Coogee is a southern coastal
suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separ ...
of
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
, Western Australia, located within the
City of Cockburn
The City of Cockburn ( ) is a local government area in the southern suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth about south of Fremantle and about south of Perth's central business district. The City covers an area of and had a po ...
.
History
The suburb takes its name from the lake,
Lake Coogee, in the area, which translates to "Body of water" in the native Aboriginal
Nyoongar language. Originally this lake was named Lake Munster after Prince William, the
Earl of Munster
Earl of Munster was a title created twice, once in the Peerage of Ireland and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came in 1789 in favour of Prince William, the third son of King George III. He was made Duke of Clare ...
, and later
King William IV. The Aboriginal name ''Kou-gee'' was recorded in 1841 by
Thomas Watson and has been variously spelt ''Koojee, Coojee'' and ''Coogee''.
The first European settlement in the region occurred with the ill-fated settlement by
Thomas Peel at the Clarence townsite behind
Woodman Point in 1829, the townsite being abandoned in 1831. Settlement of the area commenced in the 1870s around Lake Coogee on Rockingham Road (the first road between Fremantle and
Rockingham).
The current residential area of Coogee commenced development in the 1980s. Previously it was an area of limestone ridge, small rural lots and market gardens in the west and south portions of the current suburb. Denser residential development was limited to a small area in the northwest of the current suburb about Beach Road and King Street. That area was better known as the locality of ''Coogee Beach''. Some buildings still standing in that area date back to the nineteenth century.
Coogee Hotel
In 1898, Walter Powell applied for a publican's licence in Four-mile Well, Coogee. He extended and renovated the existing building, turning it into the Coogee Hotel. He traded for twenty years, until his death in 1923, fostering local sports, particularly horse racing, and giving the local community of meat workers and market gardeners a place to socialise and relax. The hotel was de-licensed in 1927, and became a holiday home for orphans under the Swan Anglican Children's Homes in 1930. In 1946 the orphans were housed there full-time. In 1968, threatened with demolition by Main Roads to build a high-capacity road through the area, the orphanage sold the hotel and moved out. It was not demolished, and was used intermittently as private offices. An extension was added in the early 1990s, and the building was heritage listed in 2001.
Restaurateur Nic Trimboli and property developer Adrian Fini bought the building from Main Roads in 2017 with the intention of opening the building as a restaurant. The restaurant refurbishment was underway in December 2019, and reopened as Coogee Commons on 5 March 2022.
Geography
Coogee is located south of
Fremantle
Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...
and overlooks
Cockburn Sound
Cockburn Sound (Nyungar Aboriginal Australian name: Derbal Nara) is an inlet of the Indian Ocean on the coast of Western Australia. It extends from the south of the mouth of the Swan River at Fremantle for about 25 km to Point Peron ne ...
with views of
Garden Island,
Carnac Island and
Rottnest Island
Rottnest Island ( nys, Wadjemup), often colloquially referred to as "Rotto", is a island off the coast of Western Australia, located west of Fremantle. A sandy, low-lying island formed on a base of aeolianite limestone, Rottnest is an A-cla ...
. The suburb is bounded by Ocean Road to the north, Hamilton Road to the east, the Beeliar Drive (road extension) to the south and Cockburn Road/Indian Ocean to the west.
To the southwest of the suburb lies
Woodman Point, an "A" Grade reserve with several kilometres of beach frontage onto Cockburn Sound. Features of Woodman Point include a large jetty used during World War II for the transport of munitions. There are also a large number of disused but preserved munitions stores in the reserves. The Reserve also features large picnic areas and is a popular fishing locality.
A project known as ''Port Coogee'' is under construction to the North-West of Coogee in the suburb now known as
North Coogee. It includes a new marina and a housing estate to complement the existing suburb of Coogee.
While geographically the suburb of Coogee is a relatively small and defined residential area, the name Coogee has been used extensively as a regional name and reference point. The Southern part of the neighbouring suburb of
Munster
Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rĂ ruirech). Following t ...
was previously known as the two localities of ''South Coogee'' (or ''Coogee South'') and ''Woodman Point''. ''Lake Coogee'' is now within that portion of Munster. In December 2005 a portion of Coogee was incorporated into the new suburb of North Coogee.
Facilities
There is a single government primary school, Coogee Primary School, located in the southern portion of the suburb.
The main recreation reserves are Poole Reserve on Hamilton Road and Coogee Beach on the Indian Ocean. Immediately south of Coogee Beach is the Coogee Beach Caravan Park.
Coogee Beach Caravan Park
Transport
Transperth
Transperth is the brand name of the public transport system serving the city and suburban areas of Perth, the state capital of Western Australia. It is managed by the Public Transport Authority (PTA), a state government organisation. Train o ...
's 548, 532 and 522 route buses pass through the suburb of Coogee, and connect it with Fremantle
Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...
, Rockingham and Cockburn Central
Cockburn Central ( ) is a suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, and is south of Perth's central business district (CBD) along the Kwinana Freeway. Its local government area is the City of Cockburn, and it is intended by th ...
.
References
External links
{{Perth landmarks
Suburbs of Perth, Western Australia
Suburbs in the City of Cockburn