Local Government
Augusta/Margaret River
Region
South West
Location
Leeuwin Rd Flinders Bay
Location Details
Construction Date
Constructed from 1925
Demolition Year
N/AStatutory Heritage Listings
| Type | Status | Date | Documents | More information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heritage List | Adopted | 08 Aug 2012 |
Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHP - Does not warrant assessment | Current | 13 Mar 2020 |
Other Heritage Listings and Surveys
| Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | More information | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Description | ||||
| Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 01 Jul 2012 | Moderate Significance |
Moderate Significance |
|
| Register of the National Estate | Indicative Place |
|
Heritage Council | ||
Child Places
Statement of Significance
The Flinders Bay Settlement is of significance:
• For its association with, and evidence of, the informal development of a “coastal shack” settlement by both holiday makers and permanent residents in the interwar years.
• For the surviving examples of the modest interwar shacks that reflect the “coastal shack” lifestyle.
• For the traditional informal layout and landscaping of the narrow, winding residential streets.
• As an unusual example of the Western Australian Government Railways acting as a landlord and leasing off unused portions of a railway reserve to raise revenue.
• As evidence of the impact of the 1925 WAGR line that opened up new opportunities for settlement, tourism and development at Augusta.
• For the historical associations of the precinct with the original 1830s colonial settlement, nineteenth century visitation by whalers, and the establishment of a major local timber industry by M.C. Davies from c.1880.
Physical Description
Flinders Bay Settlement is laid out on the western side of the public reserve at Barrack Point. It is a small, contained development, which specifically relates to the former railway land leased out to private residents in the Interwar years (see historical notes, below). This unusual, and largely unplanned, original development has resulted in distinctive urban characteristics, principally evidenced in the very narrow winding roads, small blocks, and irregular orientation and set-backs. Topography: The land rises up from the largely flat land along the reserve to elevated sites along the western side of Wishart Street. Within this area the land also undulates around a small creek line through the centre of the settlement.
Street Pattern A key characteristic of the Flinders Bay Settlement is created by the narrow curved roads, which are sealed as informal single lane streets with no kerbs or guttering. These have informal and variable verges, some with grassed edges, but others closely edged by vegetation and overhung by trees. Vegetation: Trees include peppermints and other native trees, some in small dense ‘groves’. These are irregular in spacing and create a very informal coastal bush setting. Interspersed with this, the private yards vary from open grassed areas with scattered native trees through to informal cottage gardens, many featuring popular mid twentieth century species such as hydrangeas, hibiscus, geraniums, and roses.Vistas: The above characteristic combine to create varied, short vistas and a strong sense of enclosure within the central and rear streets (with only Davies Street having a predominantly open aspect) Buildings: There are a range of houses including early timber-framed, weatherboard or fibrous cement shacks and cottages from the period 1930-1960; more substantial, one to two story ‘suburban’ style dwellings from the 1960s to the 1990s; plus late twentieth to early twenty-first century houses that interpret traditional beach front houses in a modern style (through materials, form and articulation).The varied setbacks and orientation of the houses complement and enhance the informal urban setting.
Another important detail is the lack of visually intrusive garages and the minimal use of front fences.
History
Barrack Point was named after the barracks built for the soldiers who supported the first colonial settlement at Augusta in 1830.By 1880 M.C. Davies had started laying a wooden tramline from Coodardup (now Kudardup) to Flinders Bay to serve his first local timber mill (relocated to Karridale in 1882) (see Place # MR/AU-03, M C Davies Railway System (former)). In 1882 work commenced on a new jetty at Flinders Bay and by 1885 this had also been connected by a steel railway to Karridale, therefore providing Davies' operations with alternative ports for shipment of timber - Flinders Bay used in winter, and Hamelin Bay used in summer (see Place # AU-11, Flinders Bay Jetty).By 1913 the timber mills established by Davies had all closed down and negotiations had commenced for the State Government to purchase the Margaret River to Flinders Bay railway line.The WAGR Margaret River to Flinders Bay line opened in 1925 and this immediately opened up the area for increased visitation – particularly for summer holidays, for which Augusta had already become popular in the early twentieth century. During the 1920s the Railways Department started to lease campsites on the unused portion of the railway reserve at Flinders Bay, and shacks, cottages and slipways were built by lessees (creating conflict with other government departments and the Augusta-Margaret River Roads Board in later years).In 1949 the Augusta Margaret River Roads Board and the Chief Inspector of the Local Health Authority inspected the Flinders Bay Settlement describing WAGR facilities plus 38 private residences, the latter ranging from “well-constructed” houses through to sub-standard huts. At that time it was reported that most of the properties were permanently occupied by retired people. Facilities operated by WAGR included a public camping ground for visitors to the area.By the late 1940s the Railways Department was working with the Department of Lands to resurvey lots at Flinders Bay and to formalise private ownership.One of the local residents who played a major role in these negotiations was Mr Tom Oxley (1883-1956), who had first visited Flinders Bay on family holidays in 1924 (travelling from Cardiff near Collie). Tom Oxley took up a Railway Leasehold block of land at 6 Peppermint Drive and in 1943 he relocated his family home, Cardiff, to this site (still extant). According to family history, the Oxley family were also responsible for extending Peppermint Drive past this house to provide cart access.
The WAGR’s control over the Flinders Bay lots was relinquished in 1955. A survey of the historic settlement was then conducted which recorded 50 properties.
As at 2012, the area continues to be occupied as a distinctive urban precinct.
Integrity/Authenticity
Medium: The extant (residential) use has been altered over time, but the original use is still clearly evident through interpretation of the fabric.
Medium: The place has had some alterations, but the original (residential) intent/character is still evident
References
| Ref ID No | Ref Name | Ref Source | Ref Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credaro, Margaret, Written Memories of Flinders | Augusta Historical Society | 12/2001 | |
| Municipal Heritage Inventory | 1996 | ||
| The West Australian,p8 | 15/11/1916 | ||
| Stanes, Laurel, ‘My Memories of Flinders Bay,’ Occasional Paper | Augusta Historical Society Library | ||
| Conservation Study for Flinders Bay Historic Settlement | Shire of Augusta-Margaret River by KTA Partnership | 1996 | |
| Western Mail,p14 | 21/5/1925 | ||
| Correspondence from Noel and Margaret Oxley | Shire of Augusta-Margaret River | 7/6/2012 |
Other Reference Numbers
| Ref Number | Description |
|---|---|
| AU-12 | MI Place No. |
| Precinct - N/A | LGA Site No. |