Penguin Island and Mersey Point

Author

Heritage Council

Place Number

03164

Enlarge Map

Show Property Street View

There no heritage location found in the Google fusion table.

Location

Penguin Island Shoalwater

Location Details

Part of Shoalwater Islands Chain

Local Government

Rockingham

Region

Metropolitan

Construction Date

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type	Status	Date	Documents	More information
Heritage List	Adopted	24 Apr 2018		City of Rockingham

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type	Status	Date	Documents
RHP - To be assessed	Current	26 Aug 2011

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type	Status	Date	Grading/Management		More information
Type	Status	Date	Category	Description	More information
Register of the National Estate	Registered	21 Mar 1978
Municipal Inventory	Adopted	02 Sep 2012	Category A	Category A Worthy of the highest level of protection- recommended for entry into the State Register of Heritage Places. Development would require consultation with the City of Rockingham. Maximum encouragement to the owner should be provided under the City of Rockingham Planning Scheme to conserve the significance of the place. A detailed Heritage Assessment* and Impact Statement should be undertaken before approval is given for any major redevelopment. Incentives to promote heritage conservation should be also be considered.	City of Rockingham

Child Places

Values

· The place has been a tourism destination since the late 1880s to the present day.
· The island is home to 1200 penguins, and is the most northerly place that the ‘little penguin’ species can be found.
· The island’s penguin colony is the largest known penguin breeding colony in Western Australia.
· The place currently functions as an educational centre.
· The place is associated with Seaforth MacKenzie.
· The place previously accommodated a holiday complex built into the natural limestone caves.

Physical Description

Penguin Island and Mercy Point are located approximately 50 kilometres to the south of Perth in the suburb of Rockingham. The Island is less than 700 metres east of Mersey Point, and can be accessed via ferry. The island is closed to visitors at night.

History

The district of Rockingham was first settled by Thomas Peel and four hundred indentured workers who arrived on the Gilmore, the Industry and the Rockingham between December 1829 and May 1830. The Rockingham townsite was officially gazetted in July 1846. As early as the 1870s, Penguin Island was used by whalers, sealers and local fishermen, and by 1889 the island had been exploited for its tourism potential, and steam boat tours had been organised leaving from Fremantle’s South Jetty. The island remained uninhabited until c. 1914 when Seaforth MacKenzie and all his belongings were removed from Garden Island and moved to Penguin Island by the Australian Navy who were using Garden Island for military purposes. The Navy helped MacKenzie to set up an establishment in a small cave located in the northern part of the island, facing the mainland. With assistance from passing yachtsmen MacKenzie used the existing limestone caves, and with tools and explosives, the original cave was widened and deepened and other caves were created from the rock.

Place Type

Large Conservation Region

Uses

Epoch	General	Specific
Present Use	SOCIAL\RECREATIONAL	Other
Original Use	PARK\RESERVE	Park\Reserve
Other Use	RESIDENTIAL	Other
Present Use	EDUCATIONAL	Other

Historic Themes

General	Specific
SOCIAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES	Environmental awareness
OUTSIDE INFLUENCES	Tourism
SOCIAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES	Education & science
SOCIAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES	Sport, recreation & entertainment

Creation Date

12 Sep 1997

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

12 Jul 2022

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.