Around the time when Rockingham had importance as an export location for Western Australian timber, the Rockingham Hotel was built in 1886 and named the Port Hotel.

 

The original building was of a single storey timber structure and built on a slope, with steps facing the ocean leading to the bar.

 

Port Hotel was renamed Peron Hotel in 1918 and it wasn’t until 1922 when the owner of Perth’s Criterion Hotel, Reginald Harrison purchased it and developed it into a fashionable seaside resort.

 

The car park area was once The Trocadero dance hall, which was built in 1933 by George Grigg, who purchased the hotel in 1925. It was demolished in 2009.

 

In 2008, the Rockingham Hotel was added to the State Register of Heritage Places but removed in 2011, when the interim listing expired. The decision was made by Minister John Castrilli to reject a permanent heritage listing for the hotel.

 

December 2023 saw the Rockingham City Council approve demolition for the neighbouring Liquid Night Club and Rockingham Hotel.

 

Asbestos removal was reported to have begun in the last week of February 2024, which does not require a demolition permit, which is yet to be issued.

 

The archaeology potential underneath the Rockingham Hotel is absolutely incredible! As part of the demolition, a team will endeavour to save every artefact and historic-item to give to the City of Rockingham.

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Photos by Josh West