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The port and the colony
started work together
FROM the earliest days of settlement
in Western Australia the Swan
River has played a major part in
development because such a useful
stretch of waterway was a dominant fact
or in the choice of a city and port.
In 1827—two years before the official es-
tablishment of the Swan River Settlement—
Captain James Stirling explored the river.
He went up as far as Ellen's Brook in the
Upper Swan— almost 36 miles from the sea.
When the choice of a seat of Government
had to be made, it was just a question of
on which bank of the river.
Fremantle received its name from Captain
Charles H. Fremantle, of HMS Challenger,
who on May 2, 1829, landed at the little bay
between Anglesea Point and Arthur Head,
south of the Swan River mouth, and took
formal possession of this portion of the con-
tinent of New Holland in the name of His
Majesty King George IV.
Captain Stirling was back again in 1829,
this time with a party of 28 settlers in the
transport Parmelia. On June 2, he estab-
lished a settlement on the banks of the
Swan River and 16 days later issued a pro-
clamation formally annexing the colony to
the British Empire.
BEFORE the end of last century
the port of Fremantle had under-
gone a complete transformation. The battle
of sails versus steam was still on, but the
writing was plainly on the wall for the
graceful sailing ships which were slowly but
steadily losing favour.
As a port, Fremantle began duty as soon
as the colony was started and in its first year
21 vessels arrived. The majority were trad-
ing vessels.
Five years later the infant colony had
cause to pat itself on the back because the
first consignment of locally grown wool—
about 75001b.—was sent away. Two years
later a consignment of timber went over
seas. In January, 1840, the ship Shepherd
left Fremantle for London with the first full
shipment of the colony's produce.
In December, 1845, the first steam ship
arrived. It was HMS Driver, and its arrival
had everyone greatly excited. On first sight
it had looked to them like a ship on fire.
The earliest port facility at Fremantle was
a small jetty in the bay south of Arthur
Head. In 1837 a tunnel was excavated
through this rocky hill to give better access
to the jetty.
The small jetty was replaced by a much
longer one known as the sea jetty. The first
section, about 1400ft. long, and turning in a
south-westerly direction from Anglesea Point,
was completed in 1873. Later the jetty was
extended in a westerly direction to a total
length of 3830ft.
When the river harbour was opened in
1897, the jetty fell into disuse, was closed
to ship traffic but remained in use as a pro-
menade. It was demolished in 1921.
THERE were many years of heat-
ed argument on the question of
an inner harbour for Fremantle before, in
1891, the then Engineer in Chief for WA,
the late C. Y. O'Connor, submitted designs
and proposals which were adopted and be-
came the basis for the construction of the
present harbour.
Work was begun in 1892 and progressed
steadily until, on May 4, 1897, the rocky bar
across the mouth of the river had been clear-
ed sufficiently to enable the first steamer to
enter. This was the s.s. Sultan, of 2062 tons
gross register, engaged on the Fremantle-
Singapore trade. It was a great moment as
the beflagged ship approached the south
wharf and so opened up a new horizon of
progress for Fremantle.
The railway bridge came into official use
on March 1, 1881, when Governor Robinson
formally opened the Fremantle-Guildford
railway line. In. 1925 it came prominently
into the picture again when a rain-flooded
river carried away the northern embankment
and put the line out of service for some
months.
In another 50 years' time—perhaps—when
present grandiose plans for a bigger and
better harbour have been put to effect, to
day's picture will undoubtedly look . as out
dated as the one taken 50 years ago.
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