Photographic Credit: Hugh Sando as photographer
Acknowledgement of Country
Goolugatup Heathcote nagolik Bibbulmen Nyungar ally-maga milgebar gardukung naga boordjar-il narnga allidja yugow yeye wer ali kaanya Whadjack Nyungar wer netingar quadja wer burdik
Goolugatup Heathcote is located within the City of Melville and acknowledges the Bibbulmun people as the Traditional Owners of the land on which we stand. We pay our respects to the Whadjuk people and to Elders past, present and future.
Goolugatup is a Noongar word meaning “place of the children.” For tens of thousands of years, this area was a permanent lookout, fishing and camping ground for the Noongar Beeliar people. The site is also known by other Noongar names that reflect its cultural meaning and purpose, including:
– Kulungar Kaart Up — place of children; children’s place for knowledge (Kulungar: children, Kaart: hill/top, Up: place)
– Kulungar Kuditj — children’s learning place (Kulungar: children, Kuditj: knowledge, Up: place)
– Kooya Moolya / Mooly Up — place of the frog nose (Kooya: frog, Moolya/Mooly: nose, Up: place)
Reconciliation
Goolugatup Heathcote has an ongoing commitment to reconciliation. We have an ongoing commitment to reconciliation, and operate under the City of Melville’s Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Read about the key achievements of this plan at the below link.
Photographic Credit: Svetlana Gerasimova 2024
Histories
Goolugatup holds many interconnected histories shaped by diverse experiences, perspectives and relationships to Country. At its heart is a deep and continuing First Nations history that spans tens of thousands of years and remains living and present today.
Noongar knowledge, culture and history have traditionally been shared through rich oral traditions — passed down through storytelling, song, ceremony and lived experience. Because these histories were not primarily recorded in written form, there is no single formal archive that captures the full depth of cultural knowledge connected to this place. Much of this history remains held within community and Country, continuing to be shared across generations. We acknowledge that written colonial records represent only one part of the historical narrative, and that they do not replace or diminish the enduring cultural knowledge of Noongar people.
The above videos share the voices of Noongar Elders whose knowledge and lived experience deepen our understanding of Goolugatup.
In the first, Geri Hayden speaks about the origin and meaning of the name Goolugatup, breaking down its pronunciation and inviting visitors to feel confident and respectful in using the name.
In the second, Neville Collard reflects on the rich Noongar history of the site, its traditional uses, and his own family’s connection to this place. As he walks through the landscape, he speaks to the natural beauty of Goolugatup and its enduring cultural significance for Noongar people across countless generations. Together, these recordings ensure that First Nations voices remain central to how this site is understood and shared.
Early Colonial History
During Captain James Stirling’s 1827 survey of the Derbarl Yerrigan / Swan River, Goolugatup was used as a landing place and campsite. The eastern tip of the site, known to Noongar people as Moondap, was later named Point Heathcote by colonial surveyors after Midshipman G. C. Heathcote, a member of Stirling’s crew who is believed to have been the first European to set foot there.
From the 1840s, settlers used Goolugatup primarily for grazing horses and cattle. In the mid-1890s, the surrounding area was subdivided for residential development, although Goolugatup itself remained largely bushland. In 1918, the Catholic Church’s Christian Brothers purchased the site with plans to establish a boys’ school. These plans did not eventuate, and the property was instead used as a holiday retreat until 1923.
The Heathcote Reception Home
By the 1920s, the need for a new mental health facility in Perth had become increasingly urgent due to a growing number of patients and deteriorating conditions at Claremont Mental Hospital. In 1923, the State Government purchased 8 hectares of land at Goolugatup. Construction began soon after, and in 1929 a new facility known as the Point Heathcote Reception Home opened on the site.
The reception home reflected changing ideas about mental health care. It operated under the Mental Treatment Act 1927, which introduced provisions for voluntary treatment and marked a shift away from earlier institutional models based on compulsory confinement. The centre initially accommodated 76 patients — 38 men and 38 women — who were described at the time as “mildly afflicted”, a term used in medical language of the period. Patients considered more acute continued to be treated at Claremont.
The location was considered ideal for recovery, offering a peaceful natural setting with cooling sea breezes. The complex was designed to be harmonious and visually appealing, with both communal and private spaces for patients and staff. The original grounds included tennis courts, sporting areas, and extensive gardens and lawns. A distinctive feature of the complex was the Water Clock Tower, designed by architect J. Tait, which stored water for the facility and housed an electronically operated clock.
During Heathcote’s 65 years of operation, the hospital underwent many changes in leadership, staff and treatment approaches. At times it achieved its progressive aims as a place of rehabilitation and care, while at other times conditions fell far short of these ideals. In 1938, a Royal Commission was ordered after the Western Australian branch of the British Medical Association declared a lack of confidence in Heathcote’s administration. The inquiry received widespread media attention, and allegations of inappropriate behaviour resulted in several staff dismissals.
Heathcote remained open for many decades after the Royal Commission, and a number of experimental treatments were trialled at the site during this period, including cardiazol convulsion therapy, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and narcosis, also known as deep sleep therapy.
Closure and Renewal
In the early 1990s, a State Government review recommended the closure of the hospital, which officially ceased operations in 1994. In 1997, following a strong community campaign to “Save Heathcote”, the City of Melville began discussions with the State Government about restoring the site for public use.
In 2020, the site was formally renamed Goolugatup Heathcote, recognising and restoring the Noongar name and acknowledging the deep and continuing cultural significance of the place to Aboriginal people.
Today, Goolugatup Heathcote forms part of a heritage precinct where conserved and repurposed buildings are used as arts and cultural centres. The Goolugatup Lowerlands Project, shaped in partnership with Traditional Owners, is currently being developed. The project aims to revitalise the Lowerlands as a cultural and community-driven recreational space, with a focus on healing and connection through place-based reconciliation.
Image Courtesy of City of Melville Museum and Local History Collection.
Visit us
Goolugatup Heathcote is located on the shores of the Derbal Yerrigan, in the suburb of Applecross, just south of the centre of Boorloo Perth, WA. It is 10 minute drive from the CBD, the closest train station is Canning Bridge, and the closest bus route the 148.
58 Duncraig Rd, Applecross,
Boorloo (Perth), Western Australia
Ph: (08) 9364 5666
Email: heath.cote@melville.wa.gov.au
Open 10–4 Tuesday–Sunday, closed public holidays. The grounds are open 24/7.
