Step Back in Time: Discover the Forgotten Mill on Cooleenup Island

Have you ever heard of Cooleenup Island? Located on the beautiful Murray River delta, Cooleenup Island feels like a world away from the everyday. This peaceful pocket of nature is only accessible by boat, making it the perfect day-trip for those looking to slow down and soak up the scenery. It’s home to thriving birdlife, lush native vegetation, and one very special piece of Western Australia’s history, Cooper’s Mill.  You won’t find souvenir shops or bustling cafés here. Instead, you’ll find limestone ruins… and a story that dates back to the very beginnings of European settlement in Western Australia.

And the best part? You can visit it with us on our gorgeous Murray River Lunch Cruise.

One man’s dream, built stone by stone

In the 1840s, a determined wheelwright named Joseph Cooper dreamed of building a flour mill that would make life easier for local farmers who were grinding grain by hand. He chose a remote spot on Cooleenup Island, a bold move considering the limestone needed had to be ferried in from a quarry in Limestone Hill, more than 15 kilometres away.

Stone by stone, Joseph laid the foundations of the mill himself, navigating the delta’s shifting sandbanks in a small boat loaded with rock. But he never saw it finished. In 1847, Joseph was thrown under his bullock cart and passed away just four miles from Fremantle. His sons, Thomas and James, took up the mantle. With the help of local craftsmen, they completed the mill in 1850. Its rotating shingle roof and wind-powered sails soon turned wheat into flour for the community.

From working mill to eccentric hideaway

Cooper’s Mill operated for just 15 years before advances in steam power and easier road access rendered it obsolete. But the story doesn’t end there.

Over time, the building became a smokehouse, a source of stone for local chimneys, and incredibly, home to a reclusive Russian war veteran named “Old Martin” who believed the world was out to get him! Legend has it he’d climb into the top of the mill each night, pulling up a rope ladder behind him.

The mill has since been restored multiple times, most recently in the early 2000s. While it no longer grinds wheat, it still holds something special, a quiet dignity, a sense of history, and the enduring presence of one man’s vision.

Visit Cooper’s Mill with us

If you want to visit beautiful Coolenup Island and find out more about Cooper’s Mill, you can join our popular 4.5 hour Murray River Lunch Cruise. We cruise through Mandurah’s beautiful waterways, past dolphins and birdlife, before stepping ashore on Cooleenup Island for an easy, guided walk to the mill.

You’ll hear stories of early settlers, see the craftsmanship that’s lasted nearly two centuries, and walk the same sandy paths Joseph Cooper once did — just with a bit more comfort and a delicious buffet lunch waiting for you on the boat. So if you’re looking for something a little different, book your spot today!