Collection: Local History Collection

Dispute in Western Australia in the 1917-1919 over workers' right to work on their own docks in Fremantle Lumpers. It is considered as a breakthrough for waterside workers nation wide. The dispute was sparked by the death of Tom Edwards.

“Little did William Mills know that in his bid to leave the dreary life that awaited him in England, his escape to Australia in 1887 would result in his meeting Henry Ware. Or that their enterprise, Mills & Ware Pty Ltd would become a household name. It's products second to none. Or that this ent...

Dancing in Shadows explores the power of Indigenous performance pitted against the forces of settler colonisation. Historian Anna Haebich documents how the Nyungar people of Western Australia strategically and courageously adapted their rich performance culture to survive the catastrophe that eng...

Bridgetown was gazetted 150 years ago in June 1868. Its history is rich and varied, with residents coming from every walk of life throughout those years. To celebrate the sesquicentenary of gazettal, Bridgetown Historical Society undertook an oral history project to demonstrate how a community wa...

The lead-up to the 2017 Western Australian state election saw a large and lively protest over the construction of stage 8 of the Roe Highway (Roe 8) and the Perth Freight Link. Years of opposition to Roe 8 culminated in civil disobedience, mass arrests and media theatrics as the bulldozers tore a...

Ochre and Rust takes nine Aboriginal and colonial artefacts from their museum shelves, and positions them at the centre of these gripping, poignant tales set in the heart of Australia's frontier zone. Philip Jones is a curator and historian, based at the South Australian Museum.

The City of Cockburn’s vision for reconciliation is to create an inclusive community with strong relationships across cultures based on mutual respect and understanding. Our actions will contribute to the goal of closing the gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Aust...

The South West Group, formed in 1983, is a Voluntary Regional Organisation of Councils (VROC). It comprses the Cities of Cockburn, Fremantle, Melville, Kwinana, and Rockingham, and the Town of East Fremantle. The South West Group seeks to work with these six local governments and through cooperat...