Rockingham Travel Guide

  ROCKINGHAM...BEACHFRONT...
by DennyP
  • ROCKINGHAM...BEACHFRONT...
      ROCKINGHAM...BEACHFRONT...
    by DennyP
  • The Aboriginal garden
      The Aboriginal garden
    by Purpleshade
  • Rockingham Beach
      Rockingham Beach
    by DennyP
  • Beach volley ball
      Beach volley ball
    by nezz
  •   Rockingham
    by DennyP

Pro

Purpleshade profile photo

 Beautiful beaches, parks, walks and watersports. 


Con

aussirose profile photo

 Mandurah down the road is better. 


In a nutshell

FoodieSteve profile photo

 Great shopping and eating. 

 

Explore Rockingham

Things to Do  

Narnegebup environmental centre

Narnegebup environmental centre, Rockingham

 Purpleshade Says:  Narnegebup Environmental centre and has a wealth of information about the flora and fauna of the locally. Is a community built, community run, non-profit organization open to the public six days a week. These pics were take on their annual open day when the admission is free... 

Take a walk or cycle along the beachfront path

Take a walk or cycle along the beachfront path, Rockingham

 Purpleshade Says:  There is a smooth, wide, concrete cycle/footpath running along the coast from just north of Rockinghma Beach, south to Port Kennedy. It doesn't go around Point Peron but cuts acoss the isthmus and carries on around the bays on the other side.Most of it is flat and suitable... 

Lake Richmond

Lake Richmond, Rockingham

 Purpleshade Says:  Lake Richmond is stunningly beautiful, calm and tranquil.The 1,000m x 600m lake and it’s surrounds make up a 40 hectare environmentally protected area, home to much native flora and fauna. The day the photo was taken we many heard many types of frogs calling; banjo frogs,... 

Fishing from Palm Beach jetty

Fishing from Palm Beach jetty, Rockingham

 Purpleshade Says:  This is popular spot for fishing, especially summer evenings (photo taken winter lunchtime). The deli at the end of the jetty sells take away food and drinks, ice cream, bait and fishing essentials etc.I've been told that the scriptwriter for the TV program Neighbours worked... 

Rotary Park

Rotary Park, Rockingham

 Purpleshade Says:  Rotary park is a nature reserve and picnic area with picnic benches under gazebos and free electric BBQ's. It is designed so that you can see the birds with wooden walkways going out over the lake. Many native birds can be seen here including pacific black ducks, eurasian... 

Hotels  

Manuel Towers

 26 Opinions

Restaurants  

Spices On Ocean: Finally, a decent Indian restaurant in W.A.

Spices On Ocean: Finally, a decent Indian restaurant in W.A., Rockingham

 Steve-H Says:  For those of us who like a regular curry Perth has been a big dissapointment, there are some terrible restaurants south of the city, pale watery dishes and imitations of Indian cuisine have been the only thing on offer until now. A new restaurant opened in Rockingham and we... 

Capricci's: Breakfast on the strip.

Capricci's: Breakfast on the strip., Rockingham

 Purpleshade Says:  Capricci's is an Italian restaurant on the beachfront in Rockingham. Serves all the usual stuff, pizzas, pastas, steaks, shellfish etc We enjoy breakfast here occassonally, generous portions of bacon and eggs on toast, with added extras as desired.Good coffee and pots of... 

Palm Beach Deli: Possibly the best deal on ice cream in town.

Palm Beach Deli: Possibly the best deal on ice cream in town., Rockingham

 Purpleshade Says:  Deli serving take-away food (mostly things with chips) with shaded outside eating area.Connoisseur ice cream at reasonable prices.Also sells sweets, newspapers and fishing supplies.I have been told that the scriptwriter for Neighbours worked here as a teenager and modelled... 

Transportation  

Ambrose Car Hire, Rockingham WA

Ambrose Car Hire, Rockingham WA, Rockingham

 vjg Says:  Had a flat tire, changed the tire myself in 38 celsius, no problem; took vehicle back ourselves to rental shop (could have waited? to get towed?), they wanted to charge ME for a new tire!, we only had it for about 2 hours. He said, Why didn't you just carry on? I said,... 

Convertible comfort!

Convertible comfort!, Rockingham

 Gwynneth Says:  Tina and Steve took Jami and me down to the Mussel Festival in Rockingham in total style. We didn't care about our hair blowing in every direction as we were travelling in their beautiful black convertible BMW. The drive from Perth was great and it was nice to be a passenger... 

Shopping  

Rockingham City Shopping Centre
Purpleshade profile photo

3.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

Purpleshade 116 reviews
Rockingham City shopping centre
2 more images

Rockingham has a big, indoor, air-conditioned shopping centre, the 3rd biggest in the state.
It's about half a kilometer in length (great for walking when it's too hot to walk outside) and houses 2 large supermarkets, several department stores and about 125 smaller speciality stores.
Update 2009. The shopping centre has been extended and is now even bigger and better. It now has a dedicated 'fashion mall' and a food hall as well as much refubishing. More restaurants and a new cinema are due to be finished by the end of this year.

The underground car park has 900 parking bays, plus more above ground. An electric travellator takes you and your trolley from the shops to the carpark.

Most shops are open 8.30am-5.30pm Monday to Saturday with late night shopping on Thursday til 9.00pm. On Public Holidays and school holidays it's open on Sundays too.

Easy access by bus from the train station

What to buy: The enormous variety of shops covers all everyday needs and gifts.
Includes cafes, bottle shop and post office.
I use the supermarkets here for most of my food shopping.

My Favourite shops.
The Crystal surf shop - for Australian designer label surfie clothes and silver jewellry.
Red dot and King Kong - the bargain stores where everything is cheap including craft supplies.
Target - Australia's answer to Marks and Spencers, but not so expensive. My daughter's favourite cos they sell ladies shoes up to size 12
K-Mart - (not the same as US K-Mart), family department store, best prices on popular CDs, DVDs and video games and many other items.
Bakers Delight - Large selection of speciality breads.
Rowan and Jarman - sports store, good selection sports wear, all the popular brands.
The Bali shop-beautiful ornamental items imported from Bali.
Electronics boutique-electronics, CDs, DVDs, video games etc (my son's favourite)
The sale stalls in the centre of the aisles that change often.

Updated Sep 7, 2009

Address: Read Street Rockingham.

Related to:
 Beaches
 Whale Watching
 Eco-Tourism

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Local Customs  

We all go to Bunnings on the Public Holidays.

We all go to Bunnings on the Public Holidays., Rockingham

 Purpleshade Says:  Bunnings is a major chain of hardware shops in Australia. They have massive 'Bunnings Warehouses' and sell all the stuff you need to maintain your garden, pond, pool and do any DIY project. They also stock craft materials and many houshold goods. They're open every day of... 

The Spring Festival

The Spring Festival, Rockingham

 Purpleshade Says:  Rockingham has it's annual Spring Festival every year in November. It has traditionally been held on the oval near the beach, and the tradition has been carried on now that the oval has been redeveloped as part of the new Rockingham Beach Village. With free entry, free... 

Tourist Traps  

SHOWBAGS!

SHOWBAGS!, Rockingham

 Purpleshade Says:  This is a trap for locals as well as tourists. All the shows, travelling fairgrounds etc sell 'showbags', a brighly coloured plastic bag filled with goodies, lollies(sweets), toys, plastic trinkets, collectables etc. The better they are, the more they cost. Some of them are... 

The Big Ship

The Big Ship, Rockingham

 Purpleshade Says:  This ?? (don't quite know what to call it) was commisioned by Rockingham council for a vast sum of money as a tourist attraction. Many locals think of it as total waste of money. It's on the main road into the town close to the tourist informantion board. Have a look as... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Check out the Environment

Check out the Environment, Rockingham

 2Cities1Love Says:  Naragebup-Rockingham Regional Environmental CentreSafety Bay Road, ROCKINGHAMOpening Times:Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4.30pm Sunday 10am - 3pm Closed Mondays.Prices per person:Over 16 years $6.605 years and under with a family group FreeConcession: under 16, pension,... 

Another pleasant drive

Another pleasant drive, Rockingham

 Purpleshade Says:  Another pleasant drive from Rockingham is up into the hills to the Serpentine dams.These dams were built during the 50's to supply the ever growing need for water in the Perth area.The main Serpentine dam has a capacity of 137.7 million cubic metres covering a surface area... 

Sports & Outdoors  

Surfing at Secret Harbour

Surfing at Secret Harbour, Rockingham

 Purpleshade Says:  Secret harbour is the best surfing beach near to Rockingham.It has a well developed beachfront area with a shops, cafe, toilets, showers and children's playground.Many surfers and body boarders use this area in the summer.WARNING There are rips (currents) which can drag you... 

Favorites  

Rockingham is growing.

Rockingham is growing., Rockingham

 Purpleshade Says:  Rockingham has always been popular as a holiday place for the residents of Perth. Many people have had holiday homes here for the last 50 years.But now it's changing. It's growing and developing. It's a rapidly growing area of new housing and also of new hotels. This hotel... 

The Heart of Rockingham.

The Heart of Rockingham., Rockingham

 Purpleshade Says:  It would probably be reasonable to say that the beachfront is the heart of Rockingham. It’s often packed out on Public holidays, a popular place for large family picnics. It received the award for “Most upgraded beachfront in Peth Area” a couple of years ago. Since then it... 

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Map of Rockingham