Frenchman Bay, Western Australia

Town in Western Australia

35°5′37″S 117°56′59″E / 35.09361°S 117.94972°E / -35.09361; 117.94972Postcode(s)6330^[1]Area0.6 km² (0.2 sq mi)LGA(s)City of AlbanyState electorate(s)Albany Federal division(s)O'Connor

Frenchman Bay is a locality in Western Australia. It is approximately 9.1 km (5.7 mi) from Albany on the opposite side of the bay.

History

The site is in the traditional settlement area of the Mineng Aboriginal tribe.

Frenchman Bay, first named in 1887,^[2] has been a significant site in the recent history of the entire region. George Vancouver, the first European explorer of King George Sound, landed here in 1791. A water source at Whalers Beach was subsequently visited again and again by seafarers. The water supply later enabled the establishment of whaling stations and was a destination for day trippers and tourists. Just north of what is now Goode Beach, a settler settled for the first time on the peninsula. Later a hostel and a campsite were built.^[3]

Originally, the name Frenchman Bay referred to a larger area that also included Goode Beach and the Vancouver Peninsula to the north. In 2000, Vancouver Peninsula was split from Frenchman Bay.^[2]

References

^ "Vancouver Peninsula". Australia Post.
^ ^a ^b "Recent History". Frenchman Bay Association. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
^ "Register of Heritage Places – Assessment Documentation: Frenchman Bay Whaling Station (ruin)" (PDF). Heritage Council of Western Australia. 2008. Retrieved 19 July 2019.