Small Craft Pens, Inner Harbour, Fremantle

Values

• Small Craft Pens, Inner Harbour, Fremantle is a representative example of facilities provided to service a major port in Western Australia.
• One of two constructed in 1965 for pilot boat berthing, the place is associated with the Upper River Extension project (1959-1969), the largest upgrades since the Inner Harbour was developed in the 1890s. This project enabled the modernisation of Fremantle Harbour, with North Quay becoming the focal point for shipping and cargo handling at the port.

Physical Description

The place is a 70-metre-long service jetty located within the Fremantle Inner Harbour, adjacent to the Fremantle Rail Bridge. The jetty comprises concrete planks and beams, and 12-inch circular steel piles driven into the bed of the Swan River, connected to a sheet pile wall. The jetty is within Fremantle Port’s operational area and is surrounded by concrete surface roads and service buildings and sheds.

History

Walyalup (Fremantle) has always been a significant place for the Whadjuk Noongar people. This area, and the mouth of the Swan River are integral to the story of the Waugal, the carpet snake, which is an important component of Noongar lore. Noongar people believe that the Waugal dominates the earth and the sky, and during the Ntiyying it created the fresh waterways, forming the Derbal Yerrigan and the Djarlgarro Beelier (the Swan and Canning rivers). The arrival of British settlers and changes made to create Victoria Quay severely disrupted the traditional way of life of the Whadjuk people. In 1829, Captain Stirling and Captain Fremantle arrived with the first British settlers. The official landing point is believed to be the western end of Victoria Quay. Victoria Quay forms part of the Inner Harbour located at the mouth of the Swan River. Construction of the Inner Harbour commenced in 1892 under the supervision of Irish civil engineer C.Y. O’Connor. Works included the construction of the North and South moles, blasting and dredging of the river mouth and bed, and the reclamation of land on the south side of the river. Consolidation of the Inner Harbour continued up to the mid-1920s, and three major development proposals were later suggested as the port had reached full capacity. Further development of the Inner Harbour was kept to a minimum during the Great Depression and World War Two, picking up in the 1950s and 1960s. Preliminary works for the Upper River Extensions Project began in 1959. This project was the most significant port development to be undertaken at the time since the construction of the Inner Harbour in the 1890s. The project involved creating the new 11/12 Berth Container Terminal at North Quay, constructing the J Berth, and two Small Craft Pens, where pilot boats and port workboats operate. Extensive dredging was required, and a significant amount of infrastructure was removed or demolished, including a new railway bridge. As a result of these works, North Quay became the focus for shipping and cargo handling in the port, while Victoria Quay was used by a range of trading and non-trading ships. Prior to this major redevelopment, the small craft pens at the eastern portion of the Inner Harbour were located adjacent to the original railway bridge, near the current Berth H. The new small craft pens were relocated to an area that did not require dredging, adjacent to the new railway bridge. Two new small craft pens were constructed by 1965, and the overall Upper River Extensions project was completed by 1969. The structures appear to have been shorted between 1989 and 1995. Only one of the two small craft pens remains, with the southernmost one demolished by 2000.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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