Golden Bay

Golden Bay is an outer southern suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, located within the City of Rockingham.

Golden Bay is an outer southern suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, located within the City of Rockingham. The city is located between Secret Harbour and Singleton, and just off the Mandurah Rd highway. Originally known as Peelhurst, the locality name was officially changed in 1985.

Golden Bay shore is a segment of the Swan Coastal Plain, that runs along the coast of the Indian Ocean.

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, 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. 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. The ruins are also surrounded by the presence of early farming practices in Western Australia and are representative of introduced flora for decorative purposes.