Esperance's fishy history celebrated

• Former Esperance Fish Cannery entered in the State Register of Heritage Places
• Now operates as a popular community art gallery

A fishy tale of the role played by ex-army tanks and a Tiger Moth plane in the early days of Western Australia's fish canning industry has been celebrated through the heritage listing of the former Esperance Fish Cannery.

Heritage Minister Albert Jacob said the heritage listing recognised the inventiveness of the canning pioneer Daniel Samuel Hunt and his operation in Esperance.

"It is hard to imagine ex-army tanks rolling down the Esperance beachfront today but after Mr Hunt set up his cannery in 1948 it became an everyday occurrence," Mr Jacob said. 

"Hunt took advantage of the Commonwealth sale of army equipment after World War II. The Tiger Moth plane spotted the schools of fish, camouflage nets were used to haul in the fish, and tanks and trucks transported the catch across rough terrain to the cannery."

The brick building took just one week to build and was opened for business in December 1948. The main room included a sloping concrete floor, which allowed the entrails from the gutted fish to be tipped out and hosed straight into the sea.

"The cannery was actually part of a much larger project by the State Government to encourage settlement and the development of industries in regional WA," the Minister said.

After World War II, the Government quickly realised that WA was very vulnerable to attack, with much of its population and production centred on Perth and so provided support to people wanting to establish industrial businesses in the regions.

Mr Hunt also established canneries in Albany, Geraldton and Hopetoun, which were held up by the WA Parliament as an excellent example of the successes of this project.

"The State heritage assessment also revealed that Esperance's cannery is one of only a few known to survive today, as fish canneries have all but vanished from WA," Mr Jacob said.

Even though the cannery only operated between 1948 and 1950, the simple building had a lasting legacy on the Esperance community. It was converted into an art gallery and local people campaigned for its heritage listing. The Government-owned building is managed by the Shire of Esperance.

Fact File

• For more information, visit  http://www.stateheritage.wa.gov.au

Minister's office - 6552 5800