The bridge that replaces Fremantle's creaky 1939 traffic crossing finally has a name. The State Government announced on Sunday that the new crossing over the mouth of the Swan River will be called Walyalup Bridge, after the Whadjuk Noongar name for Fremantle.
The name was revealed a week before the bridge opens to the public. That will happen on Sunday 1 November, months ahead of schedule. People will be able to walk across it in the morning, and it opens to traffic later that evening.
Where the name comes from
Walyalup is the name the Whadjuk people have long used for the Fremantle area. According to the government, it is a place with deep social, spiritual and cultural meaning. The word comes from walyo, the Noongar name for the woylie. The small, kangaroo-like marsupial was once common in the scrub and low trees of the coastal plain around the port.
The name will already be familiar to most Freo locals. The Walyalup Aboriginal Cultural Centre, the Walyalup Fremantle Arts Centre and the City of Fremantle's Walyalup Civic Centre all carry it. The Fremantle Dockers also play as Walyalup during the AFL's Indigenous Round.
"Its name, Walyalup Bridge, will now become part of that continuing story, connecting the past, present and future of this important place." — Rita Saffioti, Transport and Major Infrastructure Minister
Federal Member for Fremantle Josh Wilson called it a "simple but stylish new 'old' Freo bridge". Fremantle MLA Simone McGurk said it was a fitting name for the gateway to the port city.
An Australian-first design
According to the government, Walyalup Bridge is the first extradosed bridge in Australia. That is a hybrid design that combines cantilevers with cable-stay supports. It carries two traffic lanes in each direction, plus wider shared paths for people walking and riding.
The design also includes public art, feature lighting and Noongar storytelling in the signage and landscaping. Timber piles from the old bridge have been kept in place as a reminder of what came before.
The bridges at this spot go back a long way. The first one opened in 1866. The timber traffic bridge most Perth drivers know was built in 1939 and has been a bottleneck and a maintenance headache for decades. The new crossing was jointly funded by the State and Federal governments.
How to get to the opening
The free community event runs from 9am to 1pm on Sunday 1 November, with free food, family entertainment and roaming performers. The government expects thousands of people to come along.
There is no parking on site, so organisers want people to walk, ride or catch public transport. Parking at Transperth stations is free on weekends, and the government says travel will be free for anyone who taps on with a SmartRider or a contactless card.
Shuttle buses will run from Stand 2 at Fremantle Station to the bridge every five minutes between 8.30am and 12.30pm.
Why it matters
The old bridge has been the main road link between Fremantle and North Fremantle for more than 85 years. Its low, narrow spans have frustrated boaties, and its timber structure has needed constant repair. The new bridge has wider and higher navigation spans, so ferries, boats and kayaks will have an easier and safer trip underneath.
For Freo, naming the bridge for the place itself is a statement that the crossing belongs to the port city. For everyone else, it is a free Sunday morning out, and the only chance to stroll down the middle of a brand-new bridge before the traffic arrives.
Read the State Government's announcement, and see PerthNow's post on the name.
Photo: the new bridge under construction beside the old Fremantle Traffic Bridge, November 2024. Calistemon via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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