CRUISE SHUTTLE BUS TO FREO STATION

 

 

Many Fremantle people have made comments about the poor cruiseship passengers having to push and pull their luggage  rain or shine along either side of the railway line to the Fremantle train station, so it is good to receive this message from Fremantle Ports:

Fremantle Ports is now providing a free shuttle bus service between the Fremantle Passenger Terminal and the Fremantle Train Station for cruise passengers leaving or boarding turnaround cruise ships calls (where there is a complete passenger exchange and most passengers are locals).

The service will start this Friday when Sun Princess is visiting. The City of Fremantle already provides a shuttle bus service for passengers on transit cruises (passengers just here for the day). Find out more: https://www.fremantleports.com.au/news/free-shuttle-bus-for-turnaround-cruise-passengers

FREMANTLE BILLBOARD ART PROJECT

 

 

Only two more sleeps until the FREMANTLE BIENNALE 2019 starts on Friday, so here another little teaser.

Artist Sam Bloor invites you to step inside Fremantle’s galleries and museums with his playful and ambiguous words in ‘The Billboard Project’. This series of large-scale, hand-painted signs, will be on display outside several cultural institutions and woven through the streets of Fremantle.

Sam Bloor (b 1987) is a visual artist from Perth, with a sign-writing background. His practice investigates points of contention within the designation of urban space along with perceived notions of value and labour. Bloor has exhibited both nationally and internationally in shows including, Totem In Tribute (2016) in Edinburgh, UK and the Fremantle Print Award (2016, 2018) in which he was awarded first prize.

 

Roel Loopers

WELCOME TO THE FREO FARMERS MARKET!

 

 

The Sunday Growers Green Farmers Market at Fremantle College on Lefroy Road will have a big name and brand change this weekend and will be known from then on as the FREO FARMERS MARKET, which makes a lot of sense.

Along with the name change there are new stalls starting up at the market and there will be a birthday marquee that can be reserved for celebrations with cakes ordered directly from the cake stall at the market. New picnic mats for breakfast goers, changes in the layout, and that the market will now be open every Sunday all year round. The regular break at Christmas time has been voted out by the farmers and foodies in favour of keeping the market open in order to supply locals with fruit, veg, eggs, breads, fish and meats over the holiday season. It is peak stone fruit time so being a seasonal market they need to take advantage of this time of year.

Freo Farmers Market gives a free stall every week to a Not-for-profit/ community groups and the phone has been running hot for Christmas market stall bookings. Stalls this Christmas season include Rocky Bay, Hilton Harvest, John Curtin Art Students, End Poverty charity in Nepal, with locals are keen to support their groups by volunteering to run stalls.

There are over 50 stalls every Sunday, including 7 Fruit and vegetable stalls, 15 breakfast stalls, 3 bread, 2 coffee and honey, seafood, organic meat, cakes, flowers, massage, artisans, dog food, tea, and the return of the hairdresser provide a shopping alternative away from the sterile supermarkets and support local business’s and families.

Cup stations, plastic free shopping and face to face chats with the farmers, creators and makers have created an atmosphere of a friendly, healthy and inclusive community that reflects the Freo spirit.

Children’s childhood memories are bright at Freo Farmers Market with activities such as Farmer Damian’s Moomobile, Ariane’s Craft workshops, and Ladybird Entertainment with Fairy Sandie’s face painting. Live music showcases some of Freo’s best talents, new talents.

See you at the FREO FARMERS MARKET this Sunday!

Roel Loopers

CONTAINER SHOW FOR FREMANTLE BIENNALE

 

 

 

The exhibition ‘Container – the Box that Changed the World’ opens this Saturday. It’s one of many Fremantle Biennale 2019 events. It is free and will be a highlight on Victoria Quay from November 2019 to March 2020

The exhibit is housed in six highly-modified and colourful shipping containers and attracted more than 70,000 people when it was operating at Sydney’s Darling Harbour recently.

It’s a  free travelling exhibition about shipping containers and their massive contribution in today’s society. The interactive, solar-powered, exhibition is housed in six colourful and modified sea containers, with each container telling the story of a different aspect of how sea containers are used and their impact on our lives. You can walk into the containers and read all about how these steel boxes impact our lives.

It relates the history of stevedoring and the emergence of containerisation, how containers move around the world, their environmental aspects, and how they impact people’s lives every day at home or in the workplace.

The exhibition was created by the Australian National Maritime Museum. The six containers will be spread, breadcrumb-style, between the WA Maritime Museum and B Shed.

Principal sponsors of the exhibition are Fremantle Ports, the WA Maritime Museum and the Freight and Logistics Council of WA. Major sponsors are Qube and Intermodal Group, with support from the City of Fremantle.

Neil Stanbury the manager External Affairs at Fremantle Port said: “It’s terrific to be able to present such a great exhibition, right on the harbour, in the 50^th year since the international container trade started in Australia, right here in Fremantle.”

“We are, by a number of measures, the most efficient container port in Australia, with the fastest crane rate, best truck turnaround time and we put a higher percentage of containers on rail than anyone else, so Fremantle Ports prides itself on its container operations and this exhibition tells a whole other side to the container industry that the public don’t see, or often think about. We think it’s going to be a big hit with the public this summer.”

“Fremantle Ports’ goal is to enliven Victoria Quay and the Container exhibition is going to be one of our summer lynch-pins in that.”

Roel Loopers

 

BUILDING BONANZA FOR FREMANTLE

 

It looks like 2020 could be a huge building bonanza for Fremantle with the probable start of three major developments close to each other in the city centre,

New hotel plans by Silverleaf Investments for the Woolstores shopping centre will go to public consultation soon, and I hear the SKS group is getting serious about the Hilton Double Tree development on the Point Street car park site, while the Yolk Property Group has indicated they will also start soon on the Little Lane residential development at the former Spotlight site next to Target.

Sirona Capital will open the new buildings at Kings Square and the FOMO retail and hospitality concept in the first quarter of next year, and the Housing Department will move in above it.  The City of Fremantle’s new Civic Centre is due for completion by the end of 2020.

The refurbishment of the Mannings Building is looking great, but I hear the micro brewery part of it is on hold because Silverleaf Investments have also obtained the Newport Hotel next to it and want to open up the back of it to create a hospitality hub in Paddy Troy Lane, where Benny’s cafe and bar is already creating an alfresco area.

In the West End The Social residential development on the former Fremantle Workers Club site in Henry street is also progressing well.

Still no word when the Match group will start on the residential development at the former Energy Museum site at Parry street, and when Silverleaf Investments will begin with the development of the former Police and Justice complex in Henderson Street.

Hopefully the Minderoo Trust and Forest Family Foundation will develop the sites they bought in Fremantle soon as well

I find it inspiring to witness Fremantle’s transformation toward a city of a mix of stunning heritage buildings and many new modern buildings. It’s the facelift Freo had to have.

I am certain there are great times ahead for Fremantle.

Roel Loopers

 

MARITIME DAY AT FREMANTLE PORT ON SATURDAY

 

 

The annual Fremantle Ports MARITIME DAY is on again this Saturday November 2  from 10am to 4pm, so make sure to head out to Victoria Quay.

There will be harbour rides, marching bands, a Royal Navy submarine and lots of other things to see, enjoy and do.

Entry to the Maritime Museum will only be a gold coin donation on the day so that is well worth a visit.

Roel Loopers

PHOTOS OF FREO’S BLESSING OF THE FLEET

 

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The annual BLESSING OF THE FLEET is such a special tradition in Fremantle and part of our folklore and culture.

Here a few impression of the warm day.

Roel Loopers

NEW PORT TOURIST RESORT FOR FREMANTLE

 

 

Fremantle will have an all new one star tourist resort on the South Mole as part of the Fremantle Biennale, which starts this coming Friday.

Jesse Lee John is The Republic of Bayswater and created the South Mole Resort concept of bungalows, a tourist shop, spa and museum at Fremantle Port. Meals and entertainment are included in the accommodation price.

Limited vacancies so book your bungalow asap on the Fremantle Biennale website.

Check out all the other events there and on Facebook.

Roel Loopers

BLESSING OF THE FLEET TODAY!

 

 

The Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour was packed full at lunch time on Saturday so I ended up having fish&chips at Joe’s Fish Shack for the first time and it was very good.

On Sunday the annual Blessing of the Fleet will parade through the inner city to the Fishing Boat Harbour from 2pm, so I expect big crowds in town.

If you have never watched the Blessing come and see it. It is impressive and a lovely tradition.

Roel Loopers

START OF KINGS SQUARE’S GRASSY SLOPE

 

 

I assume that the angle of the steel beams is the start of the grassy slope Civic Room of the new City of Fremantle Civic Centre at Kings Square.

I love seeing the new community and library building take shape more and more.

Roel Loopers