A well-known Fremantle muso once lived and wrote his melodies here and, with such a sweet abode, it’s no wonder he made sweet music.
Fremantle’s four-bedroom weatherboard domiciles are classic affairs and this one, built in the 1890s, comes with a white picket fence and profusion of roses rambling over a white timber arch.
As you’d expect from a worker’s home of this vintage the floors are jarrah—plentiful and cheap back then.
But don’t expect ceiling roses, this two-storey dwelling predates such frippery for the working classes—in alignment with said muso’s philosophy, if his songs are anything to go on.
Two of the four bedrooms are off a petite hall, with a half-timbered dado.
One has a fireplace while the other is as snug as a ship’s cabin with pine floors and white timber walls and ceiling.
Like an opening riff the rear extension is loud and proud, in a well-mannered way.
Light from a series of windows floods the commodious open-plan living/kitchen/dining area, including a bank of doors to the garden.
A generous study off to one side was once a music room and, if the walls could talk, what a tale they could tell.
With its open fire and glass doors to a sheltered courtyard the living area is a great spot to relax after a hard day’s night.
A man of his times, I’m sure the musician did his share of the cooking/washing up in the spacious galley-style kitchen.
The benches are topped by massive natural slabs of macrokarpa, a hardwood with a soft, bleached look.
Head upstairs and you’ll find the parents’ retreat, with its spacious bedroom, ensuite and generous sitting room with ocean views.
Step out onto the covered timber, balcony and the vista takes in Garden and Rottnest Island and the port.
Sitting on 415sqm there’s room for a garden for the kids to run around, or build a tree house.
A studio apartment, with its own entry and garden access, is perfect for teenagers or visitors.
With a mezzanine bedroom under sloping eaves it would also appeal to tourists wanting a real Freo experience, should new owners seek to rent it out short-term.
When it comes to the quintessential Freo home this delight has it in spades.
And you find schools, shops, cafes and the beach all in walking distance, while the Fremantle CBD is a short drive, or bike ride, away.
by JENNY D’ANGER
9 Agnes Street, Beaconsfield
$1.075 million
Jan Ladhams 0438 251 051
Hayden Groves 0411 615 582
dethridgeGROVES Real Estate 9336 1166
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