The Signal Station on Cantonment Hill Fremantle

This is Google Maps' [thank you] view from above, showing Cantonment Hill in relation to the river, etc. Most of the piece of land you can see between Queen Victoria St and Tuckfield St was held by the Federal Defence Dept - including the triangular green bit near the top which is called Tuckfield Oval. Some of it - the scrubby-looking parts - are now held by the City of Fremantle. The Army Museum - in the former Barracks at the bottom of the picture - will continue as such. I don't know who owns the eight houses also on the site.

The former signal station appears to be at the end of Quarry St, but the road is actually fenced off at the bottom of the hill, as is the whole area. You can make out a circular viewing platform - just to the north of the white building - which can be reached by a track open to the public, as it's outside the fence.

This is as close as you can get without special admission.

I think it looks a bit like a ship's bridge.

See: it even has portholes.

The view to the west

A ship big enough to fill the frame

The rail bridge and the older traffic bridge

Northbridge from this side of the river

The newer traffic bridge

There's a sort of viewing platform just down from the fence, from which the signal station looks like this under a cloudy sky.

A last close look before leaving. Why don't 'they' open it up, just for viewing from? Put it on the tram tour.
Melissa Parkes, the Federal Member for Fremantle, said this in Parliament in December, 2008: 'The City of Fremantle intends to restore the land for public use, in particular to maintain Tuckfield Oval, rehabilitate the signal station for the purpose of making it into an interpretation centre and public lookout, create a safe public park and regenerate the native bushland.'