Overview

This page has a full description of this section of the trail, including supporting photographs. You can read this page and/or

• Download a PDF summary of this (click on this link); and

• A JPEG version of the map only (the figure below - click on this link).

Starting point

The starting place is the beach front at the end of Railway Terrace. There is plenty of parking here, although on the weekends in summer, it will be busy unless you arrive first thing in the morning. Check the parking signs to make sure you aren’t parking in a time limited zone.

Getting there using public transport

The best way to get using public transport is to catch the 555 bus, which starts at the Rockingham Train Station – this is a high frequency bus. It travels along the beach front - Rockingham Beach Road – and terminates 50m up Railway Terrace in the centre of the beach front area.

Turn around point

The turn around point is a small sandy beach just passed a large carpark at Cape Peron.

Getting back to the start from the turn around point – if you don’t want to do an out-and-back walk

There is no public transport that services the Cape Peron area, and the nearest bus stop is at the western end of Parkin Street – for bus 551. This is over half way back to the start – about 2.5km. The 551 returns to the Rockingham train Station and there is a bus stop on Kent Street about 100m from the starting point.

Summary of the walk

Figure 1 below shows the route. The one-way distance is 4.7 km, making it an 9.4 km out and back walk.

Water and toilets

Any toilet blocks are noted below in the text in italics. These are also sources of potable water. Any additional drinking water taps and showers are also noted in italics.

Walking guide

Just to the north of the starting point is a toilet block and drinks fountain. From the large gazebo on the head west towards Cape Peron passed the café strip on the foreshore (Plate 1).

Most of the Rockingham foreshore and the Palm Beach foreshore is very narrow with houses, roads and foreshore infrastructure close to the beach (see Plate 2).

These setbacks were determined over 50 years ago, before concerns about climate change and sea level rise. As well, the coast is very low energy, primarily because of Garden Island and the causeway (see later). Sediment movement along this beach is very small compared with beaches further south, not protected by Garden Island.  Once passed the café strip, the path continues (concrete now) along the Palm Beach foreshore. The vegetation is low scrubland and grassland offering sweeping views of Cockburn Sound.

Before Palm Beach jetty, there is a curious memorial to a group of Irish convicts who were considered to be revolutionaries – Fenians - sent to WA in the early days of European settlement. The memorial commemorates an 1876 attempt to free this group who were being held in Rockingham (Plate 3).

The path continues passed the Palm Beach jetty running parallel to the road, until the end of the residential area and the beginning of the Cape Peron recreation and conservation reserve. There is a toilet block just after Palm Beach Jetty and another near the boat launching ramps opposite Rotary Park. This is also where the path ends, where the road takes a sharp left hand turn (Plate 4).

As can be seen in Plate 4, there is a narrow path that runs between the beach and the first of the holiday villages. Take this path. This is also where the beach erosion commences and continues all the way to the Causeway (Plate 5).

The path soon ends so continue along the grassed area passed the holiday village until you reach the boat club, which is fenced off. It is necessary to walk along the beach here (Plate 6).

There are a large number of boats either on dry land in the boat club or moored just off shore (Plates 7 & 8).

At the time of writing this, the EPA had recommended approval for an inland marina in this location, partly to facilitate the many boats held in this area – Mangles Bay marina. The proposal is now going through the planning process, and is currently with the Minister for Planning for a final decision.

The beach walk come to an end at the groyne, which has been constructed to allow boat launching from the boat club (Plate 9).

It is necessary to leave the beach here and walk through the boat club passed the main building and continue parallel to the beach on the other side of the building (Plate 10).

Continue passed the boats to a make-shift carpark (Plate 11), and at the end on the carpark, climb over a sand pile and make you way down to the beach (Plate 12).

Walk along the beach until you arrive at the Causeway connecting the mainland to Garden Island (Plate 13). Access to the island is only for defense purposes – the Stirling Naval Base is on Garden Island. This small beach is the launching place for jet skis – Plate 14.

It is necessary to walk up to the main road (Point Peron Road) passed the causeway (Plate 15), and take the next turn right into the carpark and boat launching area just passed the Causeway.

Follow the main road in the carpark which becomes one-way, and passed the main toilet block. There is a large pile of sand on the beach to the west of the carpark (Plate 16), which is sand the City of Rockingham has taken from its beaches that are accreting (mostly to the west of the boat ramp here). The city uses this sand to re-nourish eroding beaches.

Near the sand pile is a track which leads to the beach (Plate 17) – take this track.

Walk up the beach across and gryone made out of sand bags (Plate 18), which is trying to control the erosion further up the beach (Plate 19).

As you near the end of the beach, the erosion is obvious, as was the last attempt at beach replenishment visible when I walked the trail (Plate 20). Take the bitumen path on top of the stone wall (Plate 20) to a small sandy beach you can sit on the steps and take a rest (Plate 21). This path leads from a carpark, which is where the next walk will start from. This is the turn-around point.

This area is home to a lot of pelicans (Plate 22), including on the beach near the boat club (Plate 23).

Garry Middle, July 2017