Mandurah A Brief History

The first people known to have inhabited the area were Binjareb of the Bibbulmun Nation. These people lived well off the land, which abounded in fish, game, berries and fruits. The locality then was known as Mandjoogoordap, which translates as 'meeting place of the heart'. After European settlement the name was adapted to Mandurah.

In 1828 'Swan River Mania' inspired Englishman Thomas Peel to bring a number of workmen, equipment and stores to Western Australia in exchange for a grant of land. The contract stipulated that Peel must arrive in the colony by 1st November 1829, however the ship Gilmore,carrying Peel and his followers did not arrive until mid December and Peel's original land grant was forfeited.

Peel built a small settlement named Clarence, at what is known today as Woodman's Point to await the arrival of two other ships the Hooghly andRockingham which carried settlers, equipment and stores also belonging to Peel. After many mishaps and plagued by ill health Peel eventually brought his remaining settlers to the area known today as Mandurah.
At that time, Mandurah was a day's journey by sea and two or more days by horse and cart, travelling across very rough country. The area remained isolated until 1850 when a road was built and a ferry punt constructed across the estuary.

Thomas Peel died in 1865, and Mandurah continued to expand slowly over the years, with the main industries of the township being fishing and fruit growing, as well as canning factories to store the produce. Charles Tuckey established a canning factory on what is now Mandurah Terrace.  The storeroom of the cannery remains and until recently, it traded as 'Tuckey's Tackle’.

A new inland road which ran through, nearby, Pinjarra was built in 1876 and this improved means of transportation meant a decline in Mandurah's importance as more people settled in the Pinjarra area. Construction of Mandurah's Traffic Bridge by Matthew Price in 1894 gave easier access to areas south of Mandurah and thus the area once again attracted a few more settlers, but it was not until the limestone road was replaced with bitumen that the area was made more attractive to travellers. A four hour trip to Perth on the limestone road was reduced to one hour when the road was covered with bitumen.
At the turn of the century Mandurah was already emerging as a tourist town as holidaymakers appreciated the ease of travel the bitumen provided and Mandurah's reputation as a favoured holiday destination was quickly made. Mandurah continued to prosper with the fishing and canning industry and a timber mill, established in approximately 1911, providing jobs for local people.

The mill closed in approximately 1926, and as the canning industry declined after the death of Charles Tuckey in 1912, due in part to the high costs associated with transportation and competition from canned fish imports from overseas, the main industry in Mandurah became tourism. History records that "goldfields" people and later “wheatbelt” people patronised Mandurah largely because of its huge catches of fish. At this point, Mandurah was estimated to have not more than 150 permanent inhabitants.

Once again, when the holiday season was over, Mandurah fell back into a peaceful little village.

Mandurah's early history was entwined around the estuary and waterways and Bouvard Cruise recognises this by including many of Mandurah's historic sites and stories in its tours and commentary. Joins us for an historic look back in time to the old Mandurah on one of our tours.

Click on the image below to view Mandurah's Heritage Photo Album.