High Street, Fremantle

High Street Western Australia
Looking east along High Street from the Roundhouse
General information
Type	Road
Length	3.7 km (2.3 mi)
Route number(s)	State Route 7
Major junctions
East end	Leach Highway (State Route 7), Fremantle
	Carrington Street Stirling Highway (State Route 5) Ord Street (State Route 12)
West end	Little High Street near The Round House, Fremantle

Adelac Buildings (built 1906) on High Street in 2013

Hotel Fremantle (built 1899) on High Street in 2023

High Street is the main street running through the City of Fremantle, Western Australia.^[1] The street passes by historic landmarks, including the Round House, the Fremantle Town Hall, and the Fremantle War Memorial, through the Fremantle West End Heritage area and through two town squares. Trams operated along High Street for 47 years, between 1905 and 1952. Running east–west, High Street continues as Leach Highway, a major arterial road, at Stirling Highway, linking Fremantle with Perth Airport although the stretch of road between Stirling Highway and Carrington Street is known locally—and signed—as High Street.^[2]

History

Within twelve years of Fremantle being settled in 1829, High Street was considered the main road of the area.^[3] The street was named by the Surveyor-General of Western Australia John Septimus Roe,^[4] in line with the traditional naming of main streets in England.^[5] The east–west route linked the Round House at Arthur Head to Saint John's Church of England in Kings Square.^[3] High Street was first paved in 1858 with Yorkshire flagstones; however, initially only the northern side of the road was paved.^[3] In 1881, the extension of High Street commenced after Saint John's Church sold land for the Fremantle Town Hall, and a right of way through Kings Square, to the Fremantle City Council.^[3][6][7]

In the 1960s, High Street was closed to traffic and made into a pedestrian mall between Queen Street and Market Street. This was carried out as part of a traffic management plan for Fremantle, which reinstated Kings Square as a town square, and turned the streets around the square into a one way rotary.^[7]

Trams

See also: Trams in Fremantle

A plan for an electric tram network in Fremantle was submitted to the City Council in July 1897, that included routes along High Street.^[8] However, there was some opposition to the plans from local residents.^[9] The details of the tramway scheme were not finalised until June 1904.^[10] The Fremantle and East Fremantle councils financed the project through a loan of 80,000 pounds.^[11] The first trial runs of trams along High Street were on 30 September 1905,^[12] with the system officially opening on 30 October of that year.^[13] Trams operated along High Street^[14] until 1952, when the trams in Fremantle were replaced by buses.^{[15][16][17][18]} The trams were taken out of service due to their economic costs and to relieve traffic congestion on roads.^[17][18] The last tram service operated was on 8 November 1952.^[19][20]

High Street upgrade

The section of High Street between Carrington Street and Stirling Highway was upgraded between 2019 and 2022 to a dual carriageway expressway with a roundabout replacing the T junction with the latter road.^[21] The route is part of the main freight access for vehicles accessing the Port of Fremantle, and is a very busy intersection for trucks.

Route description

View along High Street, from Market Street to the Roundhouse

The street begins at the intersection of Leach Highway and Carrington Street, at Fremantle's eastern edge. It travels west as the continuation of State Route 7, meeting Stirling Highway after 1.4 kilometres (0.9 mi), at the highway's southern terminus. This stretch of road between Carrington Street and Stirling Highway is a part of Leach Highway.^[2] The road continues west for another 600 metres (2,000 ft), until it reaches Monument Hill at its intersection with East Street and Swanbourne Street. From there it turns south-west, reaching Ord Street after 300 metres (980 ft), which is the western terminus of State Route 7. High Street continues south-west, passing, after 400 metres (1,300 ft), through Queens Square,^[22][23] a set of four squares around High Street's intersection with Parry Street. Another 230 metres (750 ft) along is Queen Street, the north-eastern edge of Kings Square.^[22][24][25] High Street is a pedestrian mall through Kings square, and for another 100 metres (330 ft) west of the square, until Market Street. South-west from this point, the street is one-way for 400 metres (1,300 ft), until it reaches Cliff Street. The road's terminus is only 65 metres (213 ft) further along, at Little High Street, adjacent to the Round House.

Historic streetscape

Fremantle Town Hall, High Street

Tramlines being laid on High Street 1905

See also: List of heritage places in Fremantle

High Street is lined by a significant number of heritage buildings between the Round House and where it becomes a pedestrian mall, at Market Street just west of the Fremantle Town Hall. The buildings include:

• 1 High Street – Fremantle Municipal Tramways Car Barn^[26]
• 4 High Street – Union Bank
• 6 High Street – Hotel Fremantle^[27]
• 7 High Street – Bank of New South Wales^[28]
• 9–23 High Street – Owston's Buildings^[29]
• 22 High Street – Westpac Building^[30]
• 25 High Street – P&O Hotel^[31]
• 28–36 High Street – Adelec Buildings
• 35 High Street – Athena Lodge^[32]
• 38–50 High Street – Marich Buildings
• 39 High Street – Orient Hotel^[33]
• 41–47 High Street – Union Stores Building^[34]
• 61–63 High Street – Central Chambers^[35]
• 80 High Street – Commercial Hotel^[36]
• 81–83 High Street – R.S.L. Club^[37]
• 84 High Street – ANZ Bank Building^[38]
• 98 High Street – National Hotel^[39]
• 101 High Street – Higham's Buildings

At the town hall the pedestrian mall is crossed by the intersection of Adelaide and William streets it then continues through Kings Square until it reaches Queen Street. The section of road through Kings Square is frequently used for festivals and markets. From Queens Street, High Street continues east until it abuts Leach Highway at Carrington street. Along this section of the road there are a number of further significant places including:

• 160 High Street – Dalkeith House^[40]
• 177 High Street – Oriana Cinema
• 179 High Street – Victoria Hall^[41]
• 186 High Street – Lenaville^[42]
• 200 High Street – Fremantle Grammar School^[43]
• High & Swanborne – Fremantle War Memorial^[44]
• High & Carrington – Fremantle Cemetery^[45]

Major intersections

LGA	Location	km	mi	Destinations	Notes
Melville–Fremantle boundary	Palmyra–Fremantle boundary	0	0.0	Carrington Street – Bicton, White Gum Valley, Hamilton Hill	High Street eastern terminus, continues as Leach Highway (State Route 7) to Bull Creek, Welshpool, Perth Airport
Fremantle	Fremantle	9	5.6	Stirling Highway (State Route 5) – East Fremantle, Claremont, Perth
		2	1.2	East Street north / Swanbourne Street south
		2.3	1.4	Ord Street (State Route 12) – North Fremantle, Coogee, Henderson	State Route 7 western terminus; no right turn permitted from Ord Street southbound to High Street westbound
		2.7	1.7	Parry Street
		2.9	1.8	Queen Street	Transitions to a pedestrian mall
		3.1	1.9	Adelaide Street northeast / William Street southeast
		3.2	2.0	Market Street	Transitions to a one-way street westbound
		3.7	2.3	Cliff Street	Transitions to a two-way street
		3.8	2.4	Little High Street	Western terminus
Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

See also

Video of High Street Fremantle from Carrington street to Ord Street

Australian Roads portal

Notes

Template:Attached KML/High Street, Fremantle

KML is from Wikidata

1. "High-Street, Fremantle—". Sunday Times. Perth: National Library of Australia. 15 February 1914. p. 1 Section: Second section. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
2. "Road Network (MRWA-514)". data.wa.gov.au. Government of Western Australia. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
3. "High St. marches with history". Sunday Times. Perth: National Library of Australia. 21 March 1954. p. 19 Section: First section. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
4. "Historical Society". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 1 June 1931. p. 11. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
5. Ewers, John K. (1971). The Western Gateway: A History of Fremantle (2nd ed.). Nedlands, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press for the Fremantle City Council. p. 223. ISBN 085564 050 2.
6. "Municipal meeting". The Western Australian Times. Perth: National Library of Australia. 19 June 1877. p. 2. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
7. Ewers, John K. (1971). The Western Gateway: A History of Fremantle (2nd ed.). Nedlands, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press for the Fremantle City Council. pp. 30, 184. ISBN 085564 050 2.
8. "Proposed Fremantle Tramways". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 12 July 1897. p. 3. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
9. "Fremantle Electric Light and Tramway Scheme". The Daily News. Perth: National Library of Australia. 18 November 1899. p. 3. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
10. "Fremantle Tramways and electric Lighting". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 9 June 1904. p. 7. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
11. "Fremantle Tramways and Electric Lighting". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 16 June 1904. p. 2. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
12. "Fremantle Trams". Sunday Times. Perth: National Library of Australia. 1 October 1905. p. 1. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
13. "Fremantle Week". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 31 October 1905. p. 7. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
14. Nixon, C. M (1900), High Street, Fremantle in 1929, retrieved 7 November 2012
15. "Veterans of Fremantle Tramways". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 26 June 1952. p. 7. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
16. "Port Switch To Buses". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 21 August 1952. p. 16. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
17. "Buses replacing trams at port". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 17 May 1952. p. 4. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
18. "Port Soon To See Last of Its Trams". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 24 September 1952. p. 5. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
19. "Historic link Mayor Drives Last Tram". Sunday Times. Perth: National Library of Australia. 9 November 1952. p. 24 Section: Sporting Section. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
20. "Civic Farewell For Port's Last Tram". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 10 November 1952. p. 6. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
21. "Fact Sheet: Leach Highway Fremantle Upgrade Project" (PDF). Main Roads Western Australia. Government of Western Australia. September 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
22. Seddon, George (1994), "Fremantle's two squares", Historic Environment, 11 (1): 24–26, ISSN 0726-6715
23. At some stage the four squares that make up Queen Square had been fenced and locked, none remain today "Fremantle Squares". The Daily News. Perth: National Library of Australia. 4 August 1931. p. 6 Edition: Home (Final) Edition. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
24. Kings Square north side had an Anglican church built on it in 1879 -"New church, Fremantle". The Inquirer & Commercial News. Perth: National Library of Australia. 9 October 1878. p. 3. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
25. For comments on King Square at the time of the demolition of building in the southern part of the square in 1929"An Historic Site". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 24 May 1929. p. 18. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
26. "Fremantle Municipal Tramways Car Barn (fmr)". State Heritage Office – Government of Western Australia. 23 December 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
27. "Hotel Fremantle & residence (at rear)". State Heritage Office – Government of Western Australia. 23 December 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
28. "Bank of New South Wales (former), 7 High St, Fremantle, WA, Australia". Australian Heritage Database. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
29. "Owston's Buildings". InHerit. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
30. "Westpac Building, 22 High Street". InHerit. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
31. "P & O Hotel". InHerit. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
32. "Athena Lodge (fmr)". State Heritage Office – Government of Western Australia. 5 November 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
33. "Orient Hotel". State Heritage Office – Government of Western Australia. 23 December 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
34. "Union Stores Building (fmr)". State Heritage Office – Government of Western Australia. 23 December 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
35. "Central Chambers". InHerit. Heritage Council of Western Australia. 21 December 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
36. "Commercial Hotel". InHerit. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
37. "R.S.L. Club". State Heritage Office – Government of Western Australia. 23 December 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
38. "ANZ Bank Building". State Heritage Office – Government of Western Australia. 5 November 2012. Archived from the original on 5 December 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
39. "National Hotel". State Heritage Office – Government of Western Australia. 23 December 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
40. "Dalkeith House". State Heritage Office – Government of Western Australia. 23 December 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
41. "Victoria Hall". State Heritage Office – Government of Western Australia. 23 December 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
42. "Lenaville". State Heritage Office – Government of Western Australia. 23 December 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
43. "Fremantle Grammar School (fmr)". State Heritage Office – Government of Western Australia. 23 December 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
44. "Fremantle War Memorial & Monument Hill". State Heritage Office – Government of Western Australia. 23 December 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
45. "Fremantle Cemetery and Superintendent's Cottage". State Heritage Office – Government of Western Australia. 12 November 2012. Archived from the original on 5 December 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2012.

Route description

• "High Street, Fremantle" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 19 November 2012.