The City of Kwinana is proudly home to a unique assortment of heritage sites, buildings, landmarks and a museum which captures the rich history of the region. Listed below are just a handful of the historically significant places within the City. Further information on historically significant places within the City can also be found in the City’s adopted Local Heritage Survey and Heritage List.
Smirk's Cottage Heritage Sites
Situated off Beacham Crescent in Medina, Smirk’s Cottage Heritage Site is rich in history and stories. The site includes a number of unique historical buildings, the most significant being Smirk’s Cottage, Settlement House and the Museum, which are all cared for by the Kwinana Heritage Group.
Smirk’s Cottage is a modest two-room cottage built in the 1900s at this site and is an excellent example of the type of accommodation for a working family at this time. This charming cottage has displays which replicate the layout and décor of a bygone era.
Built in 1922, Settlement House is a timber home which demonstrates the type of cottage provided to soldiers during settlement in the area. Originally located on Lyons Road, this building was moved to the Smirks site to ensure its future as a historically significant house.
The Museum displays the historical collection, a fascinating array of objects, memorabilia and stories of settlement, development and history of the area. Smaller buildings on the site exhibit other interesting artefacts including a tractor, tools and vintage machinery.
Kwinana Heritage Group has been restoring and caring for the Cottages since the late 1980s and operate from the Museum building. The group's volunteers meet every Monday and Wednesday morning. The public are welcome to visit or enquire about membership. An open day is held on the first Sunday of every Month from 10am to 3pm and special arrangements can be made for group bookings.
The Spectacles
Part of the Beeliar Regional Park, The Spectacles is 360 hectares of natural bush and wetlands situated within the City of Kwinana. The wetlands are home to a diverse range of bird species and native animals and have one of the largest stands of Paper-bark woodlands in the metropolitan area. The area is a significant Aboriginal site, a traditional land for the Wadjuk Nyoongar people as a ceremonial, camping and food gathering site.
The two walk trails at The Spectacles provide great opportunities for bird watching, discovering Aboriginal Heritage stories and learning about its ecological significance through the interpretive signage found along the trail.
The Friends of The Spectacles (FotS) is a volunteer group that protect the Spectacles wetlands through various bush care activities. FotS also seeks to increase its knowledge of the land by learning from the local Nyoongar people. The group meets at The Spectacles every third Sunday of the month between 9am and 12noon.
| Location | McLaughlan Road Carpark, follow path to meet at the Amphitheatre area |
| Contact | Friends of The Spectacles Email: fotsmail@gmail.com Tel: 0419 983 956 |
Kwinana Loop Trail
The Kwinana Loop Trail has been developed by the City of Kwinana with funding from Lotterywest. The trail provides a 21 km circuit around the perimeter of the city. It offers a unique opportunity to take in some of Kwinana’s best views, while experiencing the beauty of the City’s natural coastal bushland. The hills and twists of the Loop Trail make for an exciting mountain bike ride or a peaceful leisurely walk and is the perfect route for cross country training.
The trail weaves through Nyoongar Country and includes a number of significant Aboriginal Heritage sites including Thomas Oval. Interpretive signage along the trail provides information relating to Kwinana’s Aboriginal Heritage and other culturally significant sites.
More details on how to explore the trail can be found on our fun parks and playgrounds page.
Medina Townsite
The Medina Townsite was classified by the National Trust WA as a Historic Townsite on 14 May 2007. This recognises the significant heritage values - social, natural and built – of Medina, and advocates for the conservation and promotion of these values. Medina is recognised as an ancient camping ground for Aboriginals, and is significant in more recent Aboriginal History. The place is also the largest purpose built, planned town to service industry in Western Australia, providing for the workers and their families of the BP Refinery in the 1950s.
To discover more about the history of Medina, The Medina Residents Association provide an annual Heritage Walk held in May, contact the group for more details or check What’s On for event information.
Mead Homestead
Also known as Lealholm, this place was home to the Mead family, who were pioneers in the State and owned the property for over 130 years. The farming property includes an early homestead, remnants of working buildings and an orchard in a setting of cleared pasture.
HorsePower Peel Group are the current residents of the property and they have already undertaken substantial works to reinstate the lands. The future vision for restoration of Homestead, which was built in 1895, includes a community space and tea rooms.
This place is of significant cultural value for its role in settlement within the Rockingham Kwinana region and is on the State Register of Heritage Places. The site is not yet accessible to the general public, but more information on its history and value can be found on the Heritage Council website.
Kwinana Signal Box
The Kwinana Signal Box is one of the few surviving railway signal cabins in Western Australia and played an important role during the development of the Kwinana Marshalling Yard, which was established in the late 1960s. Although the site is not accessible to the public, it can be seen from the bridge over Rockingham Road in Kwinana Beach.
This site is of exceptional significance and is on the State Register of Heritage Place. For more information on its history and value see the Heritage Council website.
Site History