockingham: Transport Options
Train Travel in Rockingham
You can catch frequent passenger trains at the Rockingham Railway Station and Warnbro railway station. These stations are on the Mandurah Line. A bus network also runs throughout Rockingham, with many routes ending at the train stations.
The "Rockingham Shuttle Bus 555" is a frequent service that connects the train station to the Rockingham Beach foreshore. Other frequent bus services, like the 549 and 548, connect Rockingham with Fremantle. These buses use special lanes to get to the main center quickly.
Driving in Rockingham: Road Connections
The Kwinana Freeway is about a 15-minute drive from Rockingham's main center. This freeway gives you fast access to Perth, Mandurah, and Bunbury. National Highway 1 (Patterson Road and Ennis Avenue) also connects Rockingham to Perth, Fremantle, and Mandurah.
Cycling Around Rockingham
If you like cycling, the Perth Bicycle Network route SW38 links Rockingham Beach with Waikiki Beach in Safety Bay.
What to Find in Rockingham: Facilities and Services
Learning and Education in Rockingham
Rockingham Beach Primary School opened in 1895. There are also other primary schools like Bungaree, Charthouse, East Waikiki, Hillman, Safety Bay and Waikiki. For high school, students can attend Rockingham Senior High School and Safety Bay Senior High School.
Private schools in the area include Star of the Sea Primary School, Kolbe Catholic College (a high school), Rockingham Montessori School, South Coast Baptist College, and Living Waters Lutheran College.
Murdoch University has a campus in Rockingham. It has buildings for engineering, arts, commerce, and a large library. This library is also open to the public, making it one of the biggest public libraries in Western Australia. It's part of a group of libraries that includes Warnbro Community Library, Safety Bay Public Library, and Mary Davies Public Library. You can get to the university campus by bus from Fremantle and the Rockingham train station.
Shopping and Retail in Rockingham
Rockingham has two main shopping areas. One is a large area near the local government offices. This area has fast-food places, a petrol station, the Rockingham Centre, doctors' offices, restaurants, and movie theaters. The older shopping area is along Rockingham Beach. Many of these shops now serve tourists or have been redeveloped into apartments with restaurants.
You can also find more shopping centers in nearby suburbs like Waikiki, Warnbro and Port Kennedy. Rockingham also has many light-industrial businesses, warehouses, and showrooms. These include car dealerships, trade services, appliance stores, and building material suppliers.
Sports and Recreation in Rockingham
The Mike Barnett Sports Complex is a big sports facility on Dixon Road. It has seven courts for different sports. The stadium opened in the 1980s and is the home of the Rockingham Flames, a basketball team that plays in the NBL1 West league. It was named after Mike Barnett, a local politician.
Cool Places to See in Rockingham: Notable Sights
The Catalpa Memorial: A Story of Freedom
On September 9, 2005, a special memorial was unveiled at Palm Beach, Rockingham. It remembers the Catalpa rescue, a famous escape of six Irish prisoners called Fenians. They escaped from Fremantle Prison on April 17-18, 1876. After traveling south from Fremantle by horse cart, they were rowed from the beach to the Catalpa, an American whaling ship. Their escape was dangerous, with a storm and a naval ship trying to stop them.
The memorial shows six wild geese flying. This symbolizes their flight to freedom and also represents Irish people who emigrated. The "wild geese" also refer to a newspaper called The Wild Goose. The memorial is built on a base made of stones from a ship's ballast. It has six granite panels with photos of the prisoners and a dedication stone. Around the circle, there are six bronze plaques with writings from the Wild Goose Journal. This journal was written by the Fenians while they were prisoners on the ship Hougoumont on their way to Australia.
North of Rockingham, you'll find the Rockingham Naval Memorial Park, which is across from HMAS Stirling. This park has many special plaques that remember naval events. It also features a gun turret from HMAS Derwent (DE 49) and a submarine fin from HMAS Orion, which was added in 2009.
Images for kids
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Beachfront landscaping
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Trees and development
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"Boardwalk" restaurant strip
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Wild geese detail
