With a coastal and bushland feel, Jindowie Yanchep is a flourishing and vibrant community. It is a haven for Grey Western Kangaroos, home to wildflowers in the spring and has parklands beside lakes which are ideal for picnics, parties and barbecues. This vibrant community also has a deep and interesting origin so let’s dive in and explore the history of the community that you might like to call home.
For thousands of years prior to the European settlement, the area was home to the Nyoongar people and was a noted hunting site. The ‘Yanchep’ name was adapted from the Nyoongar word ‘Yandjip’, or ‘Yanget’, which is their word for the bulrush reed that is abundant around the wetlands of the area. (“Yanchep national park,” Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4: Vol. 5 : No. 2 , Article 10).
In 1841 the explorer George Grey passed through the area and commented on the wetlands, the chain of lakes and the rich birdlife. In the period 1899-1902, the first actual settler, Henry White, built a cottage near Lake Yanchep and like most of the small coastal settlements north of Perth, Yanchep developed as a small fishing community. It specialised in crayfishing.
In 1905, the Government declared 5,640 acres of the district which incorporated the lake and flats approximately 8km long, for the Protection and Preservation of Caves and Flora and for a Health and Recreation Pleasure Resort.
During the 1930s Yanchep National Park was established as a recreational resort on the shores of Lake McNess (named after Philanthropist Charles McNess). The complex included Gloucester Lodge, Yanchep Inn, McNess Guest House, Ghost House Ruin and Chauffeur’s Room, Army Bunkers and Administration Buildings.In 1936 the Australian Olympic Swimming and Diving team trained at the Crystal Pool at Gloucester Lodge.
Yanchep National Park was established as a park in 1969 with the land around the coastal settlement residing as a sheep property until it was bought by Alan Bond in 1970. He planned to develop Yanchep, which he renamed Yanchep Sun City, into a modern and sophisticated tourist centre with a potential population of 200,000. The first houses for Yanchep Sun City were built in 1972 and the Sun City Marina was completed in 1974. Sun City Marina then became the home of the yacht Southern Cross which lost against Courageous in the 1974 America’s Cup. In 1979 Gloucester Lodge became a museum and in 1980 the marina was the home base for Australia which failed to win the America’s Cup that year.
Today, the Yanchep community continues to thrive, with the State Government’s “Directions 2031” urban expansion plan, highlighting it as a future satellite city and major metropolitan centre.
If you’d like to join a vibrant community with a rich history, we’d love to welcome you to Jindowie Yanchep. Feel free to get in touch with our friendly sales team who are happy to answer any questions you may have.
Debra Hanlon
Phone: 0414 940 724
Email: [email protected]
Lee Johnstone
Phone: 0403 060 129
Email: [email protected]
