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Fremantle Stuff > Fremantle Walks > Walk 3
Walk 3: The Esplanade and Boat Harbours
From Fremantle Walks by David Hutchison, 2006, pp. 87-89. (See also facsimile version.)
In preparation for the America’s Cup Defence, a new marina, Challenger Harbour, was developed alongside the Fishing Boat Harbour involving further land reclamation and the extension of protective moles. The new harbour provided moorage for competing yachts. The Royal Perth Yacht Club now has premises and an anchorage there. Along Marine Terrace and on the newly reclaimed land, new premises for the fishing industry and new restaurants and other tourist facilities were developed, including a boutique brewery.
Half an hour would be ample for viewing the sculptures, but another hour could be spent exploring the harbour, including a walk to the end of the outer protective mole. It may be time for a coffee at one of the cafes or a beer - one of the beers won a first prize in a world competition - at Little Creatures brewery.
'The Jetty'
Designer: Jon Tarry. Sculptor: Greg James
This memorial — on the waterfront between Cicerello’s and Joe's Fish Shack — was unveiled in 2004. It honours those who helped to establish the Westerii Australian fishing industry. They came from Italy, Sicily, Greece, Portugal, Croatia, Yugoslavia and Scandinavia to work alongside Australian and British fisherfolk. On one side of it are twelve posts, each bearing the names of those who contributed to founding and developing the Fishing industry. The focus of the monument is provided by two powerfully expressive bronze figures of fishermen by Greg James.
In 1850, when construction of the prison began, considerable amounts of rock and soil had to be removed from the site, and a wooden tramway was constructed to South Bay to transport the material. The route was via Fairbairn, Henderson and Essex Streets and Marine Terrace to the South Jetty. After the prison was completed, the tramway was used to transport goods from South Bay. It is probable that the spoil from the prison site was used to reclaim the tidal flats of the bay and to construct a sea wall.
The present Esplanade, a grassed area, is shaded by groves of Norfolk Island pines and other trees, including a large Moreton Bay fig. It was created when more land was reclaimed from South Bay by 1906. It is a popular place, particularly in the summertime. Workers enjoy lunching there and families gather for picnics. It is also used, from time to time, for exhibitions, concerts and festivals.
Maitland Brown Memorial
Sculptor: Pietro Porcelli
This is a memorial to the pastoralist and explorer Maitland Brown, whose bust is featured. There are four bas-relief panels on the pedestal. One is a memorial to Police Inspector J K Panter, Police Constable W H Goldwyer and James R Harding, who were killed by Aborigines at Roebuck Bay in the North-West in 1864. Maitland Brown recovered their bodies. The other panels are the scene where the men were killed, a portrait of G J Brockman — who donated the memorial — and the inscription. During the 1990s, following objections by Nyoongar people that the memorial was biased in its interpretation of a tragedy that also involved the deaths of Aborigines, an additional plaque was added to provide balance, and to honour those who were killed.
[The bust by Porcelli was removed from the top of the monument by persons unknown, and a replacement sculpted by Greg James.]
After the establishment of the Esplanade, sea baths were erected on the new shoreline. They were demolished when the Fishing Boat Harbour was developed.
This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 9 January, 2019 and hosted at freotopia.org/fremantlewalks/w3.html (it was last updated on 14 November, 2019), and has been edited since it was imported here (see page history). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.