The Round House has Friends

The Round House, at Arthurs Head at the very west end of High Street, Fremantle, has regular visitors, wedding parties, experienced guides, many admirers, and now some more formal ‘Friends’.

Round House, Fremantle

A meeting of these Friends in Freo on 8 January 2025, resolved to form a new group called ‘Friends of the Round House’, with the avowed aim of lobbying for the needs of the Round House.

Friends of the Round House (from L) Dr Steve Errington, Frank Duffy, John Dowson, Dr Ingrid van Bremen, Keith Melrose

We have to say the Friends are an impressive group of Round House cognoscenti, including Frank Duffy, President of the Round House Guides, Keith Melrose, Treasurer of the Round House Guides, Dr Ingrid van Bremen, Senior Lecturer in Architectural Conservation, UWA, Dr Steve Errington, Adjunct Associate Professor, Curtin University and John Dowson, President of the Fremantle Society.

The Friends have explained that the needs are urgent given what they consider to be a lack of funds spent on the Round House and Arthur Head.

The Friends seek, in the short term, funding in the 2025-2026 Fremantle Council budget for the beginning of works identified as needed in the 2021 Round House Conservation Plan, but they say ignored since then, as well as funding for what they describe as a ‘balanced and historian led interpretation’ in and around the Round House.

In the medium term, the group seeks, well before the 2029 Bicentenary, a plan that focusses on the needs of the Round House and Arthur Head, which provides the implementation of ideas evident from earlier reports and including material in the two recent Round House books by Dr Errington, one of the Friends, to cover interpretation of Aboriginal, whaling, port, maritime, and military history of the area.

Additionally the group advocates that Mrs Trivett’s Cottage, adjacent to the Round House, be given to the Round House Guides to use for further detailed interpretation, sale of refreshments, and materials promoting the Round House and Arthur Head.

The Friends say they, and indeed all of us, are fortunate to have the benefit of two recent books by Dr Errington (Locked Up In Fremantle and The Round House) that provide much new information about the use of the area in question.

If you like to learn more don’t hesitate to contact John Dowson at john.dowson@yahoo.com or on 0409 223 622.

* By Michael Barker, Editor, Fremantle Shipping News

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