DESCRIPTION
Perth's heavy industrial zone was constructed on a beautiful stretch of coast starting in 1951. The industrial coastal strip is possibly the ugliest
place near the city. (Note: The preceding description has apparently ruffled some feathers at the local council so I will qualify it by saying that my criticism
of the area is confined the the industrial strip.)
Although this area is regrettably necessary, it does detract badly from the natural beauty of Cockburn Sound. The coastline south of the industrial area including
Rockingham and Safety Bay is very attractive and there are a number of pleasant parks but my dislike of the heavy industrial zone remains.
As a direct result of the industrial development sea grass beds suffered a decline of 78%. Due to new waste management policies this decline has apparently been
arrested in recent years but according to EPA reports, some areas remain 'highly stressed'.
The Kwinana Beach area has been redeveloped and what was once a large carpark, is now a grassed area with tables, seats, shelters, BBQs and toilets.
Sadly the local fishing jetty was damaged in a storm and it seems as though the local government has deemed it too expensive to replace and demolished what remained
of the structure. We took pictures soon after the storm and a large part of the jetty was still intact. It is sad that the local authorities failed to act to save what was, a considerable
local icon.
HISTORY
Kwinana was named after the S.S. Kwinana that foundered there in 1922. The remains can still be seen as what was part of the Kwinana jetty. The ship was originally
named Darius and was purchased by the state Government for 19,000 pounds. The name was originally meant to be Kimberley but a search of records
found that name was already in use by another ship so it was changed to Kwinana (a subdivision in the Kimberley).
The ship started work for the state in 1912 and on one trip north, the coal in one of her bunkers caught fire. The fire was eventually put out and the ship brought
south for repairs but while under tow she collided with another ship and was deemed uneconomical to repair. While at anchor in Careening Bay (Garden Island)
a storm came up and she broke her moorings and ended up on the beach that was to become her final resting place.
The word is said to originate from the Aboriginal people and means young woman or pretty maid.
A townsite started to develop in 1937 and the shire was declared in 1961. In 2012 the shire became a city.
From 1952 to 1970, BP, BHP, Alcoa and Western Mining all established an industrial presence in the area. This in turn attracted many other industries to the
coastal strip and the area is a major employer for the surrounding suburbs.
Medina, Parmelia and Calista were built nearby to house the workforce for the industrial strip and a new wave of immigrants arrived from over 30 different countries.
The names of these suburbs also originated with ships.
A huge wheat handling facility has also been constructed by C.B.H. and is reported to be the largest of its kind in the world.
Perth Motorplex opened in Kwinana in December 2000. The facility cost $20 million to construct and hosts a number of prestigious motor racing related events.
TALL TALES AND TRUE
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OTHER INFORMATION
ATTRACTIONS
The beaches, Kwinana 4wd recreation area, Slone's Reserve. Rockingham, Motorplex, The Spectacles wetlands.
BUILDINGS OF NOTE
Smirk cottage 1905, Postan's cottage 1860, Greenkeeper's cottage 1890s, Sloan's cottage 1911.
ELECTORAL ZONES
State : Kwinana
Federal : Brand
OTHER INFO.
Postcode : 6167
Local Government : City of Kwinana
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