The following information is a summary of the origins of the 16 suburb names in the City of Rockingham. Information obtained from Landgate.
Baldivis
This suburb was one of the State Government's Group Settlement schemes which was implemented in the 1920s to alleviate unemployment. A school building was completed and was given the name 'Baldivis' - a name coined by local settlers after three ships that brought them to WA in 1922, the 'Balranald', the 'Diogenes' and the 'Jervis Bay'. The most coincidental item is that all three ships were built in the same place and in the same year. Also, all of the vessels made their maiden voyage to WA within six weeks of each other.
Cooloongup
This suburb is named after Lake Cooloongup, a salt lake in the district. Lake Cooloongup was recorded by Surveyor AC Gregory in 1843. The meaning of the Aboriginal name is not known. The suburb was named on 5 April 1974.
East Rockingham
This suburb derives its name from its location east of Rockingham. In 1992 the locality was renamed Challenger however this was amended back to East Rockingham at the request of the City of Rockingham.
Garden Island
So named because of gardens established in 1827 by Captain James Stirling. Stirling planted seeds brought from Sydney. Shown as Garden Island on Stirling's Historical Plan 297,299. A well about half way up the western side of the island may be the location of Stirling's "garden", although it could have been dug when the first colonists occupied the island for a time in 1829.
Originally named "Ile Buache" by French Expedition under Commander M.L. Freycinet 1801-03, in honour of the French geographer Philippe Bauche (1700-1773).
Garden, Carnac and Rottnest Islands formed the "Isles of Louis Napoleon" named by the French Expedition 1801-03. This was officially changed by Stirling on 9 June 1829.
Golden Bay
Previously named Peelhurst, Golden Bay was approved as a suburb name in 1985. It is a developer's promotional name, derived from the golden sands of the beach there.
Hillman
This suburb is named in honour of Alfred Hillman, who arrived in Western Australia in 1831 to take an appointment as colonial draftsman. He distinguished himself as a draftsman, surveyor and explorer, including early surveys in the Rockingham area. The suburb was named in 1970 and gazetted on 5 April 1974.
Karnup
The suburb of Karnup takes its name from the townsite it encompasses. Karnup townsite was declared in 1924. It is an Aboriginal name, the meaning of which is unknown, taken from nearby Karnup Brook (now known as Karnet Brook).
Keralup
The name is derived from the Aboriginal name of a pool in the Serpentine River in the northern part of the locality. The locality name and the pool name (Kerulup Pool) are spelt differently. The locality name Keralup was proposed by Trevor Walley, Noongar elder of Rockingham who said the name roughly translates to "the place of the boomerang" and may refer to the hunting tactic of casting boomerangs across a wetland to scare ducks.
Waikiki
Waikiki is a developer’s name which was officially gazetted on 5 April 1974. It was named after the popular Hawaiian holiday resort which is famous for its surfing beaches.
Warnbro
The suburb of Warnbro derives its name from Warnbro Sound, the bay on the shores of which the suburb is located. Warnbro Sound was surveyed by Surveyor General J S Roe in 1837, and in 1838 he recorded the name, but it is not known why the name was chosen. The locality was gazetted on 5 April 1974.
Peron
The name Peron applies to the area of former holiday camps and reserves around Cape Peron at the southern end of Cockburn Sound. Cape Peron was named after Francois Peron, a French naturaliste who was part of a French expedition that explored the Western Australian coast in 1801-03.
Port Kennedy
Port Kennedy takes its name from the feature of this name located in the south east corner of Warnbro Sound. The port was named by J S Roe, Surveyor General, in 1859, during the survey of Warnbro Sound. He named it after Sir Arthur Edward Kennedy, Governor of Western Australia 1855-1862. The suburb was previously named Becher, after Point Becher, and was renamed in 1990.
Safety Bay
Safety Bay derives its name from a small bay of that name. The original "bay" was a small cove on the north shore of Warnbro Sound now encompassed by Safety Bay Road, Berry Street and Janet Road. It was noted by Surveyor General John Septimus Roe in 1837 as "a safe well protected boat anchorage" and he gave it the appropriate name of Safety Bay. A headland near the present junction of Safety Bay Road and June Road was named "Point Shelter". Later the cove was renamed "Peel Harbour" and when it ultimately became land locked, "Peel Basin", but the name Safety Bay stuck and gradually came to be applied to all the northern portion of Warnbro Sound. "Peel Basin" was reclaimed in later years and houses now stand where Roe once recorded soundings of up to seven fathoms.
Secret Harbour
Secret Harbour was a locally used name approved on 12 June 1984. The name was used for a proposed marina development which was to include a small boat harbour. The suburb does not now include a harbour.
Shoalwater
Shoalwater is named after the adjacent bay of this name. The bay was named by J.S. Roe in 1829, and the name is descriptive, referring to the shallow water in the bay. The bay extends from Cape Peron to Mersey Point.
Singleton
The Singleton locality encompasses Singleton town site. Singleton town site was declared in 1956. Singleton is named after Captain Francis Corbet Singleton who came to this district in 1839. Singleton was appointed to the first Board of Road Directors in 1840, and had extensive land holdings in the Murray District.