A Spark of Genius - CY O'Connor's Plan for a Port

The three maps on this wall display the development of ideas for Fremantle’s inner harbour. Up until the end of the 1800s Fremantle had a dubious record for safety and very poor port facilities. The map on the right shows a plan for Fremantle dating from the 1880s. The construction of a ‘wet dock’, that is, one which could be closed off to the sea by lock gates, reflects the sort of idea being incorporated into London’s Docks.

With the gold mining boom of the early 1890s the question of having a modern port for WA could no longer be put off. Under the Chief Engineer, C.Y. O’Connor, the mouth of the Swan River was opened up, the harbour dredged and wharves built so that any vessel of the time could dock there. The second map highlights this era showing features such as wharves, coal depots, bridges and railways but with little construction having taken place on North Wharf and the river still showing a lot of sandbanks and shallows.

The third map dates from 1924 and shows the berthing plan for the Royal Navy Special Service Squadron, which arrived in the February of that year. The squadron, which included HMS Hood, the most powerful warship in the world, was taking the Prince of Wales, later to become Edward VIII, on a tour of the dominions. A reminder to the world that Britannia still ruled the waves.