Early Beginnings
The first Mackenzies stepped ashore at Fremantle in the 1850s—drawn by the colony’s demand for skilled shepherds, stonemasons, and the promise of pastoral land. Many were Free Settlers from the Highland Clearances era, seeking fresh opportunity away from crofting hardship.
- 1853 – Alexander Mackenzie (Inverness) records land grant at York district, establishing one of the earliest sheep runs managed by a Highlander family.
- 1868 – Duncan Mackenzie oversees stonework on the original Perth Town Hall clock‑tower, leaving mason’s marks still visible today.
- 1890 – Gold Rush boom: siblings Kenneth & Donald Mackenzie head north to Coolgardie—one becomes a prospector, the other opens a supply store that evolves into a transport firm.
Key Milestones
- 1909 – Formation of the Perth Highland Society; Mackenzies among founding committee, hosting annual St Andrew’s ceilidh.
- 1936 – Pipe Major Angus Mackenzie leads the WA Police Pipe Band at the state’s centenary parade.
- 1952 – First recorded Clan Mackenzie gathering in WA, held at Kings Park with 120 descendants signing a clan register.
- 1988 – In Australia’s Bicentennial year, WA branch helps fund the restoration of Castle Leod (the clan seat in Strathpeffer) via a national appeal.
- 2025 – Official launch of the Clan Mackenzie – Western Australia chapter, unifying family associations from Broome to Albany.
Where We Are Today
Modern Mackenzies span every corner of WA—wine‑makers in the South West, engineers in the Pilbara, teachers in the Wheatbelt. The chapter now hosts quarterly gatherings, partners with Scottish heritage festivals, and maintains an online archive of photographs, oral histories, and family trees.
Contribute Your Story
Have letters, clippings, or yarns from your Mackenzie ancestors? Email the history curator—every fragment helps piece together our collective past.