North Coogee, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
North Coogee is a coastal, western suburb of Perth, Western Australia
, located within the City of Cockburn. The suburb is immediately to the north of Coogee
, which takes its name from the lake, Lake Coogee, in the area, which translates to "Body of water" in the native Aboriginal Nyoongar language. Originally this lake was named Lake Munster after Prince William, the Earl of Munster, and later King William IV. The aboriginal name Kou-gee was recorded in 1841 by Thomas Watson and has been variously spelt Koojee, Coojee and Coogee.
North Coogee was created on 19 December 2005 and incorporated portions of the surrounding suburbs of Hamilton Hill
, Spearwood
and Coogee.
, and is bounded by the municipal boundary of the City of Fremantle
to the north, Cockburn Road/Beeliar Regional Park to the east, Powell Road to the south and Cockburn Sound
to the west.
North Coogee overlooks Cockburn Sound
with views of Garden Island, Carnac Island and Rottnest Island.
who established a lime burning kiln in 1831, south of the Clarence townsite. Meares had arrived at the Swan River Colony
with Thomas Peel
in the previous year. Meares abandoned the site after a few months moving to Mt Helena, later becoming the Government Resident at York
.
As the area was adjacent to the relatively safe harbour of Owen's Anchorage in Cockburn Sound
, the area began to be used as an alternative destination point for ship arrivals.
The original land grant was to George Robb and stretched between Hamilton Hill and North Lake. In 1899 it was further subdivided and by 1900 the area saw the establishment of a number of commercial lime kilns, to provide for the construction boom and population growth which had been brought about by gold discoveries.
The area continued to take on an industrialised character that continued until the early 1990s. Features of the area included the Fremantle Smelting Works, just south of Island Street, which processed lead and base bullion from Kalgoorlie. Next to the smelter was the slaughter house of Copley & Co, processing sheep and cattle on the same location where John Wellard had slaughtered sheep for the Convict establishment in the early 1850s.
Further south at Robb Jetty, slaughter houses operated by Forrest, Emanuel & Co, and Connor, Doherty and Durack existed, these slaughter houses essentially supplied all the meat to the metropolitan area and the expanding goldfields. The livestock arriving from the north-west of the state including the Kimberley Region
and were unloaded from the ships onto the jetty. As there was no cold storage at the slaughter houses extensive pasturing for the animals as well as small market gardens were established in the region around the abattoir.
In 1898 a railway was built from Fremantle to Robb Jetty. The slaughter houses expanded with a bone mill, blood manure and skin-drying sheds added.
Next to the slaughter houses an explosives magazine was built in the sandhills. In addition a piggery, slaughter house and bacon factory were built by J.C Hutton & Co, south of Robb Jetty at James Rocks.
In 1903 the railway was extended to Woodman Point and the explosives magazine was moved there, further away from Fremantle.
The area steadily became the centre of much of Perth's heavy industry and comprised the coal fired power station, railway marshalling yards, abattoir as well as numerous skin drying sheds. From the 1980s however, pressures brought on by demands for residential housing began a process of removal of the various facilities.
Railway marshalling yards
A large WAGR
marshalling yard with signal box
tower built in the 1960s during the standard gauge
railway line project from Kalgoorlie
to Leighton.
The yard was decommissioned in the Westrail
era in the 1990s.
Robb Jetty Abattoir
The abattoir was closed in 1994 with the jetty itself dismantled in the 1960s. All that remains of the former jetty are the pylons which extend between 200 – 300 meters out to sea. The chimney is the only remaining part of the large complex of buildings which included offices, holding yards, freezer and chiller facilities. The chimney is listed in the State Register of Heritage Places.
South Fremantle Power Station
Construction of the Power Station commenced in January, 1946. The South Fremantle site was chosen for its relatively close metropolitan population, its proximity to nearby railway facilities for the delivery of coal and the ease with which seawater could be utilised for the cooling system. The four boilers 1, 2, 3 & 4 of 'A' Station were fired up in January 1951; the first 25 MW turbo-alternator came on line in May 1951 prior to the official opening of the Power Station on 27 June 1951 by the
Hon. David Brand, Minister for Electricity. In September 1951, the second 25 MW turbo alternator came on line. The No. 3 turbo alternator came on line in January 1954, and the No. 4 turbo alternator in December 1954. The power station was then complete with a total capacity of 100 MW.
Much of the plant was designed and manufactured in England, with skilled contractors sent out from England to assemble the plant on site. The State Energy Commission encouraged the recruitment of staff by providing housing in the Hilton Park area
, and the new suburb soon had many community amenities. A bus
service from the Power Station to Hilton and Fremantle was provided for shift workers. Over 250 workers were employed at the power station during the 1950s.
In 1954, a major fire at South Fremantle in the coal conveyor from the crusher house caused structural damage and resulted in a switch to oil fuel for the boilers. In the mid 1970s the plant was converted back to coal, which fuelled the station until its closure in 1985. By the 1980s production of electricity at South Fremantle had become uneconomical. The interconnected grid then was supplying electricity from power stations with more up-to-date machinery and closer to the coal source at Collie
, Bunbury
, Kwinana
and Muja
.
In September 1985, the South Fremantle Power Station closed after 34 years service and its four chimney stacks were demolished.
In 2002 the State Government and Stockland
sought to redevelop the former ANI
/Bradken
Foundry and surrounding land (including the former rail marshalling yards) for residential purposes. This was opposed by a local resident action group, Save South Beach, who actively campaigned against the redevelopment on issues of site contamination, diminished coastal setback, rail noise and coastal erosion impacts. Despite the ongoing protests the redevelopment commenced with the first resident lots reaching the market in 2005.
Port Coogee/Point Catherine
In 1992 the State Government agreed in-principle to develop a residential marina in the Coogee locality. In 1996 the State Government entered into an agreement with Port Catherine Developments Pty Ltd PCD) to facilitate the proposed marina. The project was opposed by a resident action group, Coogee Coastal Action Coalition, concerned about the loss of beaches, potential coastal erosion, impact on local seagrass
and existing site contamination issues Since the signing of the agreement PCD has been taken over by Australand Property Group and work has commenced on the construction of the marina, with the first lots reaching the market in 2007.
Cockburn Coast
In 2008 the State Government launched their vision for the development of the former industrial area between South Beach and the Port Coogee marina, with 95 hectares of coastal land being proposed to be redeveloped for residential purposes, housing approximately 10,000 people.
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, located within the City of Cockburn. The suburb is immediately to the north of Coogee
Coogee, Western Australia
Coogee is a southern coastal suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Cockburn.-History:The suburb takes its name from the lake, Lake Coogee, in the area, which translates to "Body of water" in the native Aboriginal Nyoongar language. Originally this lake was named Lake...
, which takes its name from the lake, Lake Coogee, in the area, which translates to "Body of water" in the native Aboriginal Nyoongar language. Originally this lake was named Lake Munster after Prince William, the Earl of Munster, and later King William IV. The aboriginal name Kou-gee was recorded in 1841 by Thomas Watson and has been variously spelt Koojee, Coojee and Coogee.
North Coogee was created on 19 December 2005 and incorporated portions of the surrounding suburbs of Hamilton Hill
Hamilton Hill, Western Australia
Hamilton Hill is a suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, and is located southwest of Perth's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Cockburn.-History:...
, Spearwood
Spearwood, Western Australia
Spearwood is a southern suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Cockburn. It was named by colonial settlers who noticed the native tea trees, scientific name Melaleuca lanceolata Chipolata, being used for spears by the Yugul Aboriginal people.-History:Settlement appears to...
and Coogee.
Location
North Coogee is located 4 km south of FremantleFremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
, and is bounded by the municipal boundary of the City of Fremantle
City of Fremantle
The City of Fremantle is a Local Government Area in South Metropolitan Perth. The City covers an area of , and lies about southwest of the Perth central business district.-History:...
to the north, Cockburn Road/Beeliar Regional Park to the east, Powell Road to the south and Cockburn Sound
Cockburn Sound
Cockburn Sound is an inlet of the Indian Ocean on the coast of Western Australia. It extends from the south of the mouth of the Swan River at Fremantle for about 25 km to Cape Peron near Rockingham and is located at...
to the west.
North Coogee overlooks Cockburn Sound
Cockburn Sound
Cockburn Sound is an inlet of the Indian Ocean on the coast of Western Australia. It extends from the south of the mouth of the Swan River at Fremantle for about 25 km to Cape Peron near Rockingham and is located at...
with views of Garden Island, Carnac Island and Rottnest Island.
History
The first development in the area may have been when Richard Goldsmith MearesRichard Goldsmith Meares
Richard Goldsmith Meares was an early landholder and public official at the Swan River Colony in Western Australia.-Early life:Richard, born April 1780, was the son of William Meares of Killinboy, County Westmeath, and Elizabeth Goldsmith; his family's background was Anglo-Irish, his father's...
who established a lime burning kiln in 1831, south of the Clarence townsite. Meares had arrived at the Swan River Colony
Swan River Colony
The Swan River Colony was a British settlement established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. The name was a pars pro toto for Western Australia. In 1832, the colony was officially renamed Western Australia, when the colony's founding Lieutenant-Governor, Captain James Stirling,...
with Thomas Peel
Thomas Peel
Mr. Peel, he moans, took him from England to Swan River, West Australia, means of subsistence and of production to the amount of £50,000. Mr. Peel had the foresight to bring with him, besides, 300 persons of the working-class, men, women, and children. Once arrived at his destination, "Mr. Peel was...
in the previous year. Meares abandoned the site after a few months moving to Mt Helena, later becoming the Government Resident at York
York, Western Australia
York is the oldest inland town in Western Australia, situated 97 km east of Perth in the Avon Valley near Northam, and is the seat of the Shire of York...
.
As the area was adjacent to the relatively safe harbour of Owen's Anchorage in Cockburn Sound
Cockburn Sound
Cockburn Sound is an inlet of the Indian Ocean on the coast of Western Australia. It extends from the south of the mouth of the Swan River at Fremantle for about 25 km to Cape Peron near Rockingham and is located at...
, the area began to be used as an alternative destination point for ship arrivals.
The original land grant was to George Robb and stretched between Hamilton Hill and North Lake. In 1899 it was further subdivided and by 1900 the area saw the establishment of a number of commercial lime kilns, to provide for the construction boom and population growth which had been brought about by gold discoveries.
The area continued to take on an industrialised character that continued until the early 1990s. Features of the area included the Fremantle Smelting Works, just south of Island Street, which processed lead and base bullion from Kalgoorlie. Next to the smelter was the slaughter house of Copley & Co, processing sheep and cattle on the same location where John Wellard had slaughtered sheep for the Convict establishment in the early 1850s.
Further south at Robb Jetty, slaughter houses operated by Forrest, Emanuel & Co, and Connor, Doherty and Durack existed, these slaughter houses essentially supplied all the meat to the metropolitan area and the expanding goldfields. The livestock arriving from the north-west of the state including the Kimberley Region
Kimberley region of Western Australia
The Kimberley is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is located in the northern part of Western Australia, bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy and Tanami Deserts, and on the east by the Northern Territory.The region...
and were unloaded from the ships onto the jetty. As there was no cold storage at the slaughter houses extensive pasturing for the animals as well as small market gardens were established in the region around the abattoir.
In 1898 a railway was built from Fremantle to Robb Jetty. The slaughter houses expanded with a bone mill, blood manure and skin-drying sheds added.
In 1903 the railway was extended to Woodman Point and the explosives magazine was moved there, further away from Fremantle.
The area steadily became the centre of much of Perth's heavy industry and comprised the coal fired power station, railway marshalling yards, abattoir as well as numerous skin drying sheds. From the 1980s however, pressures brought on by demands for residential housing began a process of removal of the various facilities.
Railway marshalling yards
A large WAGR
Western Australian Government Railways
Western Australian Government Railways was most common name of the Western Australian government rail transport authority from 1890 to 1976. It is, in its current form, known as the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia....
marshalling yard with signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
tower built in the 1960s during the standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
railway line project from Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
to Leighton.
Westrail
Westrail was the name of Western Australia’s public rail service between 1975 and 2000.It had its origins in 1877 as the Department of Works and Railways. This became Western Australian Government Railways in 1890 — a name that persisted for almost a century...
era in the 1990s.
Robb Jetty Abattoir
The abattoir was closed in 1994 with the jetty itself dismantled in the 1960s. All that remains of the former jetty are the pylons which extend between 200 – 300 meters out to sea. The chimney is the only remaining part of the large complex of buildings which included offices, holding yards, freezer and chiller facilities. The chimney is listed in the State Register of Heritage Places.
South Fremantle Power Station
Construction of the Power Station commenced in January, 1946. The South Fremantle site was chosen for its relatively close metropolitan population, its proximity to nearby railway facilities for the delivery of coal and the ease with which seawater could be utilised for the cooling system. The four boilers 1, 2, 3 & 4 of 'A' Station were fired up in January 1951; the first 25 MW turbo-alternator came on line in May 1951 prior to the official opening of the Power Station on 27 June 1951 by the
Hon. David Brand, Minister for Electricity. In September 1951, the second 25 MW turbo alternator came on line. The No. 3 turbo alternator came on line in January 1954, and the No. 4 turbo alternator in December 1954. The power station was then complete with a total capacity of 100 MW.
Much of the plant was designed and manufactured in England, with skilled contractors sent out from England to assemble the plant on site. The State Energy Commission encouraged the recruitment of staff by providing housing in the Hilton Park area
Hilton, Western Australia
Hilton is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Fremantle.The suburb has an eclectic mixture of weatherboard, fibro and brick dwellings...
, and the new suburb soon had many community amenities. A bus
service from the Power Station to Hilton and Fremantle was provided for shift workers. Over 250 workers were employed at the power station during the 1950s.
In 1954, a major fire at South Fremantle in the coal conveyor from the crusher house caused structural damage and resulted in a switch to oil fuel for the boilers. In the mid 1970s the plant was converted back to coal, which fuelled the station until its closure in 1985. By the 1980s production of electricity at South Fremantle had become uneconomical. The interconnected grid then was supplying electricity from power stations with more up-to-date machinery and closer to the coal source at Collie
Collie, Western Australia
-External links:*...
, Bunbury
Bunbury, Western Australia
The port city of Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after the State Capital Perth and Mandurah. It is situated south of Perth's central business district...
, Kwinana
Kwinana, Western Australia
The Town of Kwinana is a Local Government Area of Western Australia. It covers an area of approximately 118 square kilometres in metropolitan Perth, and lies about 38 km south of Perth's central business district, via the Kwinana Freeway...
and Muja
Muja Power Station, Western Australia
Muja Power Station is a power station 22km east of Collie, Western Australia. It has eight coal powered steam turbines that together generate a total capacity of 854 MW of electricity. The coal is mined in the nearby Collie Sub-basin....
.
In September 1985, the South Fremantle Power Station closed after 34 years service and its four chimney stacks were demolished.
Recent development
South BeachIn 2002 the State Government and Stockland
Stockland
Stockland may refer to:* Stockland, a multinational company.* Stockland, Devon, a small village in Devon, UK.* Stockland Bristol a village in Somerset, UK...
sought to redevelop the former ANI
Australian National Industries Limited
Australian National Industries Limited was an Australian heavy engineering company with diverse range of holdings, including:*Cockatoo Island dockyard.* Commonwealth Engineering.* Bradken .* Bus body building....
/Bradken
Bradken Limited
Bradken Limited is a global manufacturing company headquartered in Australia. The company is a component of the S&P/ASX 200 index. Bradken has 26 manufacturing facilities throughout Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and China.Bradken is a manufacturer and...
Foundry and surrounding land (including the former rail marshalling yards) for residential purposes. This was opposed by a local resident action group, Save South Beach, who actively campaigned against the redevelopment on issues of site contamination, diminished coastal setback, rail noise and coastal erosion impacts. Despite the ongoing protests the redevelopment commenced with the first resident lots reaching the market in 2005.
Port Coogee/Point Catherine
In 1992 the State Government agreed in-principle to develop a residential marina in the Coogee locality. In 1996 the State Government entered into an agreement with Port Catherine Developments Pty Ltd PCD) to facilitate the proposed marina. The project was opposed by a resident action group, Coogee Coastal Action Coalition, concerned about the loss of beaches, potential coastal erosion, impact on local seagrass
Seagrass
Seagrasses are flowering plants from one of four plant families , all in the order Alismatales , which grow in marine, fully saline environments.-Ecology:...
and existing site contamination issues Since the signing of the agreement PCD has been taken over by Australand Property Group and work has commenced on the construction of the marina, with the first lots reaching the market in 2007.
Cockburn Coast
In 2008 the State Government launched their vision for the development of the former industrial area between South Beach and the Port Coogee marina, with 95 hectares of coastal land being proposed to be redeveloped for residential purposes, housing approximately 10,000 people.