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Fremantle Herald Official, Fremantle (2025)

10/12/2025

Former Fremantle council senior heritage architect Ian Molyneux, who championed the city’s heritage through a time of rapid change, has died aged 81.

Born in Cottesloe on December 6, 1943 and trained in Perth, Molyneux spent time in the United Kingdom before returning to Western Australia in 1974.

Over his decades-long career, he became a key figure in heritage conservation — most notably serving as the council’s chief architect and later as chair of the Heritage Council of WA from 1991–1994.

Mr Molyneux combined a scholarly eye with passionate advocacy.

His 1981 guidebook Looking around Perth: A Guide to the Architecture of Perth and Surrounding Towns became a foundational touchstone for understanding WA’s architectural heritage — and often highlighted buildings and streetscapes of Fremantle that might otherwise have escaped wider notice.

His tenure at the council, where he was tasked with developing long-term strategic plans for the city, came at a critical time in the city’s history; many of its heritage buildings were empty and falling into disrepair as the need for warehouse space for port activities diminished, and there were strident calls to bowl them over and go modern.

Beyond writing, Mr Molyneux undertook critical conservation assessments and plans — such as documentation of early warehouse sites on Collie Street, ensuring that the layered history of Fremantle’s maritime and convict-era structures would be recorded before redevelopment.

He also contributed to heritage reports for significant precincts, including a heritage-study of Victoria Quay for the Fremantle Port Authority — underscoring his belief that Fremantle’s heritage was integral to its soul.

Read full story at https://tinyurl.com/9jcy922h.

09/12/2025

The Fremantle Street Kitchen and other homeless support services have been given a year’s reprieve after being told they’d have to leave their Beach Street car park site because of the Fremantle Traffic Bridge replacement.

The services have been operating from a shelter on the Public Transport Authority car park, but with the authority hoping to add more parking while the bridge is closed, it ended Fremantle council’s lease and told it to clear the site.

But earlier this week the council confirmed to the Herald that the services had been given a 12-month extension, mirroring the breathing room won for the neighbouring skate spot (“A week of backflips for skaters,” Herald, October 17, 2025).

Street kitchen volunteer Jennifer Byrne said the current set-up grew from negotiations between council and the Public Transport Authority.

“The transport department okayed the location of this.

“The council had very detailed negotiations with them at the time, so they knew it was happening, but I think they hadn’t planned for the bridge, for this extra parking at that stage.”

Read full story at https://tinyurl.com/5n7keruz.

08/12/2025

Summer is here, the days are getting longer, and we’re celebrating in a big way — with a massive Herald and Perth Voice giveaway!

We’re giving readers the chance to win one of 12 x $50 dining vouchers to use at three of the area’s favourite food spots: Ruocco's Pizzeria E Ristorante, Coogee Boathouse Eats & Sips, and Om Nom Nom Pizza & Pasta Bar.

Enter here: https://wp.me/p2Np7f-GZz

08/12/2025

After more than three decades behind the limestone walls of Fremantle Prison, The Literature Centre is packing up and shifting to the State Library of WA.

CEO Elizabeth Spencer said the organisation had been based at the prison since 1992, when it was known as the Fremantle Children’s Literature Centre, but strategic planning and a golden opportunity prompted the move.

“The board were quite keen for the organisation to also evolve and change and do what it needed to do to suit more of the current environment,” she said.

Feedback from writers and illustrators also pushed them to rethink the historic prison setting, particularly given the centre’s work with First Nations creatives.

“There’s a few of those artists that actually won’t step foot inside the venue or feel uncomfortable working from here because of its history,” she said.

“Disability access here is not ideal,” Ms Spencer said, adding the prison’s heritage upkeep also meant constant maintenance.

Ms Spencer said they’d investigated a few sites around Fremantle, as the centre’s legacy in the Port City wasn’t lost on the board, but when the State Library invited expressions of interest to share a low-cost space with Writers WA, the stars “aligned”.

“We pay commercial lease rates here and it’s just not sustainable for us in the long-term.”

“There was an opportunity to be in the state library, surrounded by the art gallery, the museum… there are a lot of opportunities there for collaboration and partnerships,” she said.

Read full story at https://tinyurl.com/38kb3x6r.

06/12/2025

Forget about Oasis – nearly four decades after they split up, The Everett Brothers are doing a special comeback show in Fremantle on Sunday.

The band’s frontman, Freo local Les Everett, is probably best known for his excellent journalism on footy and cricket ('Fremantle Dockers an Illustrated History', 'Gravel Rash: 100 years of goldfields football') He also enjoyed a 15-year stint as the features writer at the Chook.

But before all that prose, a fresh-faced Everett wanted to be a rock star, so he started a band with his mate Stephen Coufos in Boulder, Kalgoorlie in 1978.

“We wrote songs and sang them, but none of us could play guitar or anything – we banged a few percussion instruments and blew some tea whistles and stuff,” Everett says.

“Our first gig was in 1980 at Henderson Park in Wembley. That night we played 32 original songs. Unsurprisingly, none of them are on the setlist now.”

After recruiting some other musicians and changing their name to The Everett Brothers – after his dad’s butcher shop in Boulder – the band started to hit their stride.

They became a regular fixture in sports clubs in and around Perth, and also played the Stoned Crow in North Freo, which later became Mojos Bar.

Mixing country songs, lively Elvis numbers and original material, the band put on fun, energetic shows and built up a cult following.

Read full story at https://tinyurl.com/3ec7vhhw.

05/12/2025

Cyclists have called on Main Roads to upgrade the “noisy, scary, intimidating” Stirling Bridge detour designed to get them in and out of Fremantle during the traffic bridge closure.

High on the list of Fremantle Bicycle Users Group suggestions is making the barrier between the traffic and the narrow dual use path higher, as they fear it’s low enough for a cyclist to get flipped into oncoming cars and trucks if there’s a collision.

The issue was discussed at a bridge forum convened by Design Freo last week.

“It’s quite a low railing and a narrow path, so it can get very crowded,” Freo BUG member Annie Matan said.

Another cyclist said he’d already bumped handlebars while passing other bikes.

Dr Matan said she’d like to see speeds reduced to 45kmh, or even as low as 30kmh to help make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

“Already I see youth running through the traffic,” she said.

Dr Matan said the intersection of Tydeman Road and Queen Victoria Street was also very difficult for cyclists and walkers, as moving cars was the clear priority for Main Roads.

She said there could be some “quick upgrades” to infrastructure to help two-wheelers and walkers, such as improving the lighting along the detour and installing some colourful “wombat crossings”.

Read full story at https://tinyurl.com/5t3r8u6m.

04/12/2025

Rachel Riggs explores the swirling relationship between the sea and femininity in her new exhibition 'Between the Devil & the Deep C'.

The ocean has played a big part in Riggs’ life – she has Maltese heritage, grew up in the English seaside town of Blackpool, and now lives beside Fremantle.

As she’s got older, her view of the idyllic seaside has changed.

“There’s a beautiful view of the flowing ocean and the views that we love, which is full of nostalgia, or a more dystopian image of how our lives are changing with the seas rising and global warming,” she says.

“And this kind of juxtaposes with a place of holiday relaxation. It’s a place of pleasure, but we also use islands to imprison people as well to detain them.”

All these salty-sweet memories bubble to the surface in the collage and large scale paper sculptures in 'Between the Devil & the Deep C'.

One of the highlights of the exhibition is a sprawling installation about the “bride ship”. In 1863, 50 young women from Preston in the northwest of England were brought over to Fremantle on the ship Tartar. Their role – to become “vessels” and provide future generations for the colony.

“They were placed as soon as possible into respectable situations as wives,” Riggs says

“Many of them formed relationships on the boat with the crew and there’s a whole story about six crew members who absconded.

“Some came back to the boat, but others fought for the right to stay with the women, so they could start families and lives in WA.”

'Between the Devil & the Deep C' is at Moores Building Art Space, 46 Henry St Fremantle from December 11-21. For more info see yardworks.wordpress.com.

Read full story at https://tinyurl.com/4pyabfbc.

03/12/2025

A long-held dream to have native trees to cool down their local shopping centre’s car park has finally come true for the Coolbellup Community Association Town Team.

The town team successfully applied for a grant from the City of Cockburn’s funding for resident groups, which was launched last year.

“We wanted trees not just for their shade but for how they improve the look and feel of the car park, and how they support our birds and wildlife,” said Cooby Town Team chair Pip Brennan.

“We also wanted to keep it local, and we were very lucky to have the giant planters, or IBCs donated to us by Uncle Mitchell Garlett from the Maaman “O” Miya church.

“The beautiful jarrah cladding for the planters were made by Cockburn Men’s Shed.”

“It’s one of our biggest projects so far. We’re really happy with how they turned out,” said Mark Hemmings from Cockburn Community Men’s Shed.

It was a community effort to get the trees and planters in place, but everyone agreed it was more than worth it.

“We’re so happy with the end result, and we’re looking forward to future community projects thanks to City of Cockburn’s new funding opportunities.”

02/12/2025

South Freo's movers and shakers are keen to transform the “unsafe” South Beach roundabout to better accommodate pedestrians and cyclists.

All Roads Lead To The Roundabout was started by local student Bella Smith and Plastic Free Foundation founder Rebecca Prince-Ruiz and is “aimed at improving the safety” of the roundabout on the intersection of Duoro Road and South Terrace.

Ms Smith, who is a South Freo resident and regularly cycles into Notre Dame, spent the past two years studying in Europe and says she was “shocked” by how “unsafe and difficult” it was to use the intersection when she returned.

“When I came back to South Freo I was really shocked at the amount of traffic, at how big the cars have become and how impatient drivers are… I feel unsafe using the roads.

“From our observations, it’s becoming a very dangerous and impractical intersection, it lies on a key route into Fremantle and is used by many people, [including] drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians, to access the beach, park, and nearby shops.

“With all of the development happening to the east and south of here, it’s only going to get busier… we need to start thinking bigger and coming up with solutions to traffic problems that don’t just involve more facilities for cars.”

Ms Smith successfully applied for a Streets Alive grant from Town Teams and Main Roads which she says will go towards collecting users’ experiences and to “gather ideas” from the community to “re-envision” the intersection.

Read full story at https://tinyurl.com/yc64nvjm.

01/12/2025

A boost of millions of dollars for Fremantle’s hospitality and tourism sector has emerged from the Ashes of the first test after it imploded in two days and left thousands of English fans with time and money to burn.

The build up to the Ashes saw Perth hotels at 98 per cent occupancy according to the Australian Hotels Association, with just under 11,000 interstate visitors travelling to WA and 8,500 hailing from the UK.

Tourism minster Reece Whitby highlighted the “enormous value” the Test bought to the state with an injection of millions of dollars to the economy.

“With days to spare, many of these fans took the opportunity to visit the best of WA including the WA Day Festival, Rottnest Island, the Swan Valley and Fremantle.” Mr Whitby said.

AHA(WA) CEO Bradley Woods echoed Mr Whitby’s sentiment on the early finish’s benefits to WA hospitality.

“Early indicators point to a highly successful period for hospitality,” Mr Woods said.

“Tens of millions of dollars were spent across pubs, bars and restaurants on accommodation, food, beverage and tourism experiences with strong turnover reported across major precincts.”

Fremantle saw a large contingent of Brits swept through its streets, who would have otherwise been attending the cricket.

Last Sunday, which should have seen either side running out to bat, instead saw local sandwich shop Peggy’s run out of chicken, after having their “busiest day since weather’s been recorded,” according to cook Adam Hine.

Read full story at https://tinyurl.com/wcj5nt5n.

29/11/2025

Culley's Tea Rooms survived the Great Depression, World War II, and Covid, and now the family-run business is celebrating 100 years of operation.

The Tea Rooms, whose main cafe in the Atwell Buildings has long provided a safe haven from the bustle of the High Street Mall, has been passed down from four generations since it was opened.

The Chook sat down with current owner Michael Culley, who says he’s been working at the Tea Rooms for nearly 35 years since leaving school.

“My great grandparents started it in 1925, Edward and Alice, and it was obviously very different back then,” Mr Culley said.

“Alice did all the deals, which was probably a little bit unique for that time, and Edward was the workhorse.

“After Edward and Alice, my grandfather and his brother ran it, Dick and Ted Culley, and then my father [Darrell] took over after them… I’ve got two older brothers, and they weren’t entirely interested, so then I came along and took over from my Dad.”

After Mr Culley took over the business in 2008, he and his business partner “spent a lot of money” on an in-house renovation, only to see it knocked down when Silverleaf purchased the building and set about with a major redevelopment; the bakery ended up shifting a few doors down.

It was bad timing, because Culleys had just opened up four small “satellite stores” in Bibra Lake, O’Connor, and Myaree due to slow foot traffic in Freo, and the bakery was moved to Kardinya, says Mr Culley.

Read full story at https://tinyurl.com/3xpbwsdh.

28/11/2025

After losing crowd favourites Laneway, Summer Salt and Falls festivals, Fremantle council has reshaped its event policy in hopes of winning some crowd-pleasers back.

Fremantle’s Outdoor Events Policy, which sets limits on which venues can host large or major events each year, has been updated to make it more flexible.

The review increases allocations at Fremantle Park, Fremantle Oval, and Esplanade Reserve, adds Bruce Lee and Hilton Parks as smaller venues, and replaces the old Expression of Interest system with a first-come, first-served approach.

Since Covid-19, the city has lost major festivals like St Jerome’s Laneway, Falls Festival and now more recently Summer Salt, leaving gaps in the event calendar.

Event organisers have long called for less red tape, lower fees, faster approvals, and more support.

The revised policy hopes to responds, while still protecting residents, managing noise, and limiting disruption to the broader community.

At Wednesday’s council meeting, councillor Jemima Williamson-Wong introduced a fossil fuel advertising clause, meaning signage for polluting sponsors can only be shown on site for 48 hours on each side of an event.

“I think it’s important to acknowledge the role that sponsorships play in bringing these events to life and often the different benefits that can come from the fact that this money exists, especially in our state, but at the same time I think the fossil fuel advertising and sponsorship policy that we introduced sends a message that we’re not welcoming it as marker in our town constantly,” Cr Williamson-Wong said.

“We’re not going to be like the City of Perth with their skyline of fossil fuel execs and corporations.”

Whilst the amendment was approved, councillor Frank Mofflin spoke against adopting it.

Mr Mofflin works for global miner South32, which has only recently divested its coal mines, but said he’d vote against the motion, because the City had many policies already in place and linking just one to the Outdoor Events Policy would create confusion.

Read full story at https://tinyurl.com/39wbzk7k.

Fremantle Herald Official

10/12/2025

09/12/2025

08/12/2025

08/12/2025

06/12/2025

05/12/2025

04/12/2025

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