Local Government
Cockburn
Region
Metropolitan
Robb St Coogee
Formerly Hamilton Hill. Lot 3.
Cockburn
Metropolitan
Constructed from 1946, Constructed from 1951
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heritage List | Adopted | 14 Jul 2011 | |
| State Register | Registered | 08 Jun 2021 | HCWebsite.Listing+ListingDocument, HCWebsite.Listing+ListingDocument |
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| (no listings) |
| Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | ||||
| Aboriginal Heritage Sites Register | Permanent | |||
| Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 10 Apr 2014 | Category A | |
South Fremantle Power Station demonstrates the strong expression of a structure specifically designed for an industrial process. South Fremantle Power Station is a good example of an Art Deco industrial structure, being the largest one to be built in Western Australia. South Fremantle Power Station housed the first major power generating equipment in the State specifically designed to generate alternating current at the Australian and British Standard Frequency of 50 Hz.
South Fremantle Power Station is a high-volume, steel framed building, representing a late Art Deco industrial design. The external steel frame is clad in concrete rendered and painted with a predominantly vertical window treatment continuous between levels in the recessed bays between columns. Steel window frames throughout are clear glazed.
Construction of South Fremantle Power Station commenced in 1946. The Minister for Electricity, David Brand, officially opened it in June 1951. South Fremantle Power Station worked in conjunction with the East Perth Power Station to supply the Metropolitan area with power. Much of the machinery in the Power Station was designed and manufactured in England. A major fire occurred at the power station in 1954. Though only structural damage occurred, the fire was the catalyst to the change from coal to oil fuel for the station. During the mid-1970s however, South Fremantle Power Station reverted back to coal. In the 1980s extensions to the Muja Power Station, located near the coal supplies at Collie, led to the closure of both the East Perth and South Fremantle Power Stations. As production of electricity had become uneconomical at these sites, East Perth closed in 1981 and South Fremantle in 1985. Since 1994 the Power Station has had its plant and equipment removed and the workshops, amenities building, canteen and ash pump chamber have been transferred or demolished. A part of the contract for readying the building for any future occupancy was the removal of all asbestos materials. Although a number of proposals have been made for the building, including hotel or marine museum, continued deterioration is the only prospect unless a useful tenancy can be achieved.
INTEGRITY: Poor AUTHENTICITY: High
Fair
| Name | Type | Year From | Year To |
|---|---|---|---|
| W.H. Taylor, General Manager of WA Government Electricity Supply | Architect | 1946 | - |
| Ref ID No | Ref Name | Ref Source | Ref Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| HCWA assessment form for "South Fremantle Power Station". | State Heritage Office |
| Library Id | Title | Medium | Year Of Publication |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6641 | South Fremantle Power Station : heritage assessment review. | Heritage Study {Other} | 1997 |
| 8519 | First light: The development of a State Government Electricity and Gas supply. Part one. | Book | 0 |
| 877 | South Fremantle Power Station heritage assessment. | Heritage Study {Other} | 1994 |
| 6304 | South Fremantle Power Station. | Brochure | 0 |
| 6303 | Souvenir program : closing ceremony : South Fremantle Power Station : September 27th 1985. | Brochure | 1985 |
| 9147 | Cockburn Coast: draft district structure plan | Book | 2008 |
| 5832 | Port Catherine environmental review summary. | Report | 2001 |
| 2400 | Industrial heritage schools competition 1990. | Report | 1990 |
| 10036 | The changing Cockburn Coast. Appendices - European Heritage | Electronic | 2008 |
| 9846 | East Perth Power Station proposed site redevelopment. A proposal to refurbish and modify a heritage power station complex to create a science and technology centre. | Heritage Study {Other} | 1997 |
| 10272 | South Fremantle Power Station: Master Plan | Heritage Study {Other} | 2014 |
| 9101 | Cockburn coast: reborn. | Report | 2008 |
| 10273 | South Fremantle Power Station: Master Plan Appendices | Heritage Study {Other} | 2014 |
| 9935 | Electricity generation, transmission and distribution in Western Australia: representation on the register of heritage places. | Report | 2007 |
| 4948 | Market research study of the South Fremantle Power House Project. | Report | 1998 |
| 9148 | The changing Cockburn coast: Aborignal and European heritage in the Cockburn region. | Heritage Study {Other} | 2008 |
| 9102 | Cockburn coast: regional framework. | Report | 2008 |
| 9529 | South Fremantle power station: a heritage dilemma? | Journal article | 2004 |
| 9917 | Survey of the Port Coogee development area. | Electronic | 2006 |
| 3703 | Integrated coastal management strategy City of Cockburn (draft). | Report | 1998 |
| 553 | South Fremantle Power Station : archive photographs. | Heritage Study {Other} | 1994 |
| 3214 | Proposal to Purchase the South Fremantle Power Station. | Report | 1996 |
| 4476 | Fremantle Studies: journal of the Fremantle History Society. | Serial | 1999 |
| 6640 | South Fremantle Power Station : conservation plan. Volumes 1 & 2. | Heritage Study {Cons'n Plan} | 2003 |
Individual Building or Group
| Epoch | General | Specific |
|---|---|---|
| Present Use | VACANT\UNUSED | Vacant\Unused |
| Original Use | GOVERNMENTAL | Power Station |
| Style |
|---|
| Inter-War Art Deco |
| Type | General | Specific |
|---|---|---|
| Wall | CONCRETE | Concrete Block |
| Roof | CONCRETE | Concrete Slab |
| General | Specific |
|---|---|
| DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY | Immigration, emigration & refugees |
| OUTSIDE INFLUENCES | Water, power, major t'port routes |
| DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY | Resource exploitation & depletion |
| OCCUPATIONS | Technology & technological change |
| SOCIAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES | Community services & utilities |
This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.