Disembarkation Jetty

Welcome to the Woodman Point Quarantine Station Heritage Trail!

Woodman Point Recreation Camp has been a camp for school and community groups since 1982. Before then, the site was a Quarantine Station for the port of Fremantle from 1886 to 1979.

Quarantine is the term used to describe a strict period of isolation to prevent the spread of contagious diseases. The length of time would be based on the type of disease. Quarantine can also be placed upon animals and plants, as you may have experienced if you have been to an airport.

Before the age of air travel became widely available in the 1970s, ships were the only method of moving around the world. These journeys often took weeks or months, and if anyone was sick on board from a contagious disease, either by bringing it on board from the start or from other passengers or crew who boarded at ports along the journey, it was very easy for these diseases to quickly spread throughout the ship. To prevent the spread of these diseases amongst the population at the destination, passengers were placed under quarantine in areas called quarantine stations.

An old photograph of the ship Anna Robertson

Woodman Point was first used for quarantine purposes on 24 December 1851 for the clipper sailing ship, “Anna Robertson”, that had cases of whooping cough on board. Passengers suffering from the disease were quarantined in a camp on Carnac Island, while their families were landed at Woodman Point under observation.

A black and white photograph of the ship Elderslie

The site was officially gazetted as a quarantine station in March 1876. However, it wasn’t until 1886 when the first buildings were completed and the station was used by the ship “Elderslie” upon arrival in December that year with cases of scarlet fever on board.

Woodman Point Recreation Camp now sits within the Woodman Point Regional Park, and is an A Class Reserve for the conservation of the unique vegetation along with its cultural heritage significance.

The Jetty

In the early quarantine days in Fremantle, large ships under quarantine had to anchor off-shore where the water was deep, and passengers and crew were ferried to shore on smaller boats.

To allow larger steamer ships to berth at the quarantine station, a timber jetty was constructed in 1901, with a red tin shed at the end. The jetty was later extended at an angle in two stages in 1912 and 1923 to reach deeper water.

Black and white photo of the jetty looking back to shore

The jetty was 98m long, with a head section 12m long, and a depth of water at half-tide of 2.4m. There are some references to an earlier, smaller jetty in 1899, which was thought to be located west of this one. The bush and dune structure you can see in front of you has only built up since the 1980s.

The jetty was demolished in 1972 after being damaged in a storm.

More information

Follow and interact with the Heritage Trail on the NaturePlayWA App.
Heritage content compiled by Woodman Point Recreation Camp, in collaboration with the Friends of Woodman Point Recreation Camp Inc.
Images sourced from archival and personal collections held by the Friends of Woodman Point Recreation Camp.
‘Western Sentinel: A history of the Woodman Point Quarantine Station, Western Australia 1852-1979’ by Ian Darroch, is available for purchase from Woodman Point Recreation Camp. Proceeds to the Friends of Woodman Point Recreation Camp to conserve and promote the heritage of the Quarantine Station.