When Stirling returned in 1829 with the first settlers for the Swan River Colony, Woodman Point would have been one of the first mainland landmarks sighted by the new arrivals.

In the 1880s a quarantine station was established there to isolate immigrants from the community whilst being cleared of smallpox, bubonic plague and Spanish influenza that was ravaging Europe, the Americas and Asia.

[2][3] By the mid 1880s, a regular carnival of events had grown around the unofficial racecourse, and Fremantle residents would come down by steam boat or private yacht to spend the day watching the races and picnicking.

[9] For years racing enthusiasts had been requesting that the existing railway line to Robbs Jetty be extended to Woodman Point for ease of access, but to no avail.

The light is on a small hill to the east of Cockburn Road, and nearby are stone cottages used to house the lighthouse keepers.

In 1966 the State Electricity Commission (now Western Power) built a wastewater treatment plant at Woodman Point.