WTF Marlene Oostryck Rally in Kings Square

Walyalup Koort, formerly known as Kings Square (or King's Square), is a

town square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

in Fremantle, Western Australia. It is bounded by

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

, Newman, William, and

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

Streets. Though the square was originally a public reserve, it has been the site of Saint John's Church of England since 1843, and the Fremantle Town Hall since 1887.

High Street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...

was extended through and beyond the square in the 1880s, but the portion through the square was closed off in the 1960s. Today Kings Square functions as a civic and cultural centre of Fremantle, with modern events taking place adjacent to the historic buildings.

History

The square began as an open space on

John Septimus Roe John Septimus Roe (8 May 1797 – 28 May 1878) was the first Surveyor-General of Western Australia. He was a renowned explorer, a member of Western Australia's legislative and executive councils for nearly 40 years, but also a participant in ...

's original town plan of Fremantle, drawn in 1833. In 1839, property owners around the square petitioned the

State Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

for a church to be built in the square. This was approved in 1840, and construction works began with the

foundation stone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over tim ...

being laid on 6 April 1842. Saint John's Church of England opened on 4 August 1843, and was consecrated on 16 November 1848. In 1876, the church applied to the Fremantle City Council for a strip of land, adjacent to the church wall, to be granted to the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

, for the purpose of building a new church on the site and to improve the amenity of Kings Square. In this application, all of the land in Kings Square was claimed to have been previously granted to the Church of England, though in later years this was seen to be controversial. This application was refused, as the strip was used for storing and preparing stone (for use in road works), and some councillors believed the church had enough land already. One year later, the church made a second proposal, offering the council the south-western corner of the square, and a

right of way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...

for the extension of High Street through the square, in return for the strip of land and 500 pounds. The council accepted, subject to minor modification. The new church was constructed and consecrated in 1882. It was funded in part by sale of the south-western corner to the Fremantle Council, and the sale of south-eastern portion, which was divided into lots. The council constructed the Fremantle Town Hall on the site it had purchased, between 1885 and 1887, whilst private enterprises constructed buildings in the south east of the square during the 1880s. These building were later demolished in 1929 to make room for an extension to the town hall. In 1881, High Street was extended along the right of way through Kings Square. In the 1960s, Kings Square was reinstated as a town square with the closure of High Street, between Queen Street, at the eastern edge of the square, and Market Street, west of the square. This was carried out as part of a traffic management plan for Fremantle, which included turning the streets around the square into a one way rotary. In July 2021, the name Kings Square was formally changed to Walyalup Koort following approval of the new name by the Minister for Lands. The new name, which means 'Heart of Fremantle' in the local Whadjuk

Nyoongar language Noongar (; also Nyungar ) is an Australian Aboriginal language or dialect continuum, spoken by some members of the Noongar community and others. It is taught actively in Australia, including at schools, universities and through public broadcastin ...

, was selected by Fremantle Council in June 2021 following a community engagement process. The name changed occurred despite community opposition and a written submission from the

Fremantle History Society The Fremantle History Society is a historical society focused on Fremantle, Western Australia 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 ...

stating that they did not support the renaming of this historical site.

Current usage

WTF Marlene Oostryck Pinpong in Kings Square

Walyalup Koort is now a paved and landscaped civic centre of Fremantle. As well as the church and town hall, the square also features a giant chess board, various public artworks, and facilities such as toilets, seating, and children's play equipment. Cultural events take place in the square, including movie, music, and arts festivals, as well as group activities such as

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consci ...

and

drum circle A drum circle is any group of people playing (usually) hand-drums and percussion in a circle. They are distinct from a drumming group or troupe in that the drum circle is an end in itself rather than preparation for a performance. They can range ...

s. Public artworks and statues on display in Walyalup Koort include: * Pietro Giacomo Porcelli (1993) – sculptor Greg James * Hughie Edwards statue and seat (2002) – artist Andrew Kay *

Chess table A chess table is a table built with features to make it useful for playing the game of chess. A chess board is usually integral to the table top and often two drawers are provided to hold the pieces when not in use. Chess tables can be extreme ...

and chairs – artist Coral Lowry *

John Curtin John Curtin (8 January 1885 – 5 July 1945) was an Australian politician who served as the 14th prime minister of Australia from 1941 until his death in 1945. He led the country for the majority of World War II, including all but the last few ...

(artwork alongside the Town Hall building) – artists Charles Smith and Joan Walsh Smith * Tom Edwards Memorial (1919) – sculptor Pietro Giacomo Porcelli

References

{{Coord, -32.0539, 115.7483, dim:500, display=title Adelaide Street, Fremantle Queen Street, Fremantle Squares in Perth, Western Australia High Street, Fremantle