Known as the place where the coast comes to life, Rockingham is famous for its 37 km of spectacular coastline and range of exciting ecotourism adventures.
Whether it’s swimming with dolphins, exploring the iconic Penguin Island, or relaxing at Cape Peron, it’s this coastal lifestyle that has been a key part in the City becoming one of the fastest growing local governments in Western Australia.
With border restrictions halting international and interstate travel over the past 18 months, Rockingham’s popularity with day trippers in Western Australia has soared to new heights. Data revealed by Tourism Research Australia in late 2020 found domestic day trips had risen by an unprecedented 33 percent.
One key to this growth has been the City’s $15.75 million revitalisation of the Rockingham Foreshore precinct. Since it was completed in 2019, visitors have flocked to the new look foreshore and the City has received several awards for the planning, design and delivery of the project.
Mayor, Deb Hamblin, said, “Supported by a robust Tourist Destination Strategy, the City has sought to promote Rockingham as WA’s premium coastal destination.
“We’ve done this by launching a new destination marketing brand Rediscover Rockingham, plus campaigns that have been featured in several episodes of Channel 9s Destination WA TV series, a major billboard marketing campaign across Perth, and we also launched a trial of the Rediscover Rockingham tram service.”
Identifying and providing support for major community events that align with the City’s strategic goals has also been a key feature, with Council resolving to support this year’s Rockingham Beach Cup by providing $175,000 of Iconic Event Sponsorship. The last event attracted over 16,000 people to the foreshore.
These efforts have not gone unnoticed, with the City selected as a finalist in the 2021 Perth Airport Western Australian Tourism Awards for the Excellence in Local Government Award for Tourism category, winners will be announced on 13 November 2021.