Parks/index.html
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Freotopia > parks. See also: streets, places, people.
Parks and Reserves
Alfred Road Park is on ... Alfred Road, North Fremantle, corner of Rule Street. Unknown who Alfred was.
Baker Square is surrounded by Dianne, Ommanney, Weavell, and Mortlock Streets, Hamilton Hill.
Bathers Beach (Manjaree) is between Arthur Head (featuring the Round House) and the former Anglesea Point (where the Bathers Beach House is now).
Beach Street Park is on Beach Street below the existing 1939 Traffic Bridge, between it and the carpark opposite the Beach Street Reserve. In 2022 a continuation of Canning Highway is planned to go under the new bridge, and this park will probably cease to exist.
Beacy Park is a tiny grassy area on McCleery Street Beaconsfield with a single bench seat in it. It would have been part of the grounds of the former Beaconsfield Primary School.
Booyeembara Park is on the corner of Stevens and Montreal Streets.
Bruce Lee Oval/Reserve is a major park on South Street. No martial arts are there conducted.
Burford Place Park is on the corner of Burford Place and Thompson Road North Fremantle.
Bushy Park was an early name for Fremantle Park, or at least the eastern part of it, where John Curtin school is now. There is still a small part of it that is natural bush, but it is threatened with being made into something 'useful', like a carpark.
Cantonment Hill has perhaps the best views of any Fremantle area park, tho Memorial Park on Monument Hill is also a contender. Clontarf Hill (is it a park?) is another limestone outcrop with a view, as is the hill on which Christ the King stands on South Street (not a park).
Chester Park was not a park. It was a location, that was renamed Hilton Park before 1930.
Clontarf Hill is a reserve. Is it a park? See: Friends of Clontarf Hill.
Collick Street Reserve is of course on Collick Street (in Hilton), which is named in honour of the venerable Canon Edward Mallan Collick (1868-1959), who was Rector of St John’s Church of England in Fremantle for over twenty-five years. The park, which is also bounded by Oldham Crescent and Sumpton Street contains the Everlasting Gardens.
Coral Park is on Wyola Lane in South Fremantle.
(Evan) Davies Reserve is on Watkins and Wood Streets. It is named for Cr Evan Davies, after whom the City Library was also named when it was in the Literary Institute building, but is apparently no longer.
Davis Park is the centre of the area being redeveloped in 2022 as the 'Heart of Beaconsfield', on Conway and Edgar Courts. Most of the public housing around it has been demolished. The name comes from a previous owner of the farm of which this area was a small part, George Davies [sic], and the spelling error has never been corrected. See also: Mulberry Gardens (infra), Davies Street.
Dick Lawrence Oval: see Hilton Park Reserve.
Dinosaur Park is on the corner of Carrington and Aurelia Streets, Palmrya. It features a large concrete dinosaur, available for children's amusement.
Dixon Park. In 1917, Henry Septimus Dixon bought 24 acres at Ommanney Street near Clontarf Hill, five acres of which was around a swamp that is now buried under part of Dixon Park and the adjacent road reserve. Sep Dixon produced a thriving market garden on this swampy ground.
J. Dolan Park, East Fremantle. John Dolan (1901-1986) was MLC (1963-1974) and a Cabinet Minister. He was also a teacher at Beaconsfield, Fremantle Boys School, Fremantle Boys High School and John Curtin High School. Named by East Fremantle Council in 1982. It's a little bit of green between Riverside Road and the river and right next to the Stirling Bridge, with a tiny parking area for about five vehicles.
East Fremantle Oval is oval in shape and football is played there. Associated with it are Locke Park, Sumpton Green Community Centre, East Freo Playgroup, EFFC, EF Bowling Club, and EF Croquet Club.
Esplanade Park is between Marine Terrace and Mews Road. Despite being on land reclaimed from the sea (from the former South Bay) is does not adjoin it, as there are a road and railway line between them - not to mention various recreational and restaurant facilities. The Park contains a skate 'park', the Carriage Cafe, a ferris wheel, many norfolk pines, and a few bits of the usual kind of public artworks. The Italian Club is just across a carpark to the south, the Esplanade Hotel is across the road (Marine Terrace), and the Fishing Boat Harbour is to the south.
Esplanade, Perth.
Fairfield Park, Beaconsfield. Mr Dwelly had a store there known as the 'Fairfield Cash Store'; it was a small, fragile, wooden structure in an area off South Street.
Florence Park is on Marine Terrace and what is now called King William Street. Its name followed that of the former Florence Street, which was named for Florence Jones.
Frank Gibson Park, Forrest Street, Fremantle. Sir Frank Ernest Gibson (1878-1965) was a pharmacist and Mayor of Fremantle 1920-23, 1927-29, 1929-1951. Originally Cornwall Street, it was changed in 1922-23. Aka Gibson Park.
Fred Jones Reserve is named after Fred Jones, an old ratepayer who personally maintained the Reserve for many years. The late Mr Jones was a keen gardener who sought Council permission to develop and maintain the Reserve, which was later named in his honour. (Melville Council text)
Fremantle Park is on Ellen Street between Parry and Ord Streets.
Fremantle (public) Golf Course is on the corner of High and Montreal Streets, and occupies the smaller part of a very large reserve between High, Montreal, Carrington and Stevens Street. It is shared with the Royal Fremantle (private) Golf Club, which occupies the majority of the reserve. The public course used to discourage walkers, but the private course does not dissuade them.
Fremantle Cemetery might be regarded as a park.
George Booth park, at the former Richmond Raceway.
Gibson: see Frank Gibson.
Gilbert Fraser Oval, John Street, North Fremantle. Gilbert Fraser (1894-1958) was a Member of the Legislative Council of WA 1928-1958. He was also president of the North Fremantle Amateur Football Club 1932 -1941, 1946-1953. See also Gilbert Fraser Grandstand.
Glasson Park, cnr Glyde and George Streets East Fremantle, was named after a council health inspector.
Gold Street Park is on Francisco Street South Fremantle.
Gordon Dedman Park is on Thompson Street North Fremantle. The North Fremantle Bowling Club is or was there, and there's a skate park, and the North Fremantle Community Hall is adjacent. Stirling Highway is the western boundary. The park is named in honour of the mayor of 1948-49.
Gourley Park, East Fremantle, is on the corner of Pier Street and Preston Point Road. It was named for the family which lived by the riverside there, some of whom were recreational boat-builders. It contains a nature playground, pump track, and basketball court.
Griffiths Park is between Griffiths Place, Nicholas Cresent, and Joslin Street, Hilton Park. W.P. Griffiths was a Town Councillor, 1931-1945, 1948-68.
Grigg Park is on Grigg Place (which is a street, not a 'place') between Oldham and Snook Crescents.
'Harvey' Beach is a tiny area with a little jetty at the end of Harvest Road North Fremantle and adjacent to the Water Police facility there. The name is an affectionate abbreviation of Harvest, as the beach is at the end of Harvest Road, at Point Direction. There is a street nearby called Direction Way.
Hilton Park (which is not a park), now called Hilton, is a suburb which was once called Chester Park (also not a park). The boundaries of Hilton Park were defined in 1955, and the word 'Park' removed in 1959.
Hilton Park Reserve aka Hilton Reserve is a large area bounded by Carrington, Jeffery, Shepherd Streets and Lefroy Road. It contains the Dick Lawrence Oval, the Hilton Bowling Club, the Fremantle Men's Shed, and the Ken Allen Field, which is apparently used to play rugby of some kind. Also on the land are the Alastair Mackay and Brad Hardie pavilions. There used to be a small BMX track on the Lefroy Road/Carrington Street corner. It's proposed (February 2024) to change the name of the area, possibly to a dual Noongar/English name.
Hollis Park, off Keeling Way and Hickory Street, South Fremantle. Named for Frederick Hollis. Used as a dumping site from the 1920s/30s to 1959. Frederick Hollis was a Town Councillor 1927-1929, 1929- 1935, and manager of the Union Stores WA Ltd.
Horrie Long Reserve was formerly known as the Holland St Reserve, but changed 1971. Horace Edward Long was a Councillor (apparently for East Ward) 1948-61, and 1970-74. It is between Holland, Amherst, Forrest, Wood Streets. There is a Horrie Long Reserve Community Facebook page, as well as a Horrie Long Basketball Court Facebook page.
The W.H. Kitson Park is a steep area containing a lot of stairs mounting from Riverside Road to Canning Highway (now) just south of the Stirling Bridge.
Knutsford Street Reserve is on the corner of that street with Swanbourne Street, where the latter goes steeply uphill. Defence Department housing is adjacent downhill on Knutsford Street, and the Monument Hill Memorial Reserve is diagonally opposite. It contains some play equipment.
Lee Park is on the corner of Irwin Street and Canning Highway. Unknown provenance.
Leighton Beach is apparently a 'park', located on Leighton Beach Boulevard. That's the old beach-side road which most traffic now avoids by taking the bend in Curtin Avenue.
Lillydale Park is on Dale Street South Fremantle.
Locke? There is large reserve containing remnant native vegetation between Locke Crescent and Preston Point Road, above the Leeuwin Barracks, which does not seem to have a name. There is a Locke Park elsewhere.
Locke Park is on the corner of Moss and Fletcher Streets and is named for the former mayor Herbert Locke. It is on the same reserve as East Fremantle Oval and other community facilities.
Lookout Park is on Wexford Way O'Connor. It's on a hill.
Manning Park contains Manning Lake (formerly Davey's [or Davy's] Lake, aka Davilak) and the Azelia Ley Homestead Museum. It also includes Lucius Park (named after Charles Alexander Manning's son) and Dalmatinac Park (from the residents there who came from Dalmatia (Croatia).
McCabe Memorial Park is on the corner of Herbert Street and Harvest Road, North Fremantle. Probably named for John McCabe, who was Secretary to the East Fremantle Football Club and Mayor of North Fremantle from 1924 to 1931.
Marjorie Green park, at the former Richmond Raceway.
Marmion Reserve, Alfred Cove, corner of Marmion Street and Mullings Way. Home of the Melville Junior Football Club.
Masons Gardens, Nedlands. Named after Frederick Mason.
The Mayor's Park is the name of the tiny bit of land - now just a traffic island - on which stand the Proclamation Tree and Marmion Memorial. The huge significance of both is now almost forgotten. The 1930 interpretive sign for the Tree was stolen in 2020.
Memorial Park, Monument Hill - formerly Obelisk Hill: on High Street, with Knutsford Street on the other side, and between Swanbourne and Bateman Streets.
Merv Cowan Park is a large park along Riverside Road, East Fremantle, opposite the former Oyster Beds (now Dome). It is named for Mervyn Cowan (1925-2016) who played for both South and East Fremantle, and who became an administrator after his career as a player. A sign with the park's name is just north of the Left Bank, where there is also a sign indicating the Niergarup Track. The 'Bicentennial Falls' are in the Merv Cowan Park.
Mills & Wares Park is on Jenkins Street, South Fremantle, between that and Wardle Street.
Moorni Boorn Park (aka Morniborn) is located on the corner of Paget Street and Rennie Crescent, Hilton Park.
Mulberry Gardens, South Street, Fremantle, is now represented by Davis Park, which is a tiny part of what was Mulberry Farm. Established in the 1860s, it consisted of 2-3 acres of Henry M. Lefroy’s vineyard and orchard. Davis Park was named after George Davies, and its spelling is a mistake. Mulberry Lane, in White Gum Valley, is not in the area where the farm used to be. For more on the history of the area, see Davies Street.
Naylor Reserve, on Naylor Street, Beaconsfield.
Niergarup Reserve is on the East Fremantle riverside in a little bit of remnant native vegetation on Riverside Road just south of the large carpark associated with the Leeuwin Boat Ramp and Zephyr Cafe, north of which the John Tonkin Reserve starts.
The Niergarup Track does not seem to be connected with the Niergarup Reserve as it's nearly a kilometre south of the reserve. There are steps leading up at the beginning of the track just north of the Left Bank Tavern where there is also a Merv Cowan Park sign, so it seems that the Track is in the Park. I'm guessing that the Nyoongar name Niergarup refers to (at least) that part of the eastern riverbank between the Stirling Bridge and Preston Point.
The Norm McKenzie Park is part of a very large green area extending from the John Tonkin Reserve past Preston Point and various yacht and rowing clubs to the W. Wayman Reserve, after which Riverside Road turns south away from the river.
North Fremantle Bowling Club and the Gordon Dedman Reserve are on Stirling Highway, backing onto Thompson Road. There is a skatepark on the reserve, and the North Fremantle Community Hall is adjacent.
John Tonkin Reserve, East Fremantle. John Trezise Tonkin AC (1902-1995) was MLA for North-East Fremantle, 1933-1950 and Premier of WA 1971-1974. Named by East Fremantle Council in 1982.
Our Park, also attractively named Everybody's Park, is on the corner of Pearse and Jackson Streets in North Fremantle, between Pearse Street and the railway line.
Parmelia Park is adjacent to Parmelia Street, both named after the ship (after 1948) as is the Parmelia Bank. Chester Street is on the eastern side of the park. Parmelia Street was known as Attfield Lane in 1934-1935, changed 1935/1936.
Plane Tree Grove Reserve is on Cotton Wood Place, O'Connor.
Pollard Park is apparently the name of a tiny area of grass and old trees at the foot of Kent Street in Bicton, just southwest of where the path begins which leads to the Point Walter Reserve. In November 2021 it is the site of the Inverted Museum of History. There is also a short jetty, which has been resurfaced in steel. I think there used to be a palm tree there, but it might be my imagination.
Primary School Park is on the site of the first cemetery at Alma Street. It contains some early gravestones - which I worry about. They could easily be vandalised there, whereas if they were in the Fremantle Cemetery they would be much less likely to be subjected to random violence by someone off his face on methamphetamine.
Queens Square, having been divided twice by High Street and Parry Street, contains four small parks/gardens. The NW one is a rose garden next to Dalkeith House, the SW one is a bit of grass in front of a medical centre, and the other two, on the city side, are mostly frequented by Aboriginal people (or 'First Nations People' in the current politically correct term) and homeless people. It's ironic that some of the former are also the latter, given that they are still in their First home. That's just one of the malign effects of colonialist activity.
Royal Fremantle (private) Golf Club is part of a very large reserve between High, Carrington and Stevens Street. It is shared with the Fremantle (public) Golf Course.
Salentina Ridge, according to the City Library, is located on Roscommon Crescent. Google Maps gives it the name Lucia Atlas Park. To the south of Christ the King RC Church on South Street, it overlooks the former South Fremantle quarry and then rubbish tip, which in 2022 has no purpose. The Pettitt council hoped to deploy a solar farm there, but the locals made such a fuss about disturbing the ground (with its toxic contents) that the project was abandoned.
Samson Park is in the centre of the suburb of the same name. Its formal name is the Sir Frederick Samson Memorial Reserve, but I think Sir Fred (whose first name was actually William) would have been quite happy with 'Samson Park'.
Shearn Memorial Park Maylands is enclosed by Carrington and Coode Streets, Sixth and Central Avenues. The park was transferred to the Perth Roads Board in 1912 and called Maylands Oval. It was renamed in 1951 for realtor Harry Shearn (1892-1951) MP for Maylands 1936-51.
Silas Park, East Fremantle. Named for William Silas Pearse, son of the elder William S. Pearse (whose middle name was also Silas). It's between Silas Street and the flyover Stirling Highway, at the corner with the new St Peters Road - which in turn would be named in memory of the Anglican church which stood on the corner of Silas Street and Canning Road, and was removed in connexion with the Stirling Bridge construction.
Sorrell Park is on Burns Street and Doepel Street, North Fremantle. It's the area on the riverside of the dwellings to the western side of Stirling Bridge. It contains Point Brown, which is just a few rocks on a bit of beach, but which could have been important - as it was thought by some - such as Tydeman - as being the possible upstream extent of the Harbour.
State Engineering Works Park is between Thompson Road and the Swan River, south of Foundry Court.
Stevens Reserve is on the corner of Swanbourne and Stevens Streets. Jimmy Stevens was a Town Councillor, 1905-1929 and 1929-1943.
Stratford Park, East Fremantle, is on Stratford Street; it's the size of a house block. Not known whence the name.
Ulrich Park, cnr Osborne Road and Fraser Street, was named for East Fremantle Mayor Vic Ulrich, 1964-74.
Tipuana Green Park (aka Mitzi Reserve?) is in O'Connor. Its name may be derived from a tipuana tipu tree (the 'pride of Bolivia') there, but it may always be a theme for that area, as other streets there have tree names.
Tuckfield Oval, on the eastern slope of Cantonment Hill, is possibly now called Tuckfield Park, as it's been gentrified.
Valley Park, in White Gum Valley, is on the corner of Watkins Street and Nannine Avenue. It's part of a 'complex' also containing the Hazel Orme Kindergarten and the White Gum Valley Community Orchard, both facing Samson Street, with the kindergarten on the corner of Nannine Avenue.
Virginia Ryan Park, off Watkins St, Fremantle, was named in 1992 to commemorate the efforts of Virginia Ryan (-1992) as a local resident and community worker.
Wauhop Park. Like the adjacent Street, this is named for William Wauhop, who was Mayor of East Fremantle 1944-1964. It is on the corner of Preston Point Road, and is the home the East Fremantle Tricolore Soccer Club. Across Wauhop Road is the East Fremantle Junior Football Club ground.
The W. Wayman Reserve is part of a very large green area in (northern) East Fremantle extending from the John Tonkin Reserve past Preston Point and various yacht and rowing clubs and restaurants and the Norm McKenzie Park. East of the Wayman Reserve, Riverside Road turns south away from the river. W.W. Wayman was an East Fremantle councillor 1952-1974, and Foundation President of the Richmond P&C 1946-1961.
Wilson Park, Ocean Drive, South Fremantle. J.E. Wilson was a Town Councillor, 1921-1935. It is the grassy area between Douro Road, South Terrace, Ocean Road, and the Indian Ocean.
Wrenfordsley Park was in existence in Fremantle in 1885, but it is no longer known where it was.
Parks Elsewhere
Kings Park, Mount Eliza, Perth
References and Links
Caldwell, Kate 1931, 'Fremantle street names', Early Days: Journal of Royal WA Historical Society, 1, 9: 45-57; republished in Ewers, infra.
Ewers, John K. 1971, The Western Gateway: A History of Fremantle, Fremantle City Council, with UWAP, rev. ed. [1st ed. 1948].
Hitchcock, JK 1929, The History of Fremantle, The Front Gate of Australia 1829-1929, Fremantle City Council.
Fremantle Library Local History Collection, City of Fremantle Place Names Index.
The City's page for parks and reserves, far from comprehensive.
My page for street names, which includes all those in Caldwell and in the Library list.
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 21 July, 2015 and hosted at freotopia.org/parks/index.html (it was last updated on 3 April, 2024). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.