Golden Bay, Western Australia

The Golden Bay community areas are jointly owned and operated by both the Department of Communities WA and Peet Limited and is home to almost 2,200 local dwellings.[2] There are 3 local precincts in the Golden Bay suburb: the Seaside Precinct, Walk Precinct; Near the Golden Bay Primary and Comet Bay College and the Reserve Precinct, between natural bushland and the coastal zone of Golden Bay.[2]

The Western Australian state government, as part of the 'Building for Tomorrow' initiative, has proposed the development of Karnup Train Station, delivered as part of the Lakelands Station project.

Cape Bouvard Investments (CBI), an Australian residential investment company, currently manages the project 'Peelhurst Park', which is the second stage of land released at Golden Bay by CBI, following the success of Peelhurst Estate.

The Peelhurst ruins in 2020

Thomas Peel, an early settler of Western Australia, attempted settlement, known as ‘Clarence’, on the south coast of Western Australia, giving shape to the Peelhurst Ruins. These were abandoned by the early 1830s,[3] and are now managed by the Heritage Council of Western Australia, under the Heritage Act of 2018.

The Peelhurst Ruins, otherwise known as the Thomas Peel Juniors Homestead or the Thomas Peel Reserve, were constructed around 1860, yet never saw completion, even though it was occupied by Peel and his housekeeper, Mrs Spencer, until approximately 1882.[3] It was around this time that the property was sold to the Petersons, with the intention of providing a coastal run for their livestock, directed from their property in Pinjarra. However, around 1949, the land was subdivided by the Paterson’s and eventually absorbed by the City of Rockingham in 1991, where the site remains as a heritage reserve.

The ruins are an example of early settlement in the Rockingham region, demonstrating early stone construction and representative of the form and scale of housing in the mid 19th century.[3] The ruins are also surrounded by the presence of early farming practices in Western Australia and are representative of introduced flora for decorative purposes.[3]

The city of Golden Bay is located within the Whadjuk Region, Whadjuk being the name of the Noongar dialectal group from the Perth area,[4] who continue to hold their connection to the land. Whadjuk is situated south of Yued and north of the Pinjarup dialectal groups, spanning 5,580kms.[4]

Golden Bay is located approximately 64kms from Perth’s central business district, via the Kwinana Freeway/State route, and is a 20-minute drive to the city of Rockingham and a 15-minute drive to Mandurah City Centre.

Much of the suburbs geographical significance comes from the Gold Bay high dunes and noteworthy vegetation, currently authorised and managed by the City of Rockingham legislative council. The sequential parabolic dune landforms along the Golden Bay coastline, are of significant importance to the geographical area and its geological history. The Golden Bay dunes are part of the longshore drink of sediment known as the ‘sedimentary sink’ within the Bunbury / Leschenault Peninsula area, delivering an annual average of 100,000m3 of sand.[5] This accumulation of sand constitutes the Rockingham-Becher Twin Cuspate Foreland and is the largest in both Western Australia and Australia.[6]

The Golden Bay dunes system is part of the Swan Coastal Plains that runs for 30kms along the Indian Ocean coast. The immediate coastal area of the Golden Bay dunes consists of small foredunes, sand cliffs and blowouts, however, as you move further inland, the dune terrain is dominated by inland-ingressing high parabolic dunes, creating conical hill residuals and chaot terrain, this area is further blanketed by coastal vegetation. The coastal geomorphology also houses buried limestone reefs and partially exhumed limestone reefs, dating back to 5000-3000 B.C., and is considered an important Geoheritage feature to the Golden Bay region.[7]

The Golden Bay community, as of the 2016 Census, is home to 3,785 people, 49.7% of which were male and 50.3% were female, with a median age of 31 years. 26% of residents are children between 0–14 years, approximately 67% between 15 and 64 years and 7% of 65 years and older. In this census, 1,956 people were reported to be in the labour force: 54.4% full-time, 30.3% part-time and 9.3% unemployed.[1]

Of those 15 years and older, the variable considering registered marital status showed that 45.5% of the community are married and 39.2% were never married and around 15% were separated, divorced or widowed,[1] very similar to the averages of both Western Australia and Australia as a whole.[1]

The community’s educational institution attendee status reflected a 35.6% rate in attendance. Of these, 33.2% were in primary school, 24.7% in secondary school and 15.9% in tertiary education. Additionally, 11.2% of the population recorded a bachelor’s degree level or above, and 16.7% completed year 12 as the highest level of educational attainment.[1]

The Golden Bay population is home to a multitude of ancestries, including English, with 34.9%, noticeably higher than the Australian national average of 25%, Australian, with a recorded rate of 25.6%, Scottish at 7.9%, Irish at 6.5% and 2.5% recorded their ancestry as Italian;[1] however, the 2016 Census allowed residents to record up to two ancestries.[1]

The Golden Bay coastal region is home to a multitude of flora and fauna, that thrive in the dense wetlands of the Swan Coastal Plains and high dune area.