In a collaborative effort between Fremantle Ports and Western Australian Museum, the iconic heritage cranes that grace the western end of the Victoria Quay skyline in Fremantle will be conserved and prepared for future exhibition.

Working closely with the Heritage Council, Fremantle Ports and Western Australian Museum have developed a conservation strategy to restore and re-erect a representation of each crane type as part of the Victoria Quay redevelopment.

The three luffing cranes, dating from the early-to-mid 20th century, were decommissioned in the 1990s and have since stood as examples of the port’s early infrastructure and significant pieces of early maritime engineering.

The 1925 Babcock & Wilcox level luffing crane, measuring over twenty metres tall and weighing sixty tonnes, is the last remaining crane of this type at any Australian port. Due to its historical importance, parts of the structure will be carefully disassembled and preserved, awaiting future plans for reinstallation and display.

The pair of 1952 Stothert & Pitt cranes will be disassembled, primed, and kept on-site, where components from both cranes will be used to construct a single crane.

Luffing cranes of the 20th century typically had a working load of just a few tonnes, compared with the 65-tonne capacity of modern gantry container cranes, as seen on North Quay today.  

WA Museum CEO, Alec Coles said he was pleased to be working in partnership with Fremantle Ports, to establish a long term and sustainable plan that will maintain the iconic heritage cranes at Victoria Quay.  This work will proceed in tandem with the refurbishment of the submarine HMAS Ovens.

“The cranes are not only historic in their own right, but dramatic elements of the evocative Fremantle skyline,” he said.

The cranes will be dismantled one at a time, with work on the first crane to commence over coming weeks, with the remainder of the works to be undertaken throughout 2023.