ROCKINGHAM Rockingham in truth is an outer suburb of Perth. But given Rockingham was one of the first ‘cities’ of a suburban nature, the city does have a bit of unique characteristics. Just. Other cities in Perth (not dissimilar to Auckland or Brisbane) are glorified suburbs and will not be critiqued. Fremantle in contrast was, from the outset a different community. The town strip, beaches and bays at Rockingham determine a strong tourism interest. Rockingham was first surveyed in 1847 and was gazetted as a town in 1897. It got its name from one of the three ships bought by Robert Peel carrying settlers to Western Australia (the others being the Gilmore and Hooghly), arriving in May 1830. The maritime tradition has been strengthened by steady growth of the Royal Australian Navy's main fleet base HMAS Stirling and by the development of major shipbuilding and marine support services at nearby Henderson Given Rockingham is a modern city everything about the place is also of the modern era and the Rockingham Shopping Centre bears testimony to the ‘cities’ development. The Rockingham War Memorial is a successful solution in portraying the appropriate acknowledgment at this time. Better than most. The churches in Rockingham are of the modern era. The Hotels/taverns likewise are modern. The Rockingham Museum is located near the info centre. If there is an interest to ‘dolphin swim’ or to hit the beach, Rockingham is for you, or keep the motor humming and get away from the burbs.