FREE PARKING NOT THE SOLUTION FOR FREMANTLE

Whenever there is talk about activating the Fremantle inner city and making it more attractive for people to visit on weekdays, suggestions are made that all Fremantle Council needs to do is introduce free parking in the CBD. Supposedly that will make many more shoppers flock to our city. When one looks at it objectively though, free parking is a really bad idea.
Parking bays, destined for shoppers, would be taken hour after hour by TAFE and Notre Dame University students and staff, shop assistants, office staff, and people working at the City of Fremantle, as well as backpackers, tradies, etc.
That is actually the reason why parking meters were invented in Oklahoma, USA in 1938. Shoppers could not find parking, because staff were occupying the parking bays with their cars.
It took a bit longer for paid parking meters to be installed in Australia, with Hobart beating Melbourne by 25 days in 1955. Most other cities in our country followed suit.
It is an urban myth that there are parking problems in Fremantle. There are thousands of parking bays on the streets, in carparks and multi-storey carparks, but we don’t offer thousands of parking bays exactly in front of the shop you want to go to. That is also the case at the massive shopping centres, where parking is free, but many of them have introduced limited parking.
If Fremantle Council offered free parking it would lose out on essential revenue from parking fees and fines, and we can’t afford that. It would also be unfair to private operators, who invest good money building multi-storey carparks, and could not compete with free parking by the City of Fremantle.
Parking in Fremantle is much cheaper than in Perth, and there are opportunities for all day parking for just over $ 10, so that is pretty good value.
A leisurely 10-15 minute walk from your car to your destination is absolutely acceptable for most people, but a few more disabled bays would be great.
If there are special events in Fremantle on weekends, parking is at a premium. There is simply no way the city could cater for the odd event or festival and increase the number of parking bays drastically, just in case. That makes no financial sense.
Free parking is not the solution. What Fremantle desperately needs to become a 24/7 destination is many more people living and working in the inner city. That needs to be the number one priority for Fremantle Council. More people means more new retail businesses opening, and the city looking more vibrant and attractive on weekdays. It could even mean that one day it might become viable for the very popular Fremantle Markets to open earlier in the week. That too requires many more people working and living in our CBD, so that stallholders can afford to open their small businesses five days a week, instead of just the three.
Fremantle is still battling to recover from the Covid pandemic and now, like the rest of WA, is being hit by the construction crisis, the huge increase in building costs, and the cost of living crisis. Many developers decided to pause or abandon already approved projects. That is sadly holding Freo’s progress and growth back. Let’s hope more developers will take the plunge and soon start building residential accommodation, hotels and offices. It’s hard to be patient when one is desperate, but we’ll just have to collectively meditate on this one.

Roel Loopers

SOUTH BEACH TOILETS UPDATE

South Beach Changerooms update: Construction company, ICS Australia, took possession of the site earlier this week.

They will now prepare to start building the changeroom and toilet facility, which is expected to be completed by mid-2025.

Roel Loopers

PRINCESS MAY PARK WALL STILL NOT REPAIRED

I published the above photo of the damage of the historic wall at Princess May Park on November 3 last year. And the one below I took this morning on June 21, 2024.

That’s seven months and still the wall has not been repaired, but is fenced off. It’s just not good enough!

Roel Loopers

FREMANTLE’S CONFUSING MARKETING STRATEGY

I am confused by the City of Fremantle Destination Development Strategic Plan 2023-2027, launched at the Maritime Museum earlier this week. The marketing video that was shown, will be cut to short 15 and 30 second clips and shown on social media and during the news on TV 7 and on Ten’s Masterchef, so that is prime time, and expensive, exposure for Fremantle. But we were told the marketing campaign is only targeting the Perth region, not the international and interstate tourist markets. I assume the latter will be left to Perth-centric Tourism WA to promote Fremantle overseas.

I found it disappointing that the boring and uninspiring This Is Fremantle slogan will continued to be used. It always reminds me of when I arrive by train in our port city and the announcement “This is Fremantle. This train terminates here” comes through the public address system. By the way, Manly in NSW also uses the This Is Manly slogan.

Fremantle is unique, even the Destination Development Strategic Plan 2023-2027 mentions that, so why is the marketing not focussing on our city’s uniqueness? Why is is not different from the marketing for so many cities around Australia? Why not have a slogan like Fun Fantastic Fremantle, or emulate a campaign I did the photography for in Esperance some twenty years ago Come Share Our Secrets! It was highly successful and significantly increased visitations and overnight stays there. The target markets were Perth and Kalgoorlie.

The latest marketing for the City of Perth is exceptional. Ballerinas on skateboards. Brilliant! There is a sense of adventure about it, and gives the impression that Perth invites people to dare to be different. Oops, I thought Freo was supposed to be like that; quirky, arty, fun.

The Fremantle video clips of course also show a smoking ceremony and our indigenous culture, but why bother when everyone in the Perth region knows all about Australia’s First Nations People? Why do international marketing for a local target? And let’s be clear, where is the Aboriginal experience in Fremantle, but for a couple of galleries showing Aboriginal art? There is the Manjaree trail at Bathers Beach, but one of the signs on top of Arthur’s Head, next to the Roundhouse, has been removed, so the trail is incomplete. The Walyalup Aboriginal Cultural Centre is not open on weekends, so where can Freo visitors get an Aboriginal experience, that over 50 per cent of international visitors want?

The daily firing of the one o’clock cannon at the Roundhouse, WA’s oldest remaining public building, is unique to Fremantle, so why not feature that for the Perth region? It is very popular with young and old.

One of the laments we hear often, and is even mentioned in the Destination Development Strategic Plan document, is that Fremantle is a weekend destination, and near dormant the first 3-4 days of the week, but marketing our city in the Perth region is only going to get more people visiting on weekends, because most people work during the week and don’t have the time to come to Freo. How can we attracts more people to our city early in the week? What can we offer that other places don’t have? How can we pull people away from boring, sterile shopping centres and entice them to wander around our wonderful city? Pictures of pubs and festivals are not going to achieve that.

For me the new marketing campaign lacks focus. It wants Fremantle to be everything for everyone, and kind of different but the same as every other city in Australia. That’s disappointing, but I welcome opposing opinions from Freo people, and experts in the tourism and marketing industries.


Roel Loopers

COME PLAY CHESS AT TOLLEY’S LANE

Community chess at the lovely Tolley’s Lane in Pakenham Street this Thursday evening.

It is a cafe and bar and now also serves food, so go check it out!

Roel Loopers

MR PERFECT BBQ CONNECTING MEN

The next Mr Perfect BBQ is this coming Sunday June 23 from 10.30 to midday at Parmelia Park, Chester Road in South Fremantle.

WHAT IS MR PERFECT?
A community organisation connecting men across Australia over a relaxed free BBQ to chat about all things life.

But we are more than a BBQ. Online we provide quality resources for the good of men’s mental health.

WHY DO IT?
Conversation (and listening) always helps.
Weather, work, footy, family challenges and life changes.

Getting outside in the sunshine is healthy.
An antidote to the COVID-age isolation, meeting a welcoming bunch of guys.

Meeting new mates.
Our community has met outside of the BBQ, to cycle, have coffee and form a support network.

Roel Loopers

NEW FREMANTLE DESTINATION MARKETING CAMPAIGN

The new Fremantle Destination Marketing campaign was launched at a low-key function in the Maritime Museum early this morning. It might be new, but the uninspiring slogan This Is Fremantle remains, which is disappointing.

We were shown the long version of several 15 and 30 second videos, that will be shown on social media, but also on TV, including Masterchef.

“In typical Fremantle style, the City’s marketing team collaborated with local businesses, artists and promoters to create the narrative, which has culminated in a 2-minute hero destination video.

There are also six 15-second vignettes that highlight different aspects of Fremantle’s diverse offering:

• From over the ocean: our connection to sea, a nod to the Freo Doctor 
  
• Otherworldly spaces: a dive into the soul of Fremantle’s arts and culture scene
  
• Colourful memories: Fremantle’s family-friendly spirit

• Perth’s old town: celebrating the unique retail offering amongst the heritage architecture, surrounded by river and ocean
  
• Local characters: a spotlight on Fremantle as a popular world-class food destination
  
• Cocktail in hand: cocktails on the sand at sunset, through to the unique nightlife“

I was surprised to hear City of Fremantle Director of City Business Matt Hammond say that the campaign was targeting the Perth market and not national and international tourism. After I had seen the good long documentary-style video, that statement surprised me even more, because the video appeared to be targeting international visitors, so now I am confused. I did not like the overly dramatic narration at all, but the visuals were good.

Fremantle welcomed 925.000 visitors, so it is coming back up to pre-pandemic numbers, but the international market is still a challenging one, but steadily improving, the chair of the destination marketing working group Linda Wayman told the audience.

Mayor Hannah Fitzhardinge said the marketing campaign would have several aspects, one of them the improvement of wayfinding, with the current signs being refreshed with the integration of new technology.

The new destination marketing campaign is for the period of 2023-2027, so watch out for short clips on TV and social media, and share them around to promote our special city.

Roel Loopers

FISHING BOAT HARBOUR IMPROVEMENTS

Design work will begin next month on a $2.9 million project to further improve facilities for penholders and the public at Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour.

Harbour manager, the Department of Transport, has awarded a design and construction contract to Western Australia based and owned company, Schlager Group Pty Ltd, for the first dedicated penholder facility at the harbour featuring bathrooms, kitchen and laundry facilities, a dedicated covered BBQ area and accessible toilets – including two that will be available to the public. 
The work, due to be completed late next year, will also see the creation of storage spaces and an area for trolleys and bins, new fencing and CCTV improvements to boost safety.

The facility will be built in the southern precinct of the harbour, after the completion last year of a $6.1 million project to extend the southern land backed wharf along Capo D’Orlando Drive and reclaim land for the building. The project also delivered improved connections to the southern part of the harbour with a new pedestrian path, extended services, lighting upgrades and landscaping to improve public access and increase safety for users and visitors.

The new penholder facility, reclamation and improved connections add to the State Government’s investment at the harbour following the $4.6 million replacement of the nearby Jetty 3 last year and are being delivered ahead of the planned $5.9 million electrical upgrade at the harbour.
For more information about the project, visit https://www.transport.wa.gov.au/imarine/fremantle-fbh-projects.asp(link is external)

RELAXING IN FREO’S FLEET STREET

Early sunlight, shadows, old buildings, a worker relaxing and warming up a bit. I took this lovely photo of Fleet Street in Fremantle Port this morning around 7.40am.

Roel Loopers

NOTRE DAME UNI PUBLIC PARKING APPROVED

The Fremantle West End will get 79 more public parking bays on weekday evenings, weekends and public holidays. Fremantle Council gave Notre Dame University the green light to introduce paid parking on two sites at Marine Terrace, plus one on the corner of High and Cliff streets.

Council made the approval conditional, for only two years, and as part of a planning application, as it wants the sites developed, rather than indefinitely remain as NDA staff parking locations.

There have been some negative comments that the university should open their carparks for free to the public because they don’t have to pay local council fees, but I believe that is unrealistic. I would however have liked Fremantle Council to make it conditional that the received parking revenue would be used by the university to repair and maintain the old courthouse on Marine Terrace. The facade of that neglected heritage-listed building is crumbling, and the so-called Wedding Wall in Cliff Street also needs some TLC.

Roel Loopers