The City of Fremantle is named after
Charles Fremantle, who in 1829 claimed for
George IV "all that part of New Holland (Australia) which is not included within the territory of
New South Wales". In 1848 a town trust was formed comprising a chairman and a committee of five. For the next twenty-three years they set about constructing roads and many public buildings with the use of convict labour. By 1870 the population of Fremantle had reached 3,796 and it was a moderately flourishing town, resulting in a move among the colonists to secure greater control of the management of their affairs. The
Municipality of Fremantle was formed on 21 February 1871, with the new council having a chairman and nine councillors. Two of the major achievements of the town council were a reliable supply of pure water and a more efficient system of sanitation. By 1928 Fremantle had a population of 22,340 and an annual revenue of
£73,354enough to warrant a claim for city status. The City of Fremantle assumed its current name when city status was conferred upon Fremantle on 3 June 1929 as a
Centenary of Western Australia honour.
North Fremantle, originally part of Fremantle, broke away in October 1895 to become an
independent municipality. The first mayor of North Fremantle was
Daniel Keen Congdon. The two municipalities were reunited by an order of the Governor in Executive Council as from 1 November 1961. ==Wards==