Fremantle was an electoral district of the Legislative Council of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

from 1870 to 1890, during the period when the Legislative Council was the sole chamber of the

Parliament of Western Australia The Parliament of Western Australia is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Western Australia, forming the legislative branch of the Government of Western Australia. The parliament consists of a lower house, the Legislative Ass ...

. Fremantle was one of the original ten Legislative Council districts created by the ''Legislative Council Act 1870'' (33 Vict, No. 13). The district's original northern boundary ran along the Swan River (excluding

North Fremantle North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

), the

Canning River The Canning River (Djarlgarra in Nyungar) is a major tributary of the Swan River in the South West Land Division of Western Australia. It is home to much wildlife including dolphins, pelicans, swans and many other bird species. Source and ...

, and Bull Creek, and then south-east out to near present-day

Ashendon Ashendon is a small village and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England. It is about nine miles west of Aylesbury and seven miles north of Thame. The toponym is derived from the Old English for "Hill overgrown with ash trees". The Domesday Bo ...

, before going north-east to

Mount Dale Mount Dale is a mountain in Western Australia about east of Armadale in the Shire of Beverley. At high, it is one of the highest points in the Darling Scarp. It is best known for its walk track, which forms part of the Bibbulmun Track. Th ...

. It then ran south-east out to the

Hotham River The Hotham River is one of the major tributaries of the Murray River in Western Australia. It is about long with its upper reaches being the Hotham River North, which begins in the Dutarning Range and joins the Hotham at its crossing of the Gr ...

near Pingelly, and then finally due east to the

Great Australian Bight The Great Australian Bight is a large oceanic bight, or open bay, off the central and western portions of the southern coastline of mainland Australia. Extent Two definitions of the extent are in use – one used by the International Hydrog ...

. Fremantle's original southern boundary ran west from the Bight to Bannister, then along the Williams and Murray Rivers to a due west line intersecting Mount William (in

Hoffman Hoffman is a surname of German and Jewish origin. The original meaning in medieval times was "steward", i.e. one who manages the property of another. In English and other European languages, including Yiddish and Dutch, the name can also be spelle ...

).. However, with the passing of the ''Legislative Council Act Amendment Act 1873'' (37 Vict. No. 22), large portions of Fremantle's southern territory was transferred to the new district of Murray and Williams. Its new southern boundary was a line running from

Cockburn Sound Cockburn Sound (Nyungar Aboriginal Australian name: Derbal Nara) is an inlet of the Indian Ocean on the coast of Western Australia. It extends from the south of the mouth of the Swan River at Fremantle for about 25 km to Point Peron ne ...

(near the present-day suburb of

Naval Base A naval base, navy base, or military port is a military base, where warships and naval ships are docked when they have no mission at sea or need to restock. Ships may also undergo repairs. Some naval bases are temporary homes to aircraft that us ...

) to the district of Perth's south-western boundary.. Along with Perth and the North District (from 1883 only), Fremantle elected two members to the Legislative Council (unlike the other constituencies, which only elected one member each). In total, five men represented the district between 1870 and 1890, the longest-serving of which was William Marmion (serving from 1872 to 1890).

William Silas Pearse William Silas Pearse (21 May 1838 – 30 December 1908) was an Australian businessman, pastoralist, and politician who served in both houses of the Parliament of Western Australia. He was a member of the Legislative Council from 1872 to 1880 a ...

served two non-consecutive terms, from 1872 to 1880 and again from 1884 to 1890. Both Marmion and Pearse went on to serve in the Legislative Assembly after the advent of

responsible government Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability, the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. Governments (the equivalent of the executive bran ...

in 1890.''The Western Australian Parliamentary Handbook (Twenty-Third Edition)''
, p. 370.

Members

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fremantle

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

1870 establishments in Australia 1890 disestablishments in Australia Constituencies established in 1870 Constituencies disestablished in 1890

Electoral district An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...