Exmouth Coast Hotel

The design was produced as a competition for the site amongst several hospitality groups. Our submission was led by Kareelya Property who were at the time behind the Broadwater hospitality group. We worked closely with the clients through the design stage to accommodate their commercial needs while meeting with the parameters of the competition. We were delighted with the design entry but were unfortunately not successful in our competition entry as a group. 

The word “Nyinggulu” was recorded in the 1800’s and means deep water, with other suggested meanings that include promontory. Traditionally there were two main socio-dialectical groups who occupied the Exmouth region being the Jinigudira and Baijungu people who exploited a variety of marine resources including turtles, turtle eggs, fish and shellfish such as Terabralia, Melo and rock oyster (McGann 1999). Tindale (1974) notes that the Jinigudira had sophisticated methods for procuring marine resources including the use of stick rafts to access deeper water and the construction of fish traps in the estuary. Within midden sites in the area there are also terrestrial mammal bones (e.g. Kangaroo) indicating that terrestrial species were also exploited by the Jinigudira and Baijungu as a supplement to their predominantly marine diet. Despite limited research and archaeological dating within the boundaries of the Gnulli native title claim, evidence suggests that Aboriginal people have inhabited the area for at least 32,000 years (possibly up to 60,000 years)  (Morse, 1993 as cited in Jones et al 2009).

The close proximity of the Northwest Cape to colonial shipping routes meant the ancestors of those who now form part of the Gnulli claim would have been familiar with the sight of European ships on their way north prior to white contact. While the coastline was first mapped in 1618, no European explorers ventured into the Gascoyne until 1839 (Clark 1992). Contact on the Northwest Cape occurred even later, with the first recorded contact between Europeans and the local Aboriginal people in October 1875 when the brig Stefano wrecked on the coast towards the south of the Cape. Pastoral exploration opened up the Northwest Cape in 1876, coinciding with the rescue of two crew members of the Stefano who had relied on the local Aboriginal people for their survival for several months (Petkovic 2007).

The 1870s onward brought pastoralism to the larger Gascoyne area, with physically able Jinigudira, Inggarda and Baiyangu people being solicited to perform stock and housework for the white station owners, in return for often meagre rations (Clark 1992). While this fragmented pre-contact lifestyles and family structures, many families were still able to live on or close to Country, assisting in maintaining knowledge and connection despite their legal alienation from their land. The introduction of the Federal Pastoral Industry Award (1968) that required pastoralists to pay their Aboriginal workers the same wages as their Caucasian staff led to the majority of the Aboriginal pastoral workers being laid off (Edmunds 1989, p. 26). As a result, the remaining Aboriginal people on Country were further pushed off their land and were drawn into missions and developing towns, such as Onslow and Carnarvon (Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre 2009). Many of those who identify as part of the Gnulli native title claim still reside in these towns today. (Source: ‘Exmouth Heritage Report- Known Aboriginal & European Heritage Places. – Shire of Exmouth 2013’).

European history in the area can be traced back to 1618 when the Dutch Vessel the ‘Zeewolf’ made reference to the Northwest Cape, then later in that same year the first recorded European landing on the Exmouth Coast was made by the Dutch Captain Jacobz on the vessel ‘Mauritius’. ‘Once Western Australia had been named a British Colony, J. Brockman acquired pastoral leases that covered the entirety of the Cape. He sold this onto Thomas Carter who is responsible for most of the coastal wells that still exist in the area. This was also the era in which Pearl Luggers visited the Exmouth Gulf on a regular basis and inevitably contributed to the 39 shipwrecks (listed in Appendix C) that have been identified in the waters surrounding Exmouth.

In 1911 and 1912, two lighthouses were built on Point Cloates and Vlamingh Head, this coincides with the establishment of the Point Cloates Whaling Station that operated intermittently until 1957 when it was closed permanently (Shire of Exmouth 2013). Exmouth came into importance in 1942 when the US Navy established a submarine base, and extensive facilities were built adjacent to where the Learmonth Airforce Base now stands. The Australian Defence Forces and the US Navy continued to use the facilities throughout the remainder of the War, and it was thus bombed by the Japanese in 1943 after Operation Jaywick departed from the Exmouth Gulf to attack shipping within Singapore Harbour. The base was finally closed in 1945 after a cyclone caused extensive damage. The base was then used in the 1950s for Oil exploration, which included the significant discovery of Rough Range in 1954 (Shire of Exmouth 2013).

As mentioned above, in 1963, Exmouth was gazetted to support the VLF Communications Station and in 1967 both were officially opened. This was also the time that MG Kailis Fisheries opened a prawn trawling industry (1964) and Morgan and Sons established a Pearl Culture Operation (1965) (Source: ‘Exmouth Heritage Report- Known Aboriginal & European Heritage Places. – Shire of Exmouth 2013’).

The Ningaloo coast and the fringing coral reef is now a UNESCO listed World Heritage site. The listing relates to the location’s natural beauty and the diversity of marine life. ‘Cape Range Peninsula, it is rich in stygofauna, that developed prior to the break-up of Pangaea. The area is also the habitat to many endemic species of flora and fauna.

The geomorphology of Cape Range, of which the Learmonth Range Facility is a part, is of considerable importance in documenting sea level and landform changes since the late Cenozoic (around 1.8 million years ago). A series of emergent reef-complexes, which represent several periods of coral reef development, are elements of the geomorphology of the western side of the Learmonth Range Facility, and of Cape Range. The ages of these reef terraces hold the key to an understanding of the timing of uplift events. Further the area comprises a network of subterranean waterways, comprising caverns and fissures in the limestone beneath the coastal plain. The Bundera Sinkhole, found within the Learmonth Range Facility, is the only deep anchialine system known in Australia, and is the only continental anchialine system known in the southern hemisphere. These are noted both for their specialised fauna. It for this reason the area yields important information concerning the evolution of life on earth’ (Source: ‘Exmouth Heritage Report- Known Aboriginal & European Heritage Places. – Shire of Exmouth 2013’).

Situated on the shores of Sunset Beach, adjacent to the Exmouth Marina and the canals, the site itself was a flat baron area with excellent outlook. There were no natural features of interest on the site other than the wonderful outlook over the ocean.

Our competition design for the hotel sought to create an internalised experience for hotel guests, framed centrally by the communal facilities of resort pool and restaurants. The sixty hotel suites were design in clusters of four, six and eight as separate buildings accessed via covered walkways. Each hotel suite was provided with ocean outlook and the clusters were able to work as one for a group or as individual rooms.

The colour palette and the selection of materials to the hotel were sourced from the locality which featured textural limestone finishes of the local stone and colours of the sandy beaches which was combined with the ochre of the red sands.

The basis of the completed design sought to provide generous roof overhangs to shade walls and windows. While the design did not progress beyond the design competition stage, further design development would have included superior insulation and environmental sewerage and storm water systems.