Seen In Freo - Skateboarding at Woolies

Did you know that Fremantle is home to one of the most well-known skateboarding spots on the planet? Well, it’s true!

The old Elders Wool Stored in Cantonment Street, just over from Clancy’s – ‘Woolies’ as it is known to skateboarding aficionados – has since the late 1980’s lured amateur and professional skaters from all over the world to skate it. Something like the magnet Margs is for surfboarders the world over.

Due to its fame, ‘Woolies’ has been featured in international magazines and films. It is also the foundation for a vibrant community of local skateboarders and an iconic part of the cultural fabric of Fremantle – the skateboarders and The Woolstores even being used in the ‘This is Fremantle’ destination marketing campaign by the City of Fremantle.

Yesterday afternoon, Whereabouts Skateboarding in conjunction with the City of Freo launched an activation session at Woolies. The activities included skateboarding demonstrations, competitions, prizes, music by Rok Riley and friends, and the screening of archival Woolies skate footage into the evening.

The Shipping News were there to catch the action. It was non-stop. Here’s some of it.

And here’s more.

The skateboarders are fearful for the future of the revered Woolies as a skateboarding venue following the recent acquisition of The Wool Stores site by developers. By yesterday’s event, they hope to show how special Woolies is to the Fremantle and Western Australian skateboarding community so the developer and its designers can begin to think of how they can incorporate this thriving Freo community skateboarding culture into the future design and activation of the site.

We must say, it seems like a no brainer!

By Michael Barker, Editor, Fremantle Shipping News

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