House

Statement of Significance

• the place has aesthetic value for its simple vernacular style as shown by its simple massing and homely character, enclosed verandah and large simple roof profile containing rooms. The place is an adaption of the Inter War Californian bungalow style that was typically composed of and brick for suburban blocks.
• the place relates to the greater community aesthetic of Safety Bay and Rockingham in the 1940s holiday home period.
• the place has historic value as it exemplifies the development of a holiday destination in Western Australia’s south-west, especially within Safety Bay and Rockingham.
• the place has social value as its construction as a guest house, is important in contributing to the communities’ sense of place and is reminiscent of the holiday culture of the Safety Bay area during the mid to late 20th Century.
• the place is rare as an example of a former guest house as it demonstrates a former way of life in Rockingham.

Physical Description

Essentially a single storey residence with additional accommodation within the roof space, presenting to the exterior with dormers and windows in the gables.
The original façade of the residence has been obscured due to the enclosure of the verandah with fibre cement sheet and louvered windows. Doors and windows are a mix of styles and scale indicating many programs of work during the life of the building.
The place is a timber framed construction with fibre cement sheet cladding. Information from the current owner indicates that the interior of the place has been extensively remodelled since the 1950s and aluminium framed windows have been installed on one elevation and the roof cladding has been replaced in recent years with zincalume.
The windows which are visible are predominantly timber framed casements.

History

In the 1920s, Rockingham became a popular holiday destination due to the rapid increase in the use of motor transport that made the place more accessible from the Perth metropolitan area for day-trippers and holidaymakers.
In the 1930s, as access to Safety Bay was improved, the population grew and houses were built on Safety Bay Road. Much of the land in the Safety Bay area was owned by Alfred John Henry Watts who was a resident and land agent in the area from c1933. The subdivision on which this property is located was approved in 1935. The lack of a good road to Safety Bay was an impediment to development and it was not until 1939 that a new road was cleared and laid to Safety Bay.
From the available information it is apparent that this site was not developed until c1949 when a building permit was issued for the construction of a residence on this site. Information from the current [2017] owner states that this place was built in 1949 and is likely to have been a building relocated from the Goldfields. This was not an uncommon practice at this time as building materials were scarce in the post war period.
During the late 1940s, the guest house advertised under the name of 'Sorrento' was managed, and possibly owned, by Joan Russell Hankins and her husband Ernest William Hankins (1907-1979). Ernest Hankins was an airman during World War Two serving in Geraldton for some of that period. The couple had married in 1933 and lived in various regions in Western Australia. Joan Hankins had formerly operated a tea rooms in Mosman Park and later the couple managed a guest house in the Porongorups.
It is known that this place was used as a guest house in 1949 as it was used as a venue for a card night organised by the tennis club and the hostess (Mrs Hankins) and her helpers ' had spared no effort to make the evening a success and provide amusement for the guests'. In the same year, the Sorrento advertised the premises; 'Sorrento Guest House, Safety Bay. Tariff £3/10/. Children acc to age. Country families welcomed. Good fishing, bus service, & hour to Fremantle. Write J. R. Hankins
It was noted in the local press that the Sorrento closed as a guest house in 1951 and in the same year the 'Kings View Guest House' (Arcadia House) also closed. This may indicate a change in the type of holiday accommodation desired by visitors from the 1950s.
During the 1950s, the place was converted to five flats, each with their own services, and renamed ‘Koolama Flats’. The name was probably in recognition of the MV Koolama, an Australian merchant vessel which sunk off the Western Australian coast after attacks by Japanese aircraft in February–March 1942.
In the 1970s, the place was converted to a single residence and has remained as that function with many internal changes of fittings and finishes. With a change of ownership in 1986, the front fence was built and bricks were built around the base of the building to obscure the timber stumps.
Aerial photographs indicate that the form and extent of the building has not been significantly changed since the mid-20th century.

Integrity/Authenticity

Moderate to High

Condition

Fair

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.