La Perouse, New South Wales
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La Perouse is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. La Perouse is located about 14kms south east of the Sydney central business district, in the City of Randwick. The postcode is 2036.
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[edit] Location
The La Perouse peninsula is the northern headland of Botany Bay. It is notable for its old military outpost at Bare Island and the Botany Bay National Park. Congwong Bay Beach, Little Congwong Beach and the beach at Frenchmans Bay provide protected swimming areas in Botany Bay.
La Perouse is surrounded by the suburbs of Phillip Bay and Little Bay. Nearby suburbs include Port Botany, Matraville, Chifley and Malabar. La Perouse is one of few Sydney suburbs with a French title; another being Sans Souci. Kurnell is located opposite, on the southern headland of Botany Bay.
[edit] History
La Perouse is named after Jean-François de Galaup, comte de La Pérouse (1741-88), who landed on the northern shore of Botany Bay on 26 January 1788. The French navigator and his fleet travelled to the Great Southern Land after his men had been attacked in the Navigator Islands (Samoa). His arrival coincided with the arrival of the British under Captain Arthur Phillip (1738-1814) who landed on the southern shore of Botany Bay on the same day. The First Fleet had intended to settle in Botany Bay but found it unsuitable and moved to Port Jackson. The British received La Pérouse courteously, but were unable to help him with food as they had none to spare. La Pérouse sent his journals and letters to Europe with a British ship, the Sirius. A scientist on the expedition, Father Receveur, died in February and was buried at what is now known as La Perouse. After obtaining wood and water, the French departed for New Caledonia, Santa Cruz, the Solomons, the Louisiades, and the western and southern coasts of Australia. He wrote in his journals that he expected to be back in France by December 1788, but the fleet vanished. The mystery was solved in 1826 when the wreckage of the French ships was found on an island in the Santa Cruz group.
The first building in the area was the round stone tower constructed in 1820-22 as accommodation for a small guard stationed there to prevent smuggling, which still stands today. By 1885, an Aboriginal reserve had been established in the suburb and a number of missions were operated in the area. The original church was dismantled and moved to the corner of Elaroo and Adina Avenues, where it still stands.
The Loop, is the circular track that was built as part of the Sydney tram terminus at La Perouse. The last service ran in 1961. A kiosk was built here in 1896 to cater for tourists who came to see the attractions, including the snake-handling shows that still operate today. During the Great Depression, from the late 1920s, many severely affected low-income families took up residence here in settlements beside the Aboriginal reserve.
The small island, just inside the heads was described by Captain James Cook as ‘a small bare island’. Bare Island was fortified in 1885 according to a design by colonial architect, James Barnet (1827-1904). In 1912 Bare Island became a retirement home for war veterans, which continued to operate until 1963 when it was handed over to the New South Wales Parks and Wildlife Service for use as a museum and tourist attraction.
[edit] Attractions
The La Perouse Museum contains maps, scientific instruments and relics recovered from the French explorers. A walking trail from the museum to the Endeavour Lighthouse, offers spectacular views across the bay to the site of Captain Cook's Landing Place. The large La Perouse Monument is an obelisk erected in 1825 by the French, is located close to the museum and another memorial marks the grave of Father Receveur. The fortified Bare Island is linked by a footbridge.
Visitors can learn about the indigenous significance of the area from the Aboriginal people of the area with boomerang-throwing demonstrations often held on weekends and Aboriginal guided tours operating from Yarra Bay House during the week. Aboriginal artefacts are produced and sold by locals. An outdoor reptile show is also a well-known tourist attraction in the pit, at The Loop, on Sunday afternoons.
La Perouse has a few cafes and restaurants around the historic precinct, close to Frenchmans Bay.
[edit] Pop Culture
- Bare Island featured in the movie Stone (1974).
- Several scenes from Mission Impossible 2 were filmed in La Perouse.
[edit] External links
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- Street map from Street Directory, MSN Maps and Multimap.
- Satellite image from Google Maps, WikiMapia and Terraserver.
| Suburbs and localities within the City of Randwick | Eastern Suburbs | Sydney |
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Centennial Park | Chifley | Clovelly | Coogee | Hillsdale | Kensington | Kingsford | La Perouse | Little Bay | Malabar | Maroubra | Maroubra Junction | Matraville | Phillip Bay | Port Botany | Randwick | South Coogee |
| List of Sydney suburbs |
