SITE 

CURRENT is housed in the former substation of the Naval Store in Walyalup at the intersection of Canning Hwy and Queen Victoria Street. The site that we are located on is full of historical and present narratives that we will share more of in the future. We hope that these narratives will create reflection, curiosity and inform your upcoming work on the site.

ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION

CURRENT is fully accessible, the gallery is located on ground level. Two ACROD parking bays are located on Tuckfield St, there is a ramp access from this parking to our gallery entrance on Canning Hwy. An accessible public toilet is located at the front of The Naval Store building.

INDIGENOUS SIGNIFICANCE

Dwerda Weelardinup means ‘the place of the dingo spirit’ and is of high spiritual and social importance for Whadjuk people for its connection to the Waugul and dingo dreaming narratives and creative ancestral beings. It is a significant navigational and communication site. A look out point over the now demolished and ruined crossing (jenna biddi) over the Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan river). It is believed that wadjela (white people) were first sighted from this lookout and that there were karla (fire) signals sent to moort (family) up in the hills and later to families who were prisoners on Wadjemup (Rottnest) from this point.

The Cantonment Hill area has been identified by Collard et al (1996) and Gibbs (1988) as Dwerdaweelardinup, meaning ‘the hill where the spirit dogs guard the river entrance’ or the ‘place of dingo spirit’.  The exact locality of the named area is in need of further research and analysis.  The Fremantle City Council (1992, notes that Nyoongars have recently identified the Old Traffic Bridge site as the place where the Dingo Spirit Doodaroo lives.  Nyoongars have a special known middar or corroboree for this spirit.  Collard et al (1996) note that local elders have recently described the story of the seven dogs who guarded the mouth of the river.  In this story a crocodile, travelling from the north attacked the dogs.  One of the dogs bit off the tail of the crocodile.  The crocodile sank to the mouth of the river forming the rocky bar at the river mouth.

MARITIME HERITAGE

CURRENT is part of the Naval Store a heritage-listed warehouse built in Fremantle for the Australian navy in 1935 is a unique industrial venue. Constructed in the mid 1930s, this steel frame, rendered brick-walled building is an example of the Inter-War Functionalist architectural style and is dissimilar to all other Barracks structures.
It was leased to the Navy from the Army from its construction up until 1980.

ABOUT THE SPACE / GALLERY FEATURES

Current is a small free standing building consisting of two rooms with a ceiling height of 3.67m.The main room (24.5 sq/m), and a small side room (2.2 sq/m).

• Industrial space
• Textured brick walls painted white
• Concrete floors
• One large “screen area” / gyprock wall (XXm x XXm)
• 2 walls feature gallery hanging rails
• Gallery is easily converted into a dark space — ideal for projection/light/video/sound works
• Two external entry points
• Fitted with six double powerpoints