Walyalup Koort is fast becoming Fremantle’s most popular destination, and sees the return of dining, shopping, art, culture, entertainment and civic services to our town square.
An inviting and lively meeting place where locals and visitors can embrace a range of experiences, from a state-of-the-art library, landscaped grassed areas, unique eateries, community events and engaging public art.
Once the Kings Square Renewal Project is complete, Walyalup Koort will be a place to have fun, meet, play, dine and drink, shop, learn and relax.
FOMO
Browse, wander and explore Freo’s exciting new cultural hub that unites art, entertainment and dining. There's Strike Bowling, Holey Moley and retro arcade parlour B.Lucky & Sons for entertainment, plus a heap of food and bevridge offerings including Varisty Sports Bar, Get Chunky, IGA and so much more in the FOMO Alley Eats.
Directly above FOMO is the fully integrated twin campus office space leased to the Western Australian State Government, comprising the Department of Communities and Department of Transport.
The award-winning office fit out boasts meeting rooms, collaborative areas, social hubs, wellness rooms and terraces.
Walyalup Civic Centre
Designed by the internationally renowned Fremantle firm Kerry Hill Architects, the same architects behind the incredible State Theatre Centre of WA and City of Perth Library, the Walyalup Civic Centre will have a similar feel to those exceptional buildings.
A Fremantle landmark everyone can be proud of, the Walyalup Civic Centre is being built for the whole community to use and enjoy. You’ll find an incredible modern library, state-of-the-art information and customer service centre, a wide range of meeting rooms for public use, fully accessible toilets and change facilities and exhibition spaces.
It will also better integrate with the historic Fremantle Town Hall, which will create more opportunities for people to enjoy that beloved building.
The Walyalup Civic Centre will also include commercial offices on the third floor to provide further jobs and business activation within the city centre.
Lastly, the new building boasts a range of sustainability features and will be one of the most energy-efficient buildings of its size in Australia.
Library
Libraries today are not just about books on shelves, but rather how they provide a safe and welcoming space for communities to thrive in – and Fremantle’s new library is equipped to do that and more.
Our amazing new high-tech library includes the Library Lounge on the ground floor of the Walyalup Civic Centre and the main library on the lower level.
The Library Lounge will offer daily newspapers, computers for self-service, a print- er, lounge area and a couple of TVs, as well as access to the Wanjoo Lounge for over 55s.
The main library will be twice the size of the old one and feature a huge range of books, computers, dedicated children’s and youth spaces, a program space, hireable meeting room and two beautiful outdoor courtyards.
The dedicated children’s zone comes complete with a slide. Now how cool is that?
The engaging environment will inspire kids with playful design, bold colours, reading nooks and a gaming area.
Borrowing of items will be made easier with additional radio frequency identification (RFID) technology implemented to allow the borrowing and returning of items to be much more seamless and convenient.
Complementing the book collection will be an increased digital collection, offering library members free access to more than 82,000 digital items comprising books, magazines, movies, music and audiobooks.
Fremantle Local History Centre
A larger and better equipped Fremantle Local History Centre will take pride of place in the library.
It will have a large interactive 65 inch screen for viewing digital resources, accessible digital microfilm readers and printers.
Walyalup Koort Playground
After consulting with the community and children from local primary schools, the City of Fremantle developed a bespoke urban playground design that plays an integral part in the town square’s rejuvenation.
Inspired by our port city’s industrial history, unique culture and close links
with nature, families will love the new Fremantle-themed adventure playground featuring cranes, bridges, train tracks and shipping containers and incorporates natural elements including water and trees, bold lighting treatments and tactile nature play elements.
Once open, it will be a playground that re-imagines Fremantle into a tactile yet magical space for children and parents to explore time and again.
Amenities
There are public toilets in the main foyer of the Walyalup Civic Centre, the Wanjoo Lounge and the Library.
The library’s lower ground floor toilets includes a baby change facility. These are available during the Walyalup Civic Centre’s opening hours.
The Walyalup Civic Centre also has a dedicated Changing Place – a secure and private facility for people with disability who need extra space and assistance to use the bathroom.
The Changing Place has features like an adult-sized, height adjustable change table; a hoist; automatic doors; and enough room for two people to assist.
Changing Places are locked using the Master Locksmith Access Key (MLAK) key system.
Using this system will help keep the Changing Place network secure, safe and reserved for people who need them, while still allowing people with disability 24/7 access. To access an MLAK key, email: info@fremantle.wa.gov.au.
The Walyalup Koort Changing Place facility is on William Street and can only be used by people who have approved access.
Parking is available at undercover car park, on the street along the perimeter of Walylaup Koort and in nearby Parry Street, Cappuccino Strip and Point Street car parks.
Walyalup Koort is also well serviced by public transport, with Fremantle train station just a short walk away and multiple bus routes stopping nearby. There’s also plenty of bike parking at Walyalup Koort.
Walyalup Koort will have free WiFi throughout all public outdoor areas and most of the indoor spaces too.
Public art
Several engaging, interpretive and immersive public art concepts are planned for Walalyup Koort, including a ceremonial fire vessel by artists Sharyn Egan and Simon Gilby which pays tribute to our Nyoongar heritage and will be used for Smoking Ceremonies, and large ceramic murals created by well-known Fremantle artist Joan Campbell.
Joan Campbell MBE (1925–1997) was and is a significant artist in the national art world and her studio was located in the Old Kerosene Store at Bathers Beach for over 20 years.
Two of her large ceramic murals, which used to be housed in the foyer of Lotteries House in Osborne Park, were offered to the City when Lotteries vacated their building. Valued at $70,000, the ceramic artworks will be displayed in the library courtyard.
The City has also given in principle support to a significant public artwork that interprets Fremantle’s colonial past and WA’s Nyoongar culture.
The City is seeking funding partners to help realise this ambitious work.
Sirona is commissioning a series of public art works across the FOMO site as part of their percent for art contribution.
