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Hooker House
Government Gazette records identify premises at 13 Railway Terrace as Hooker House between 1998 and 2000. The two-storey building contained several commercial spaces, including real estate and settlement offices, a ground-floor fish and chip shop and the upstairs premises occupied by Zelda’s Adult Shop from November 2004.
LJ Hooker Rockingham
LJ Hooker Rockingham was listed at Shop 1 in 1998, with Harry Leith named as the person responsible for the licensed agency. Leith had previously operated LJ Hooker Rockingham through Cat Holdings Pty Ltd from premises on Kent Street during the 1990s.
By 1999-2000, the Railway Terrace office was listed under Robian Holdings Pty Ltd, with Robert Merrylees responsible for the agency. Robian Holdings was registered on 14 October 1998, and its ABN record lists LJ Hooker Rockingham as a trading name from 17 March 2000.
Sentinel Settlements
Sentinel Settlements was also listed at Shop 1, Hooker House, during 1999-2000. The business operated through Terjan Holdings Pty Ltd, with Diane Hird named as the person responsible for its settlement agency licence.
Although the business name was registered on 22 July 1993, its archived website states that the business was established in January 1994. By 2005, it was located at Unit 6, Estate House, at 8 Patterson Road, Rockingham. Hird was then described as its director and licensee, with 27 years of conveyancing experience, handling residential and commercial property settlements throughout Western Australia.
Port Rockingham Real Estate
By March 2002, Port Rockingham Real Estate Pty Ltd was recorded at 13 Railway Terrace, with Peter Brown responsible for the agency. Brown had previously operated Shelford Real Estate from Crompton Road, Rockingham.
The Railway Terrace office was listed as Rockingham Real Estate in 2003-2004, still under Brown.
Rockingham Real Estate, Fruit Property and ACTON
From 2005, licensing records listed Rockingham Real Estate under Rockingham Investment Group Pty Ltd, with Roger Moorhouse responsible for the agency.
The office later traded as Fruit Property Rockingham. That business name was registered on 1 May 2009 and cancelled on 2 July 2012, the same day the ACTON Rockingham business name was registered for the same office, with Moorhouse continuing as the person responsible for the agency.
Rockingham Zelda's Adult Shop
The former Zelda’s Adult Shop was part of a small two-storey shopping precinct at 13 Railway Terrace, Rockingham. The 728-square-metre property is recorded as Lot 77 on Plan 5742.
Constructed during the early 1960s, the property was previously owned by Maureen and Michael Cowen, who sold it to Delys and Mervyn Chapman for $250,000 on 17 February 1987 (RP Data, 2025).
Alexandros Lazidis and Peter Lazidis bought the property for $1.07 million on 21 February 2005 (RP Data, 2025). Two years later, it was advertised for sale as a “developer’s dream” with an asking price of $1.2 million. The listing was later withdrawn.
Although the building is generally treated as one property, it contains several differently configured commercial areas connected by internal walkways and stairs. The upper floor was occupied by Zelda’s Adult Shop, while the ground floor included a real estate office and a fish & chip shop.
Zelda’s Adult Shop
Kevin Robert Mann opened Zelda’s Adult Shop in Unit 4 on the upper floor of 13 Railway Terrace in November 2004, following approval by the Town Planning Appeal Tribunal in August that year.
In April 2005, the City of Rockingham ordered Mann to stop operating private dance booths within the premises because they were outside the shop’s planning approval. Mann challenged the order but the State Administrative Tribunal dismissed his application on 27 October 2005.
In May 2006, the tribunal approved an expansion of the adult shop into adjoining upstairs premises. The approval excluded private dance booths, performance areas and video viewing booths. A further application for two private dance booths and two video viewing booths was refused in February 2007 because the proposed activities were considered incompatible with the City’s planning objectives for the Waterfront Village area.
February 2021
Bedside Drawer adult shop
After Zelda’s vacated the premises, the tenancy was taken over by Bedside Drawer adult shop. The Zelda’s Adult Shop business name was cancelled on 16 June 2015 (ASIC Connect, 2025).
Listing the property
LJ Hooker subsequently advertised the vacant shop space for lease (RP Data, 2025).
The removal of the Adult Shop sign revealed an earlier sign for Rockingham Counselling Services. The business name was registered on 20 March 2002 and cancelled on 25 April 2005 (ASIC Connect, 2025).
After Bedside Drawer Adult Shop closed, shelving, counters, signs, office materials and other items were left behind. The building remained vacant for an extended period. Photographs taken during visits show broken windows, graffiti, damaged fittings and rubbish throughout parts of the premises.
Squatters and homeless people used different parts of the building for shelter. Sleeping areas, discarded clothing, food packaging, used needles and other belongings accumulated inside the old shops. Locals later complained about the rubbish, smell and general condition of the building.
December 2022
Attempts to lease the property
At least ten rental listings were advertised for four different shop spaces in the complex between 28 April 2015 and 18 September 2019. The final listing remained advertised for 378 days at an asking rent of $20,000 a year (RP Data, 2025).
In September 2020, Burgess Rawson again offered the property for lease. The building was described as having two main tenancies which could be leased separately or together.
The former real estate office covered approximately 208 m². The former fish and chip shop covered approximately 101 m² and included another 77 m² of upstairs office space. Both areas had access to a private car park at the rear of the property.
Despite the location and relatively low asking rent, no lasting tenants were secured.
The fish and chip shop also required cleaning and a substantial refit before another food business could use it. As more shops closed, there was less activity inside the precinct and the remaining spaces became less attractive. Newer commercial buildings offered better accessibility, presentation, services and parking.
Repeated trespassing and vandalism further exacerbated the problem. As the building remained vacant, the damage continued to increase, along with the amount of work required before any part of it could be legally and safely occupied again.
Ownership
Alexandros Lazidis and Peter Lazidis bought 13 Railway Terrace for $1.07 million on 21 February 2005 (RP Data, 2025). The Alex, Chris and Peter Lazidis family trusts were recorded under the trading name Railway Tce Rockingham Partnership from 1 April 2005.
In 2012, a representative of the Lazidis family objected to a proposed minimum redevelopment site size of 2,200m² affecting the property.
The 2025 fire
A fire broke out at the vacant building at about 10.15 pm on Tuesday, 18 March 2025. Firefighters attended the two-storey property but no one was found inside and no injuries were reported.
Future of the site
No development application or publicly advertised redevelopment proposal has been found for 13 Railway Terrace.
February 2024
Oceanview Seafood
The ground-floor fish and chip shop diagonally opposite the upstairs Zelda’s premises traded as Sharky’s in the late 1980s until about 1990. It was later occupied by Oceanview Seafoods and RJ Oceanview Takeaways. Business listings record its address as Shop 3, 13A Railway Terrace.
The Oceanview Seafoods business name was registered on 25 November 1999 and cancelled on 24 March 2021. RJ Oceanview Takeaways was registered on 29 October 2013 and cancelled on 9 March 2017 (ASIC Connect, 2025).
A contemporary article about New Zealand food in Perth described RJ Oceanview’s menu as including Kiwi hotdogs, raw fish, hangi, kina and fry bread.
After the shop closed, cooking equipment was removed, but oil and grease residue remained. Photographs show rubbish, damaged fittings, graffiti and belongings left throughout the former kitchen and service areas.
By September 2020, Burgess Rawson was advertising the former fish and chip shop for lease. The advertisement described approximately 101m² of shop space, another 77m² of upstairs office space and access to a private rear car park.
February 2024
