La PerouseBrief History La Perouse is located north of Sydney near Phillip Bay. Captain Cook
first explored the area in 1770. However it was named after the navigator Jean-Francois de Galaup de La
Perouse who was the first recorded Frenchman to set foot in Australia, in 1788. There is a La Perouse Memorial located at Botany Bay.
Surrounded by an extensive foreshore the area was the idealic location for military installations in the 1800's. Firstly the Macquarie Watch Tower was built in the 1820's to watch for smugglers and escaped convicts and then the fort on Bare Island was built in 1885 to guard against attack from foreign invasion. In 1883 an Aboriginal camp was built under the guidance of the Aborigines Protection Board. The camp was run by a variety of church and welfare groups until the 1920's when it was moved to Elaroo Avenue area. Today the areas of Yarra Bay House and the headland between Frenchmans and Yarra Bay are owned by the Aboriginal People.During the 1900's the area became popular tourist destination following the extension of the tramline.During the dark days of the depression (1920's- 30's) the area became home to many unemployed who sort shelter in makeshift houses.Today La Perouse is one of the smallest suburbs of Sydney.Indigenous people make up approximately one third of the suburbs population. Things You May Not Know About La PerouseThe postcode of La Perouse is 2036.Bare Island was the location for some of the action scenes for Mission Impossible II. The Barrack Tower is the oldest customs house in Australia. Important Links To La Perouse
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