East Fremantle (nicknamed East Freo) is an affluent
suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...
of
Perth
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
, Western Australia, located south-west of the
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...
. The suburb is mainly residential, and is coterminous with the
Town of East Fremantle
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
local government area.
Previously serving as an outer, rural area of
Fremantle
Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...
, most of the present-day suburb was originally developed in the late 1890s and early 1900s as a result of the
Western Australian gold rushes
In the latter part of the nineteenth century, discoveries of gold at a number of locations in Western Australia caused large influxes of prospectors from overseas and interstate, and classic gold rushes. Significant finds included:
* Halls C ...
. Further development occurred in the late 1940s and 1950s to provide dwellings for new immigrants. Two major arterial roads –
Canning Highway
Canning Highway is an arterial road in Perth, Western Australia, linking the inner Perth suburb of Victoria Park, Western Australia, Victoria Park in the north-east, to the port city of Fremantle in the south-west.
The road is mostly a four-l ...
and
Stirling Highway
Stirling Highway is, for most of its length, a four-lane single carriageway and major arterial road between Perth, Western Australia and the port city of Fremantle in Western Australia on the northern side of the Swan River (Western Australia) ...
– pass through the suburb, which is also bounded to the north by the
Swan River.
History
Early history
Prior to European settlement, the
Noongar
The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian people who live in the South West, Western Australia, south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton, Western Aus ...
people obtained food and drinking water from the river edges and open grassy areas. Shortly after the establishment of the
Swan River Colony
The Swan River Colony, also known as the Swan River Settlement, or just ''Swan River'', was a British colony established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. This initial settlement place on the Swan River was soon named Perth, an ...
, a track linking Perth to Fremantle was documented through the area.
In April 1833, a report spread that a "''landing'' of 200 natives" had speared the ferryman, John Weavell, and his wife at their residence near Preston Point, which "brought nearly every male inhabitant of Fremantle to my house, some with guns without locks, some with guns without ammunition, others with ammunition without guns, some with pistols, others with bludgeons". It was later reported in the ''
Perth Gazette
''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times (Western Australia), The Sunday Times'' ...
'' that this was entirely false, with the ''Gazette'' decrying the "extravagant and absurd statements that are daily ''got up''".
Initially, the area was dominated by agricultural activity, but after the 1890s
gold rush
A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...
, it became increasingly residential and suburban in character. The first area to develop was Plympton, in the southwest of the suburb, where workers' cottages were established largely between 1890-1910. Next were Woodside and Richmond in the south and north, which today contain many brick and tile homes dating from 1900-1940. The Preston Point area developed in the 1950s.
Geography
East Fremantle is bounded by the
Swan River to the north and west, East Street to the southwest, Marmion Street to the south and Petra Street to the east.
Facilities
East Fremantle is a residential suburb, relying on neighbourhood shopping centres in the area for daily needs, and Fremantle for other commercial services. The suburb contains a community centre, two small private hospitals and two primary schools. Each year in December, the suburb hosts the East Fremantle Festival in George Street, located in the historic district of Plympton.
The suburb contains
East Fremantle Oval
East Fremantle Oval is an Australian rules football ground located in East Fremantle, Western Australia. The ground was opened in 1906, and underwent a large redevelopment in 1953. It current serves as the home ground of the East Fremantle Footb ...
, the home ground of the
East Fremantle Football Club
The East Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Sharks and colloquially referred to as East Freo, is an Australian rules football club playing in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and WAFL Women's (WAFLW). The team's home ground is Eas ...
, a club in the
West Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League (WAFL "waffle" or "W-A-F-L") is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The league currently consists of ten teams, which play each other in a 20-round season usually lasting f ...
(WAFL).
Transport
In September 1910, at the urging of ''
The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'', a South Swan Railway League was formed, calling for the establishment of a railway line running south of the Swan River from Fremantle to
Guildford
Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The nam ...
, where it would then join the existing
Eastern Railway.
East Fremantle contains the crossroads between
Canning Highway
Canning Highway is an arterial road in Perth, Western Australia, linking the inner Perth suburb of Victoria Park, Western Australia, Victoria Park in the north-east, to the port city of Fremantle in the south-west.
The road is mostly a four-l ...
and
Stirling Highway
Stirling Highway is, for most of its length, a four-lane single carriageway and major arterial road between Perth, Western Australia and the port city of Fremantle in Western Australia on the northern side of the Swan River (Western Australia) ...
. The suburb is served by a range of buses from
Fremantle train station, by which residents can link to the
CircleRoute
The CircleRoute is a pair of circular Transperth bus routes through Perth's suburbs.
History
The CircleRoute was introduced in two stages. On 16 February 1998, the first stage of the CircleRoute commenced operating between Fremantle and Oa ...
and to the
Perth central business district
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
. All services are operated by the
Public Transport Authority.
Bus
* 111
Fremantle Station to
WACA Ground
The WACA Ground () is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. The stadium's name derives from the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA).
The WACA has been referred to as Western Australia' ...
– serves
Canning Highway
Canning Highway is an arterial road in Perth, Western Australia, linking the inner Perth suburb of Victoria Park, Western Australia, Victoria Park in the north-east, to the port city of Fremantle in the south-west.
The road is mostly a four-l ...
* 148
Fremantle Station to
Como
Como (, ; , or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Nestled at the southwestern branch of the picturesque Lake Como, the city is a renowned tourist destination, ce ...
– serves
Canning Highway
Canning Highway is an arterial road in Perth, Western Australia, linking the inner Perth suburb of Victoria Park, Western Australia, Victoria Park in the north-east, to the port city of Fremantle in the south-west.
The road is mostly a four-l ...
, Preston Point Road, Parker Street and View Terrace
* 158
Fremantle Station to
Elizabeth Quay Bus Station
Elizabeth Quay bus station, formerly the Esplanade Busport, is a Transperth bus station, located at the southern edge of the Perth (suburb), Perth CBD in Western Australia, next to the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre and Elizabeth Quay rail ...
– serves
Canning Highway
Canning Highway is an arterial road in Perth, Western Australia, linking the inner Perth suburb of Victoria Park, Western Australia, Victoria Park in the north-east, to the port city of Fremantle in the south-west.
The road is mostly a four-l ...
, Preston Point Road, Parker Street and View Terrace
* 910
Fremantle Station to
Perth Busport
Perth Busport is an underground central bus station in Perth, Western Australia, located underneath Wellington Street. It was officially opened by then Premier of Western Australia Colin Barnett and then Minister for Transport Dean Nalder o ...
(high frequency) – serves
Canning Highway
Canning Highway is an arterial road in Perth, Western Australia, linking the inner Perth suburb of Victoria Park, Western Australia, Victoria Park in the north-east, to the port city of Fremantle in the south-west.
The road is mostly a four-l ...
* 915
Fremantle Station to
Bull Creek Station (high frequency) – serves Marmion Street
Politics
East Fremantle is an established suburb with two quite different booths – the southern half (East Fremantle Primary School), nearer
Fremantle
Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...
, strongly supports Labor at both federal and
state elections; while the northern half (Richmond Primary School), alongside the
Swan River, supports the more conservative
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world.
The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
at both levels of government.
Education
East Fremantle contains one
state-run primary school
A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...
, Richmond Primary School, founded in 1921. The school comprises an on-site
kindergarten
Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...
, catering for 40 students, an off-site
pre-primary
Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...
, catering for 54 students, and the main primary school, catering for 340 students. As of
semester one, 2011, the school has a total enrolment of 407 students. Richmond is occasionally utilised by the local community, and shares the hosting of an annual
fête
In the United Kingdom and some of its former colonies, a fête or fete is a public festival organised to raise money for a charity, typically held outdoors. It generally includes entertainment and the sale of goods and refreshments. Fetes are ty ...
with other local schools. East Fremantle Primary School, established in 1898, is located in the neighbouring suburb of
Fremantle
Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...
, on the southern border of Marmion Street, just outside the boundary between Fremantle and East Fremantle. Most of East Fremantle is located within the Richmond Primary local-intake area, with the exclusion of the Plympton ward, which falls into East Fremantle Primary's intake area. The suburb is shared between the catchment zones of three
secondary school
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...
s:
John Curtin College of the Arts
John Curtin College of the Arts, originally John Curtin High School, is an independent, public co-educational, partially selective high school, located in East Street, , a suburb of Perth, Western Australia.
The school provides a general and ...
, in
Fremantle
Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...
,
Melville Senior High School
Melville Senior High School is a public co-educational high school located in Melville, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Opened in 1960, as of 2024 the school had an enrolment of 1,451 students from Year 7 to Year 12, with its catchment ar ...
, in
Melville, and
South Fremantle Senior High School
South Fremantle Senior High School (SFSHS) is a former comprehensive public co-educational high day school, that was located in Beaconsfield, south-east of Fremantle in the south-western suburbs of Perth, Western Australia.
The school opera ...
, in
Beaconsfield
Beaconsfield ( ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, northwest of central London and southeast of Aylesbury. Three other towns are within : Gerrards Cross, Amersham and High Wycombe.
The ...
.
Both Richmond Primary and East Fremantle Primary are used as
polling booths by the Western Australian Electoral Commission.
See also
*
East Fremantle Lacrosse Club
The East Fremantle Lacrosse Club was founded in 1899 and is the oldest continually existing lacrosse club in Western Australia.
History
Lacrosse first commenced in Western Australia
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia ...
References
External links
{{Commons category-inline
Suburbs of Perth, Western Australia
Town of East Fremantle