Fremantle Inner Harbour
Fremantle is an important part of our history. Since 1897, the Fremantle Inner Harbour has been an important economic asset for Western Australia.
Thanks to the vision and design work of State Engineer C.Y. O’Connor, Fremantle’s Inner Harbour has serviced Perth and its surrounding region’s freight needs for more than 120 years.
However, over time urban development has placed pressure on freight access in and out of the Inner Harbour. Over the coming decades this is expected to become a critical constraint to trade moving in WA. While the Inner Harbour itself has adapted as required, external factors outside the port’s control, such as access constraints, will impact growth and efficiency in the future.
Kwinana marks a new chapter for ports
Since the Stephenson-Hepburn Report in 1955, a long history of studies into possible new port locations in Perth have considered the Outer Harbour in Kwinana as the best option. A new port in Kwinana builds WA’s capacity to manage growing freight demand and is an opportunity to modernise our container trade operations.
Kwinana is the State’s primary heavy industrial area, and already supports a busy bulk freight port, serving imports and exports of alumina, grain, fuel and more. The recommended location in Kwinana has the capacity for the new terminal and it also has an integrated road and rail network to connect to logistics hubs.
It is a rare opportunity to plan a new port and freight network from the ground up, allowing it to be built to the latest global standards, while also building in the capacity for future change and innovation
The future of Fremantle
Fremantle’s port history leaves a legacy for future generations. It has helped Fremantle’s local and surrounding communities thrive and become the bustling cultural hub we enjoy today.
The Inner Harbour’s influence in Fremantle carries on through the work of the Future of Fremantle Planning Committee. Managed under the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage, the committee will develop a vision for the longer-term redevelopment of Fremantle Port’s Inner Harbour.
