Discover the City of Rockingham: Coast, Nature and Culture

Rockingham has a 37-kilometre coastline and offers wildlife watching, water activities and local culture. For a stay in the City of Rockingham, you can choose from a range of experiences: coastal landscapes and wildlife, active time on or by the water, and walks and history.

Coast, Islands and Wildlife

The protected Shoalwater Islands Marine Park is home to dolphins, seals, penguins and pelicans. Cape Peron offers coastal views across the park. Penguin Island is home to Little Penguins, the only penguin species that lives permanently in Australian waters; they are also called Blue Penguins or Fairy Penguins. The Penguin Island Boardwalk is 1.5 kilometres long and allows walkers to encounter local flora and fauna up close. While Cape Peron opens up views across the park, the boardwalk focuses on encounters with flora and fauna.

Water Activities

The activities on offer vary: the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park Paddle is an 8-kilometre kayak trail along the Rockingham coast. Point Peron is known for kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding, as well as coastal diving and snorkelling among limestone caves and swim-through caves. The Churchill Park Dive Trail is a coastal dive trail; the wading distance from the Rockingham Foreshore to the trail is about 60 metres. The Pond in Safety Bay is a spot for windsurfing and kitesurfing.

The City of Rockingham is known for safe swimming in calm, shallow water and its sandy beaches. The coast also has facilities for launching recreational boats, public jetties, free boat moorings and opportunities for beach fishing. So, in addition to swimming and beach visits, boating facilities and beach fishing are also among the options.

Walks and Wildlife Watching

At Lake Richmond, you can choose between two nature experiences: the easy, 3-kilometre Anne Mueller Environmental Walk, a loop around the lake, and a boardwalk with views of an endangered thrombolite community. The Anne Mueller Environmental Walk is rich in birdlife. Species include Australian Pelicans, Black Swans, Australian Shovelers, Chestnut Teals, White-faced Herons and Common Greenshanks.

History and Culture

Day Cottage is one of Rockingham’s oldest surviving houses and a rare example of a colonial-era limestone cottage. The Rockingham Museum is housed in an Art Deco building, the former Rockingham Road Board Building dating from 1946/47. Its many displays cover Rockingham’s history and are intended to inform and educate visitors and children. The Rockingham Arts Centre offers professionally curated exhibitions, workshops and development programs.

Foreshore and Travel Planning

The redevelopment of the Rockingham Beach Foreshore created an accessible lookout and a Beach Bowl. A boardwalk connects the foreshore to the beach.

Rockingham is about 45 minutes from Perth by car or train. The Rockingham Beach Cup is a major event that brings visitors to Rockingham every year.

Discover more destinations: Baldivis, City of Stirling, City of Belmont, City of Albany, Shire of Esperance, City of Busselton, Shire of Ashburton, Shire of Dardanup.

Go to the main travel overview: Western Australia.