Heritage & Conservation
A living
Heritage
It is a happy coincidence that one of the first pioneers of the settlement was Mr. W.R. (Bob) Wedge back in 1937 ,a track was pegged to Wedge Island around September of that year by Wedge and Fred King.
The major reason for forging the settlement at Wedge was because they wanted a new uninhabited place to go fishing. The Wedge family and friends spent many weekends there in the summers up until 1939. When the war started the area was declared out of bounds to civilians by the Department of the Army. Recollections of the area from Mr. Ross Robinson date back to the 1950’s. His first recollections of Wedge are still vivid. “I recall the big sand hill and 5 tents and two shacks under construction. These dwellings were rudimentary and it was a couple of years before tents were replaced by shacks built with recycled corrugated iron from which water was gathered and were suitable for wives and partners of fishermen.”
The Wedge Island Protection Association (WIPA) was established in 1968 and continues to this day , with its objective to ensure we enjoy and protect the environment and community and to further the common interests of the association and its members
Most of the Coastal towns in Western Australia began in this way and evidence of this is still visible in established towns up and down the Coast of WA today. Towns such as Ledge Point, Moore River and Greenhead still have remnants of shack style beginnings within their towns.
Wedge Island derives its name from its shape.
If you are fortunate enough spend some time at Wedge Island you will get a sense of the old pioneering spirit in the self sufficient lifestyle of yesteryear, a little slice of history. A lifestyle where water has to be harvested from tin roofs to sustain the long summers, power must be generated for lighting and shelters are erected from recycled materials for protection against the elements.
Wedge Island is a slice of Living History and is currently under threat!
While this lifestyle isn’t everybody’s cup of tea it is a way of life that many like minded West Australian families do enjoy. The weekend escape and holiday destination to a less complicated world has it’s merits, a world without television and computers where families sit and talk to one another and enjoy each others company, swim, fish, surf and interact. This lifestyle has been going on for generations at Wedge Island and is a refreshing change from City life.
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