Challenger Harbour facts for kids
Challenger Harbour is a special place for boats in Fremantle, Western Australia. It's like a parking lot for boats, called a marina. It sits right next to the Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour. A big wall, called a breakwater, protects the harbour from ocean waves. This breakwater is built over where an old long pier, the Fremantle Long Jetty, used to be.
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How Challenger Harbour Got Its Name
Challenger Harbour is named after a famous ship. This ship was called HMS Challenger. In 1829, Captain Charles Fremantle was in charge of this ship. On May 2, 1829, he raised the British flag at Arthur Head. This spot is at the mouth of the Swan River. Raising the flag officially started the Swan River Colony, which was a new settlement.
Built for the America's Cup
Challenger Harbour was built for a very important sailing race. This race was the 1987 America's Cup. The harbour was constructed between 1983 and 1984. It had special areas just for the racing yachts. These were called 12-Metre class yachts. A strong stone breakwater was built to keep the harbour safe from the ocean.
What the Harbour is Like Today
Today, Challenger Harbour is used only for fun boats. It has seven jetties, which are like docks where boats can tie up.
- One jetty is used by the Fremantle Cruising Yacht Club.
- Four jetties are used by the Royal Perth Yacht Club.
- There are also short-term apartments for people to stay in.
The spaces where boats park, called pens, come in different sizes. They range from 10 metres (33 ft) up to 35 metres (115 ft) long. The Western Australian Department of Transport owns and manages this marina.
Fremantle Sea Rescue
In January 1999, the Fremantle Sea Rescue group set up their communication center at Challenger Harbour. This center helped them talk to boats in trouble. Later, in 2016, they moved their center. It is now at the old signal station on Cantonment Hill.
