Victoria Quay

“This vibrant waterfront where the Indian Ocean meets the Derbarl Yerrigan / Swan River is the perfect blend of bustling and blissful. Grab a beer and a perch on the deck at Gage Roads to watch the ferries come and go and you’ll know exactly what we mean.”

Passenger trains carry in visitors from across Perth and holidaymakers disembark from zippy island ferries or towering cruise liners in Fremantle’s very own arrivals hall. But before you cross excitedly into town, take a closer look at WA’s biggest working port. 

Officially opened on 4 May 1897, the South Quay—renamed Victoria Quay in 1901 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s passing after a visit from the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York—was the hub of all cargo handling until the ‘container era’ began in the 1960s. Activities transferred to the North Quay and made way for South Quay’s transformation into a passenger hub instead.

Today, the Port of Fremantle handles more than 32 million tonnes of cargo and 16,000 vessels per year, with an average of $3.4 million in trade passing through every hour of every day. The port handles almost all the state’s container trade as well as motor vehicle imports and visiting naval vessels.

The iconic Fremantle Passenger Terminal on South Quay opened in two stages in 1960 and 1962 and was at the time Australia’s largest passenger terminal and the only terminal with two-berth capacity. It’s famed for its post-war simple, functional style and for the introduction of the Port Authority hostesses, who gained world-wide publicity and inspired several other ports to follow suit and introduce their own.

Every hostess spoke at least two languages and was an invaluable source of information to new migrants and visitors navigating Western Australia for the first time. Their immaculate red and white uniforms made them icons of the port scene throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s.

Today, cruise ships such as the Crown Princess, Pacific Explorer, Viking Orion, and even the famous Queen Mary 2 have all anchored at the Terminal.

Smaller vessels ferry passengers to and from holiday hotspot Wadjemup / Rottnest Island at the B Shed Ferry Terminal where the nearby Gage Roads Brew Co—named after the strip of ocean that separates Rottnest and Fremantle—offers a place for returning day-trippers to rest weary feet and enjoy a pint.

The Quay’s E Shed Markets offer waterfront views, local and international cuisine, and an assortment of traders covering everything from antiques and collectibles to barbers and roving magicians. The colours of the old transit sheds—duck egg blue on A Shed, green on B Shed, and mustard on E Shed—have been used since the early 20th century and are all heritage-listed. 

You’ll also find the WA Maritime Museum and the America’s Cup winning Australia II, the HMAS Ovens Submarine, and the STS Leeuwin II (when in port).

Walk to the end of the South Quay and you’ll find the striking green South Mole lighthouse and look to the north to see it’s red North Mole twin. Both were built in 1903 by WA’s legendary chief engineer CY O'Connor, who has been immortalised in statue form by Pietro Porcelli at the entrance to Victoria Quay.