| Rockingham Perth, Western Australia |
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 Mangles Bay at Rockingham. In the background, a shiploading facility for wheat, at Kwinana. |
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| Population: | 12,966 (2006 census) [1] | ||||||||||||
| Established: | 1890s | ||||||||||||
| Postcode: | 6168 | ||||||||||||
| Area: | 14.7 km² (5.7 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Location: | |||||||||||||
| LGA: | City of Rockingham | ||||||||||||
| State District: | Rockingham | ||||||||||||
| Federal Division: | Brand | ||||||||||||
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Coordinates: 32°16′52″S 115°43′37″E / 32.281°S 115.727°E
Rockingham is a suburb and regional centre in Western Australia south-west of the Perth city centre and south of Fremantle. It has a beachside location at Mangles Bay, the southern extremity of Cockburn Sound. To its north stretches the maritime and resource-industry installations of Kwinana, Western Australia and Henderson. Offshore to the north-west is Australia's largest naval fleet and submarine base, Garden Island, connected to the mainland by an all-weather causeway. To the west and south lies the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park.
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History
Rockingham was first surveyed in 1847 and was gazetted as a town in 1897. It got its name from one of the three ships bought by Robert Peel carrying settlers to Western Australia (the others being the Gilmore and Hooghly), arriving in May 1830. After being blown onto the mainland, the Rockingham was eventually abandoned after failed attempts to refloat her, and she eventually broke up having sunk in shallow waters in Careening Bay.[2]
In its early days, Rockingham was a busy port, shipping jarrah timber and sandalwood overseas. Now, as a satellite city in Perth's southern corridor, together with Mandurah, it is among Australia's fastest-growing residential districts. The maritime tradition has been strengthened by steady growth of the Royal Australian Navy's main fleet base HMAS Stirling and by the development of major shipbuilding and marine support services at nearby Henderson.
Since the nineteenth century, abundant sightseeing and recreational attributes have been the basis of a tourism industry. Visitors can launch small boats or board ferries to view dolphins, seals, pelicans and penguins in the adjacent Marine Park. The coast at nearby Safety Bay is ideal for windsurfing and kitesurfing. Generous free barbecues and picnic facilities are provided on the seafront, supplementing a choice of hotels and restaurants. Rockingham City Shopping Centre[3] is the regional centre which attracts significant non-local business, having a licence to trade on Sundays during public and school holidays.
Catalpa memorial
On 9 September 2005, a memorial was unveiled at Rockingham beach to commemorate the Catalpa rescue, the famous escape of six Irish Fenian convicts from Fremantle Prison on 17-18 April 1876. After journeying south from Fremantle by horse-drawn cart, the escapees were rowed from Rockingham beach to the Catalpa, an American whaler. The perilous flight succeeded in the face of an overnight storm and naval interception at dawn. The memorial is a statue depicting six wild geese in flight, the design of which was initiated by an Irish-Australian Perth citizen, the late Francis Conlan, whose name is also recorded on the memorial.
To the north of Rockingham lies the Rockingham Naval Memorial Park, opposite HMAS Stirling. It containes a number of commemorative plaque's, a 4.5 inch gun turret of the HMAS Derwent (DE 49) and a submarine fin from the HMAS Orion, added in 2009.[4] [5]
Image gallery
 Beachfront landscaping |
 Old Rockingham Hotel |
 Trees and development |
 'Boardwalk' restaurant strip |
 Wild geese detail |
 Memorial citation by Francis Conlan |
 Rockingham Naval Memorial Park |
Transport
Rockingham is served by the Rockingham Train Station on the Mandurah Line. All bus services depart from this station, with the majority servicing the dedicated bus lanes adjacent to Rockingham Shopping Centre.
Rockingham is also serviced by the "Rockingham Shuttle Bus 555" which follows a route from the Train Station to Foreshore via. Rockingham Shopping Centre.
Rockingham Shopping Centre
Formerly known as Rockingham Park Shopping Centre, and then Rockingham City Shopping Centre, it is one of the oldest and well-known regional centres in the Perth Metropolitan Region. It is currently undergoing major redevelopments which will see the centre become one of the states largest regional shopping complexes, featuring an 'Entertainment Quarter' with a Cinema Complex, 24-hour Fitness Centre, 'Timezone' arcade and Alfresco Dining accompanying the already completed Food Court and Fashion Mall upgrades.
Sport
Rockingham is home to Rockingham City FC[6] in the Football West State League and the Rockingham club in the RugbyWA competition. Rockingham also hosts an SBL (State Basketball League) team called Rockingham Flames and a team in the WARL Western Australia Rugby League called the Rockingham Sharks who play at Lark Hill Sporting Complex.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rockingham, Western Australia |
References
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Rockingham (WA) (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/LocationSearch?collection=Census&period=2006&areacode=SSC52216&producttype=QuickStats&breadcrumb=PL&action=401. Retrieved 2008-05-24.
- ^ http://www.rockingham.wa.gov.au/About_Rockingham/ship.php
- ^ "Rockingham City Shopping Centre website". 2007. http://www.rockinghamcityshopping.com.au. Retrieved 2007-06-08.
- ^ HMAS Perth Memorial Government of Western Australia website, accessed: 26 November 2009
- ^ Fin slices into history books accessed: 26 November 2009
- ^ Rockingham City FC
External links
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