Rockingham, Western Australia

Infobox Australian Place | type = suburb
name = Rockingham
city = Perth
state = wa

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caption = Mangles Bay at Rockingham. In the background, a shiploading facility for wheat, at Kwinana.
lga = City of Rockingham
area = 14.7
postcode = 6168
pop = 12,966 (2006 census)
pop_footnotes = [Census 2006 AUS | id = SSC52216 | name = Rockingham (WA) (State Suburb)|quick = on|accessdate=2008-05-24]
dist1 = 47 | dir1 = SSW | location1= Perth
dist2 = 28 | dir2 = S | location2= Fremantle
est = 1890s
fedgov = Brand
stategov = Rockingham
near-nw =
near-n =
near-ne = East Rockingham
near-w = Peron
near-e = Hillman
near-sw = Shoalwater
near-s = Safety Bay
near-se = Cooloongupcoord|-32.281|115.727|type:city(12966)_region:AU-WA_scale:30000|format=dms|display=title

Rockingham is a suburb and regional centre 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.

History

Rockingham was first surveyed in 1847, it was gazetted as a town in 1897.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 [cite web|url=http://www.rockinghamcityshopping.com.au|title=Rockingham City Shopping Centre website|year=2007|accessdate=2007-06-08] 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.

Image gallery

Transport

* Rockingham Bus Station
* Rockingham Train Station

References

External links

* [http://www.rockingham.wa.gov.au/ City of Rockingham]
* [http://www.rockinghamwa.com/ City of Rockingham Community Information Portal]