Our Constitution
 Courtesy of Battye Library. |
Fremantle Harbour
"The air in Perth is full of the yellow fever. Its germs, in the shape of talk of reefs, leases, claims, yields, trial crushings, camels, syndicates, stocks and Company floatations, are as thick as a London fog... It is impossible to speak for two minutes with anybody, from a Cabinet Minister to a cowminder, without referring to the omnipotent subject that lies closest to the hearts of all."
A.F. Calvert, My Fourth Tour in Western Australia, 1897. |
Construction of the harbour at Fremantle invloved blasting the limestone reef to provide access to the Swan River for large vessels. The project was one of the largest public works in the colony and was begun in 1894 and substantially completed by 1897 although development continued through to 1905.
Charles Yelverton O'Connor and the Goldfields Water Supply
O'Connor (Upper Left was entrusted with implementing John Forrests' vision for public works. He was the Chief Engineer for the Fremantle Harbour Works and for the Coolgardie Water Supply Scheme, which was the most ambitious of the major public works carried out in Western Australia in the 1890's.
Private companies, made wealthy by the gold boom, poured money into imposing buildings, while the Forrest Government borrowed funds overseas for roads, railways, harbour works and other infrastructure.