Fremantle Fortress, Rottnest Island, WW2 Coastal Defences
The Rottnest Island WW2 Coastal Defence Facility is the only intact establishment remaining in Australia of the seven 9.2 inch coastal gun batteries constructed during the late 1930s and early 1940s to defend key Australian ports when there was a real threat of invasion by hostile enemy forces.
It is one of a very small number of 9.2 inch gun batteries remaining in the world. The construction of infrastructure for and the installation of high precision military equipment, in difficult circumstances, was a significant technical achievement.
For the thousands of ex service men and women who served on the island up to and during the WW2 years the facilities have considerable social significance.
The Port of Fremantle played a vital role in Australia’s involvement in WW2, being a major base for American, British and Dutch submarines, a troop convoy assembly point, a shipping repair facility and a bunkering port.
The Rottnest Fortress, as it was known, had a major deterrent role in the defence of Fremantle against possible seaborne enemy attack.
A leaflet published by the Rottnest Island Authority as part of the Commonwealth/State Bicentennial Project titled Rottnest Island Oliver Hill Battery is available here.
Engineering Heritage Recognition Program
| Marker Type | Engineering Heritage National Landmark (EHNL) |
| Award Date | 10 November 2010 |
| Heritage Significance | The construction of infrastructure for and the installation of high precision military equipment,
in difficult circumstances, was a significant technical achievement. For the thousands of ex-service men and women who served on the island up to and during the WW2 years the facilities have considerable social significance. |
| Nomination Document | Available here. |
| Ceremony Booklet Ceremony Report |
Ceremony booklet available here. . |
| Plaque/Interpretation Panel | Not Installed. |
