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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 originally owned by Maureen and Michael Cowen, who sold it to Delys and Mervyn Chapman for $250,000 on 17 February 1987.
Alexandros Lazidis and Peter Lazidis bought the property for $1.07 million on 21 February 2005. 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 The listing was later withdrawn and they have retained ownership of the property since.
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
Zelda’s Adult Shop appears to have commenced trading in 1999, although its Western Australian business name was not registered until 24 September 2003. It’s not known exactly when the business moved into the upper floor at 13 Railway Terrace, although it may have operated there from 2005 until mid-2013.
After Zelda’s vacated the premises, the tenancy was taken over by Bedside Drawer Adult Shop. The replacement business lasted less than two years. The Zelda’s Adult Shop business name was cancelled on 16 June 2015.
LJ Hooker subsequently advertised the vacant shop space for lease. The removal of the Adult Shop sign revealed an earlier sign for Rockingham Counselling Services, which appears to have occupied the upstairs rooms between March 2002 and the end of 2004.
After Bedside Drawer Adult Shop closed, shelving, counters, signs, office materials and other items were left behind. The shop remained vacant and was progressively vandalised, with windows smashed, walls covered in graffiti, fittings and cabinetry damaged, and rubbish scattered through the rooms.
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.
February 2021
Fruit Property Rockingham
The commercial space under Zelda’s was occupied by a succession of real estate agencies.
Port Rockingham Real Estate was recorded at 13 Railway Terrace by 2002. The office later traded as Rockingham Real Estate before adopting the Fruit Property Rockingham name. Government licensing records show that Rockingham Real Estate Pty Ltd remained the underlying entity while Fruit Property Rockingham was used as its public business name.
The office was later briefly occupied by Acton Belle Property Rockingham and Baldivis, which appears to have moved out during 2018.
Oceanview Seafood
Diagonally opposite Zelda’s Adult Shop on the ground floor was a fish and chip shop trading as Oceanview Seafoods. New management appears to have taken over in 2014, when it was renamed RJ Oceanview Takeaways. The business relocated to its Warnbro store in April 2018.
It has been claimed that the fish and chip shop closed because the Rockingham foreshore redevelopment affected passing trade and access.
The inside of the shop was left in poor condition. Cooking equipment had been removed but old oil and grease residue remained. The floors, walls and service areas were covered with rubbish, damaged fittings, graffiti and material left by squatters.
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.
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 long period of vacancy appears to have resulted from several issues, including the precinct’s awkward two-storey layout, internal stairs and walkways, and commercial spaces of varying sizes. Some areas have limited visibility from Railway Terrace, while the former Zelda’s premises would not have suited every type of tenant.
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. The Alex, Chris and Peter Lazidis family trusts subsequently operated under the trading name Railway Tce Rockingham Partnership.
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
