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Old Firestation Backpackers

A beautifully restored heritage building situated in the heart of Fremantle. Origionally built in 1908 and opened in 1909 the Fremantle Fire Station was designed to house four, horse drawn, vehicles including the district ambulance which was also operated by the firemen. It boasted twenty-two alarms linked directly to the major buildings in town. There were also fifteen direct telephone lines and ten house emergency call bells connected to the firemen's homes. Internally little of the fabric has been changed. The ground floor ceiling is high, to accommodate the fire trucks and this necessitated a steep staircase to the upper floor. The ground floor walls are tiled to the dado. A fireman's pole links the first floor with the ground floor.

During World War Two, the building was cleared of firemen and the US Marines took over the building for living quarters. The communications centre remained at the station manned by five local women, but the tenders were housed in the woolsheds alongside the wharves as a security measure. The most significant fire the brigade attended was in 1944, when there was a substantial fire on the wharf and the water, which was covered by oil slicks.

Information sourced from: The Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.