16/01/2026
The “neglected” and “deteriorating” Old Jetty installation at Bathers Beach is putting kids at risk of “impaling themselves”, says a retired foreshore restoration team leader, who thinks the City of Fremantle must take responsibility.
Located in front of Bathers Beach House, the Old Jetty was created in the 1990s by the late Joan Campbell, alongside artist Richard Coldicutt and her students, and was designed to naturally weather and disintegrate over time.
The structure marks the site of the historic Long Jetty, which once extended from the shore in the 1890s before being demolished in the 1920s to make way for the Fremantle Harbour.
Today, the jetty’s underside has become a popular refuge from the summer sun, while the structure above functions as an unofficial climbing frame, with children leaping from the edge and hoping to stick a landing on the sand below.
However, retired City of Melville worker Errol Allen says the council’s lack of maintenance and care has made these activities much more dangerous,” Mr Allen said.
“It’s become quite significantly unsafe in terms of the decking itself; the wood’s rotten, splintering, there’s missing planks, and others have exposed decking spikes or decking nails.”
Mr Allen said the site was an accident waiting to happen, noting that even where council workers carried out repairs in the past, boards have now lifted and screws have been exposed, putting anyone walking above at risk of splinters or falling through missing planks.
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