Queen Victoria Street, Fremantle
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Queen Victoria Street Western Australia |
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|---|---|
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| Fremantle Traffic Bridge crossing the Swan River | |
| Type | Road |
| Length | 2.0 km (1.2 mi) |
| Route number(s) |
 State Route 12
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| North end |
 Stirling Highway (State Route 5), North Fremantle
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| South end | Parry Street, Fremantle |
Queen Victoria Street is the main road entering Fremantle's city centre from the direction of Perth. The road was originally named Cantonment Road, but was subsequently renamed Victoria Road, and a few years later Queen Victoria Street, after Queen Victoria of England, to avoid confusion with similarly named roads in the area.
Due to its proximity to Fremantle Harbour it has at times had very heavy traffic.
The road's northern terminus, as well as that of State Route 12, is at a traffic light controlled Y Junction with Stirling Highway in North Fremantle. The next major intersection, 350 metres (1,150 ft) south, is with Tydeman Road, which leads to Fremantle Port to the west, and to the residential area of North Fremantle to the east. After another 400 metres (1,300 ft), the road reaches the Fremantle Traffic Bridge which crosses the Swan River. On the south side of the river, the road meets Canning Highway, and turns south-west towards the centre of Fremantle. After travelling 500 metres (1,600 ft) south-west, State Route 12 leaves Queen Victoria Street, heading down James Street towards Naval Base. The remaining 400 metres (1,300 ft) of Queen Victoria Street does not have a route allocation, and the road ends at its intersection with Parry Street. Adelaide Street continues south-west from that intersection, to High Street.
In the 1830s ferries operated on the Swan River, including from North Fremantle and from Preston Point, further up the river. The North Fremantle ferry only transported people and luggage, whilst the Preston Point ferry also transported livestock.
There also existed a capstan, but only the base remains, which is known as the Ferry Capstan Base. There is no clear evidence of the construction date or usage, however there are accounts of it pulling a dredger and barges up the river, via a rope connected to a winch in the capstan. The accounts vary as to how it was powered, either by convicts or animals pushing an iron bar to rotate the capstan, which was centred on a vertical axle.
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Wikipedia