The terminal is the largest in Australia and is the only passenger terminal in Australia capable of berthing two cruise liners simultaneously. Though it opening was timed to coincide with the arrival of competitors for the Empire Games in November 1962, the building of the Terminal had become essential due to the inability of the existing port facilities to cope with the post-World War II boom in migration by ship from Europe. The arrivals were being processed in sheds and offices on Victoria Quay.
The planning, which commenced in 1957 before Perth won the right to host the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, considered the future needs of the port, so designed a facility capable of processing two ocean liners simultaneously. Hobbs, Winning and Leighton was the architectural firm that designed the building in the post war international style, with AT Brine & Sons and the Fremantle Harbour Trust commencing construction in 1958.
The first stage F shed was opened by the Western Australia Premier David Brand in December 1960. Between the opening of the first stage and the opening of the second stage G shed in May 1962 over 250,000 passengers passed through the terminal.
The SS Oriana, on its maiden voyage, was the first vessel to berth at the new terminal. This was ironic, since, not only because the Oriana was a cruise liner a not a migrant ship, but a cruise liner, 1962 was the peak year for migrant arrivals by ship. Each year, less and less migrants arrived by sea, and within 10 years of the Terminal's opening, migrant arrivals by sea stopped altogether. These days, the Terminal is used as a Function and Exhibition Centre, and by the 40 or so cruise ships that visit Fremantle each year. The Terminal's car park is now used for the storage of motor vehicles inported through the Port of Fremantle.
As a child I migrated from England to Australia with my family in 1960. We arrived in Fremantle aboard the P&O passenger liner RMS Strathaird during the first week of June. Our destination was Melbourne, but we took the opportunity during our 12 hours in port to visit family friends at the Perth beachside suburb of Waterman Bay.
The Passenger Terminal was still under construction, and we embarked at D Shed. The weather was pleasant but the shed was rather dusty, a little windy and very noisy.
After two years in Melbourne our family moved to Perth in July 1962. Back then it was still quite cheap to travel by sea between Australia's state capitals, and we made the 6 day voyage from Melbourne to Fremantle aboard the Shaw Saville & Albion Line's SS Southern Cross.
Our ship berthed at the new Fremantle Passenger Terminal alongside the MV Castle Felice, which had arrived a few hours before us. Its passengers were disembarking when one of the terminal's distinctive covered blue gangways were put in place for us. We did not need to pass through Customs as we were travelling interstate, but it was still a battle to push our way through the hundreds of people in the terminal, head down the escalators, find our baggage, then push through the crowds outside the terminal and head for the car which had been arranged to pick us up.
The scene as I recall it was reminiscent of a busy airport terminal today, though it seemed much busier and far less organised. Sadly, the Frementle Passenger Terminal never experiences such events any more, though they were occurred regularly back then.
On days when cruise liners are in port, disembarking is today quite orderly and there are no relatives or long lost friends jostling for a spot against the balcony rail, where they could scan the ship's decks for a familiar face, or throw steamers and kisses to the excited travellers, eager for their first glimpse of their new homeland. In the terminal, there are rarely hugs and tears as those once separated by time and distance fight their way through the crowds, eager to share their joy at being together once more.
The ship that berth at the Passenger Terminal today are much bigger that the ones of yesteryear. 20,000 tonnes was normal for a ship back then; these days anything less that 60,000 tonnes is considered small. Whereas the gangways used to extend straight out to a ship's promenade deck, today they only reach the side of the hull. The terminal and there ships were once about the same size; today's ships tower over the terminal as if they are about to swallow it up.
- Stephen Yarrow
Affectionately known in the Western Australian vernacular as "Freo", Fremantle is located 19 km southwest of Perth, the state capital, at the mouth of the Swan River on Australia's west coast. A thriving port city serving the City of Perth and the State of Western Australia, Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829 - in fact it was on Bathers Beach of Fremantle that the new colonists landed after their long voyage from Britain. Hundreds and thousands of migrants to Western Australia would follow in their footsteps for the next 140 years, Fremantle being their point of entry into Australia's largest state.
Less than an hour by car or train from Perth, Fremantle remains a fishing and shipping port, but serves a dual role as a place of recreation. Fremantle is popular with diners, catering for all tastes and budgets with its wide range of eating places. Italian and Asian cuisine is abundant as well as a vast variety of seafood restaurants. There are numerous cafes and coffee shops situated around Fremantle, particularly on its famous 'Cappuccino Strip' - a section of South Terrace given over to alfresco dining since 1977. Fremantle is also a popular place for its nightlife, second only to Northbridge in Perth's CBD. It attracts people from all over the metropolitan region for its pubs, bars and nightclubs.
The city has an operational fishing boat harbour which contain markets and restaurants, developed as a tourist precinct. Fishing charter boats also operate from this harbour.
SS Malolo, 1929
In 1897, Western Australia's Irish-born engineer-chief, Charles Yelverton O'Connor, deepened Fremantle harbour and removed the limestone bar and sand shoals across the entrance to the Swan River, thus rendering Fremantle a serviceable port for commercial shipping. Fremantle still serves as the chief seaport of Western Australia. During World War II, Fremantle was the 2nd largest base for Allied submarines operating in the Pacific Theatre. There were up to 125 US, 31 British and 11 Free Dutch Submarines operating out of Fremantle, until the Americans moved forward to the Philippines.
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