Cockburn Sound Attractions

Cockburn Sound features a number of attractions and towns for visitors.

Kwinana, Australia

In spite of its nearness to holiday settlements and bathing beaches Kwinana (pop. 11,800) has been developing since 1951 into the main center of Western Australia's heavy industry. The two principal plants are the oil refinery and Alcoa's alumina works; other industries are nickel smelting, chemicals and cement manufacture. Many of the firms can be visited by appointment. In the town's excellent natural harbor are huge loading installations, in particular a grain terminal.

The town is named after the Kwinana, a ship which was driven ashore in a storm in 1922. The hull has been filled with cement and is used as a diving platform for swimmers.

Kwinana is a good base for boat trips to the offshore islands.

Rockingham, Australia

Rockingham (pop. 30,640), immediately adjoining the industrial town of Kwinana, was named after a ship which ran aground here in the early days of the settlement.

Once an important port, Rockingham was sidelined by the development of Fremantle in 1897. Thanks to its beautiful sheltered beaches and its convenient proximity to Perth, Rockingham has enjoyed a rapid development as a holiday and commuter town in spite of the neighboring industrial installations.

Surroundings

There are rewarding boat trips to the offshore islands (particularly Penguin Island with its colony of penguins) around Rockingham. From Point Peron there are magnificent panoramic views of the ocean, the islands, the coast and the town. Shoalwater Bay Islands National Park extends south from Garden Island to Warnbro Beach.

50km east in the direction of the Darling Range are Serpentine Dam and the Serpentine Falls (Serpentine National Park).