Ledge Point is a small coastal township 105 km north of

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, Western Australia. It was established to service the local fishing and crayfishing industries. The town's name originates from the nearby coastal feature of the same name, a series of rocky ledges on the point that was first described in an 1875 hydrographic survey. The Gingin Road Board requested that land be set aside in the area in 1937 for camping and recreation purposes. In 1952 there were three squatters' shacks that had been built in the reserve and once a road was completed into the area in 1953 more people began to request land leases. The government decided to subdivide the area in 1954 and sell blocks for retirees and holiday housing. The town was gazetted in 1955. The area is well known as a

windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...

venue, and in January each year the prestigious Ledge Point to Lancelin Windsurfing Classic draws competitors from around the world. In 1963, divers discovered the wreck of the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...

ship ''

Vergulde Draeck The ''Vergulde Draeck'' (), also spelled ''Vergulde Draak'' and ''Vergulde Draek'', was a , ship constructed in 1653 by the Dutch East India Company ( nl, Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, commonly abbreviated to VOC). The wrecking of the ''V ...

'' (Gilt Dragon) which sank on 28 April 1656 after striking reef near Ledge Point. It was one of the earliest wrecks of a European ship on Australian shores. In 1972, a full expedition was mounted to systematically explore the remains of the ship and its fittings. Damage by looters had left little intact, but over several months a quantity of artefacts was recovered, which are now displayed at maritime museums in

Geraldton Geraldton (Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...

and

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

. The area is also known for the 1983 wreck of the Jackup oil drilling rig ''Key Biscayne'', which toppled over in storms about offshore whilst under tow.

References

{{authority control Coastal towns in Western Australia Fishing communities in Australia Shire of Gingin

See also

References