The DFES Education and Heritage Centre offers a fun, interactive and free experience in the heart of Perth.
The Centre is located in the fully restored Perth Central Fire Station (established in 1900) and showcases the history and heritage of the WA Fire Brigades. During your visit, you’ll have the opportunity to learn about natural hazards through our interactive and educational displays.
The Centre is also the custodian of the DFES Heritage Collection and Vintage Fleet. Research and care are carried out with the valuable assistance of the Education and Heritage Volunteer and Emergency Services Unit.
DFES recognises that the Whadjuk Noongar people are the traditional owners of the land on which Perth Central Fire Station was built.
This area is known as Yandellup, which means ‘the reeds are on and by this place’. Yanjidee is the name given to the edible roots of these reeds. The yanjidee were collected by Noongar women using wanna (digging sticks) during the Noongar season of Djeran (April–May).
The Whadjuk Noongar have very strong katitjin (knowledge) connections between karla and boodjar (country).
Only Whadjuk Nooongar with responsibility for boodjar can burn it. This burning, known as fire-stick farming, took place during Birak (December–January). It removed the build-up of undergrowth and ensured that there was new growth for humans and animals (particularly kangaroos) to use and eat. Fire was used during hunting to flush out kangaroos and other game, making them easy targets.
Although the cultural setting has changed since European settlement, fire remains a dominant force on the natural landscape and a real threat to our community.
Organised fire brigades were introduced in Western Australia in the late 1890s to protect its people, towns, cities and landscape. Records show that aboriginal people living in local townships often joined volunteer fire brigades to help keep their people safe.
The Bushfire Centre of Excellence has established a Cultural Fire Program to consider how we can better link contemporary fire management with traditional fire practices.
No fire station would be complete without fire trucks.
Our 1921 Dennis Light Pumper, which was in service from 1923 to 1969, is on permanent display. We also have a regular rotation of other appliances from the DFES Vintage Fleet.
For a fun photo opportunity available to all ages, you can even dress up in a firefighter uniform and sit at the wheel of a real fire truck, our Scania Medium Pumper.
Immerse yourself in the history of WA’s fire service and see how appliances, equipment and uniforms have changed over the years.
Follow the stainless steel plaques around the Centre and imagine what it would have been like to work and live in WA’s first purpose built fire station, which operated between 1901 and 1979.
Learn about the various hazards that affect our State, including home fires, bushfires, tsunamis, cyclones, storms and floods.
Here you can access the latest community education material, and find out how to prepare your home and family for an emergency.
Sit down with the kids and read from one of our books relating to emergency services. There is also a colour-in station, plus puzzles and jigsaws to play with.
The DFES Education and Heritage Centre welcomes visitors of all abilities and ages. We aim to provide an inclusive, accessible and enjoyable experience for everyone.
Please use the information below to help plan your visit and don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions.
The health and wellbeing of our visitors, staff and volunteers is our top priority.
Please stay home if you or a member of your group is feeling unwell or if instructed by health authorities.
When you arrive at the Centre we kindly ask that all visitors use the available hand sanitiser. Masks are not compulsory, but encouraged to be worn.
What we’re doing to keep you safe:
Everyone is welcome at the Centre, but everyone needs to feel safe while they visit. Any individuals putting at risk our visitors, staff, volunteers or collection will not be admitted or will be asked to leave.
This information is correct as of 31 July 2022 and is subject to change. For the latest COVID-19 information, please visit www.wa.gov.au.
The centre is located at 25 Murray Street in Perth’s East End.
Our neighbours are Hibernian Place and Royal Perth Hospital Heritage Precinct and Museum.
When travelling to the Centre, we encourage the use of public transport.
Train: The Centre is within close walking distance from Perth, Perth Underground and McIver train stations.
Bus: It is a slightly longer walk from the Wellington Street and Elizabeth Quay bus stations to the Centre. A free transit zone operates within the City of Perth boundaries, allowing free travel on any bus within the City of Perth.
We can also be reached via the free Red CAT bus. Disembark at the Royal Perth Hospital (Stop 26) which is a stop after you pass the Centre on your right.
To plan your journey, please visit the Transperth website.
Transperth Education can assist schools in planning their public transport journey.
There is no car parking available at the Centre.
The closest public car parking is available at the City of Perth Fire Station and Pier Street car parks.
The Pier Street car park currently offers 3-hours of free parking on weekends.
For more information, including ACROD parking, head to the Visit Perth website.
There are no dedicated parking spaces, however there is a drop-off and pick-up zone located on Murray St, just after the Pier St intersection (look for the Red CAT bus stop). From this zone, it is a short 2-3 minute walk to the Centre.
Mini buses may find parking at the Terrace Road Car Park
Our general opening hours are:
Please refer to Activities and events for additional opening times.
We are closed on all public holidays, including Easter Saturday.
In 2023, we are open on the following Saturdays:
Tickets are not required for general entry, but may be required for special events. Bookings are essential for groups.
If you enjoyed your visit, please consider making a donation to your local volunteer emergency service.
All general public entry points have universal access. The first floor can be accessed via stairs or the lift.
Assistance animals trained to assist people with disabilities are welcome
Changing facilities are available in the universal access toilet.
We do not have a cloaking facility. Please leave large bags or items at home.
Please refer to the COVID-19 information above.
If you require assistance while at the Centre, please ask one of our volunteers to request a trained first aid officer. There is also a defibrillator on site.
Food and drink (excluding bottled water) are not permitted inside the Centre. There is no onsite café but there are several nearby.
You are welcome to picnic in nearby Hibernian Place.
A guide to the galleries can be collected from the Information Desk or downloaded.
Located at the main entry.
Located at the Information Desk.
Allowed unless otherwise stated. Photography and filming for commercial purposes (including weddings) must have written approval from DFES.
Due to space limitations, we encourage prams to be parked at the entry. Please note, prams are parked at the owner's own risk.
The Centre tends to be quieter after 1pm (excluding school holidays).
There is seating available in the gallery spaces.
On Thursdays at 2pm (excluding school holidays) we hold a dedicated quiet hour for visitors of all ages with sensory needs. During this time sound levels are reduced and flashing lights are switched off to facilitate a sensory sensitive visit. The first Saturday of the month we run Early Access sessions. Please visit the Activities and events section for more information.
We may also be able to assist outside these hours. Please ask at the Information Desk upon arrival.
There is no shop at the Centre. Please ask at the Information Desk for your free sticker and a copy of our souvenir book 120 Years of Fire Service History.
The Centre and the neighbouring Hibernian Place are both non-smoking sites.
Toilet facilities are available at the Centre, including universal access.
Public Wi-Fi is available. Please ask at the Information Desk for the password.
Join a volunteer Gallery Guide as they take you on a 30-minute walk around our heritage-listed building. Together you will explore the history of the building’s former life as a fire station. No two walks are ever the same.
Ask at the Information Desk for availability.
At 1pm each day, the balcony doors are opened so that our visitors can check out the area where firefighters relaxed and slept.
Tip: While you’re out there, ask a volunteer about the old fig tree. They might share a story or two that may be more legend than truth!
On Saturdays and during the school holidays, we host a book reading to start a child-friendly conversation about the dangers of playing with lighters and matches. Readings start at 11am.
Choose your own adventure with Historic Heart walks by installing the free interactive app or downloading a PDF map. The Centre is included as a heritage stop in two walks.
Architecture walk: Explores some of Perth’s most iconic architectural buildings dating from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Small museums walk: Showcases the museums and historic buildings in Perth’s east end and allows you to explore the history of the city within these spaces.
Dates: Saturdays: 4 February, 4 March, 1 April, 6 May, 3 June, 1 July, 5 August, 2 September, 7 October, 4 November, 2 December
Time: 9am – 10am
Cost: Free
On the first Saturday of the month we host an early access session to support children with autism and their families to explore and enjoy the DFES Education & Heritage Centre.
What you can expect:
Bookings:
Dates: Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 April 2023
Time: 10am - 2pm
Cost: Free
Each year we are part of the Australian Heritage Festival and Boorloo Heritage Festival where we explore the stories behind the heritage-listed Central Fire Station.
This year we are swinging open the balcony doors for a rare glimpse of where firefighters relaxed and often slept over 100 years ago. From the balcony admire the wondrous fig tree and imagine the tales of courtship between firefighters and nurses hidden between the leaves. Luckily, we have our own volunteers on hand who will share a story or two… but they may be more legend than truth!
Children will get a unique balcony experience with the appearance of Igor the spider who would startle many an innocent passer-by on the footpath below. Plus, they can meet Freddy the Fire Truck, dress up as a firefighter and take a ride around the block on an original 1960s Bedford fire appliance!
Were you a victim of Igor? Did you steal a kiss from a firefighter under the old fig tree? We invite you to share your stories with us!
Dates: Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 April 2023
Time: 10am
Join heritage architect Philip Griffiths for a guided walk in Perth’s Historic East End neighbourhood and rediscover this wonderful part of our city.
The Historic East End is home to one of Perth’s greatest collections of heritage buildings, together forming important streetscapes of late nineteenth and early twentieth century architecture.
The walk is free, butbooking are essential. Please send your name and number of guests to educationandheritage@dfes.wa.gov.au
The Centre is a unique excursion venue where your group can reflect on the history and heritage of the building and learn about WA’s natural hazards.
Self-guided visits are available on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for all year groups. These visits generally last an hour and include an introductory welcome from our volunteers.
We also offer two primary school aged education programs.
Students learn about DFES’ emergency helpers and how they can keep themselves safe in a fire, flood or storm emergency. Fun, interactive group activities help reinforce basic fire, flood and storm safety messages and the importance of calling 000.
Students learn how to prevent and respond to a fire emergency in their home. The excursion addresses fire hazards in the kitchen and home, smoke and smoke alarms, crawling low under smoke and having a safe meeting place. There is a focus on home fire escape plans and students are encouraged to complete and practise their plan at home.
Find more information about the safety messages delivered during these excursions in this Teacher Guide.
Schools can participate in either program at the Centre on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the school term at either 10:15am to 11:45am or 12:30pm to 14:00pm.
Both programs are completely free of charge and run for a total of 90 minutes.
The Home Fire Safety program is also available for Secondary Education Support classes.
Bookings are essential for all school excursions and can be made through our online school excursion request form.
Excursion Management Plan
The Excursion Management Plan provides further information to help you plan your excursion to the Centre.
Excursion Management Plan – PDF (250kb)
Public Liability Certificate of Currency – PDF (36kb)
If you have any questions about an excursion, please email educationandheritage@dfes.wa.gov.au.
We welcome visits from preschools, kindergartens, childcare centres and playgroups with children at least three years old.
Early childhood group bookings are available on Thursdays during term time.
Children will be welcomed by one of our friendly volunteers and encouraged to dress up as an emergency helper, sit in a real fire truck and play with puzzles in the Kids’ Corner. The Kids’ Corner is also available for group leaders to read to the group.
These visits are free of charge, self-guided and last approximately one hour.
Vacation care and youth groups are welcome to visit the Centre after 11am on Saturdays and after 12pm Tuesday to Thursday during the school holidays.
Spend the day in the city and visit another cultural attraction or let the kids play outside at Koolangka Koolangka Waabiny (Wellington Square Playground).
These visits are free of charge, self-guided and last approximately one hour.
We welcome bookings from all other groups in the community. The best time to visit is on a Thursday during term time.
Small group bookings can request a volunteer-led walkthrough, which can often be tailored to suit the interests of the group.
You may like to extend your stay in the city by visiting the Royal Perth Hospital Museum or take the Historic Heart of Perth’s Architecture or Small museums walk.
Bookings are essential for all non-school bookings and can be made using the booking request form. If you have any questions please email educationandheritage@dfes.wa.gov.au
Excursion Management Plan
The Excursion Management Plan provides further information to help you plan your group visit to the Centre.
Excursion Management Plan – PDF (250kb)
Public Liability Certificate of Currency – PDF (36kb)
The DFES Education and Heritage Centre is supported by a dedicated unit of volunteer Gallery Guides. Our volunteers form part of a registered Volunteer and Fire Emergency Services (VFES) unit known as Education and Heritage.
Gallery Guides are the enthusiastic and friendly volunteers that people encounter while visiting the Centre. They are responsible for the day-to-day front of house functioning whilst we are open to the general public.
Gallery Guides play a crucial role in manning the reception area, welcoming visitors, responding to enquiries, plus assisting in the delivery of our school programs and group tours, among other duties.
The DFES Education and Heritage Centre is located in the state-heritage listed Perth Central Fire Station. The Centre houses DFES’ heritage collection and vintage fleet fire appliances. The ongoing research and care of the Collection and Fleet is carried out with the valuable assistance of the Education and Heritage Volunteer and Fire and Emergency Services unit.
Origins of the operational arms of DFES date back to 1898.
1898:
The Fire Brigades Act of 1898 led to the establishment of a Fire Brigades Board.
1909:
The Fire Brigades Act of 1909 saw all existing fire brigades come under the control of the Board.
1954:
The Bush Fires Act of 1954 resulted in the establishment of the Bush Fires Board of Western Australia.
1961:
Following a government review into ways to combat cyclones and floods, the Civil Defence and Emergency Service of Western Australia was formed. This was the forerunner of the State Emergency Service.
1973:
The first Sea Rescue Groups formed along the coast of Western Australia, the forerunner of Marine Rescue WA.
1995:
WA Fire Brigades updated their name to the Fire and Rescue Service of Western Australia, to more accurately reflect the service provided.
1997:
A task force was established to look at ways of improving planning and coordination of the State's fire and emergency services.
1999:
The Fire and Emergency Services Authority (FESA) of Western Australia was formally established as a statutory government authority, replacing the Fire Brigades Board and Bush Fires Board. It bought together under one umbrella the following operations:
2012:
As a result of a recommendation of the 2011 Perth Hills Bushfire Inquiry, FESA was restructured and became a government department, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES), headed by a Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner.
From 1885 the Fire Brigade operated from the undercroft area of the Perth Town Hall on Barrack Street. With the discovery of gold in the 1890s causing a growth in population there was a need for a new dedicated fire station.
An alternate Perth site was selected on the corner of Murray and Irwin Streets and the station was constructed during 1900. Designed by architects Cavanagh and Cavanagh, the new two-storey building was Romanesque in style, with rusticated limestone walls and a red-tiled roof.
The new technologically advanced station became operational on 1 January 1901. The large engine room had three exits and held two large steamers and two hose carts, which doubled the equipment with which the brigade had previously been working. When a call was received, an officer pressed a button, which set the alarms ringing, flooded the building with electric light, and opened the trap doors in the ceilings to clear the sliding poles.
Over the next 78 years of operation, Perth Central Fire Station undertook major architectural changes to support and accommodate increasing permanent staff numbers as well as technological change in fire appliances.
The Perth Central Fire Station was decommissioned in 1979, but still continues to serve the community of WA through the DFES Education and Heritage Centre.
In 2008, the building was registered permanently on the WA Heritage Register.
In 2020 a booklet documenting the 120 year history of the Perth Central Fire Station was published. A free copy of the booklet can be collected from the Centre or downloaded.
Housed within the Centre is DFES’ heritage collection. The Collection was established on behalf of the people of WA and helps to tell the cultural and technological history of the fire and rescue services in our State.
The Collection includes over 3,000 objects consisting of artefacts, fire appliances, artworks, ephemera, books, documents, microfiche, audio-visual records and photographs.
It also holds a significant archive of fire station occurrence books that record the day-to-day running of the station.
DFES’ vintage fleet consists of an assortment of historic and decommissioned fire appliances that provides a representation of fire appliance technology pertaining to the Fire and Rescue Service of Western Australia.
Appliances in the Vintage Fleet include:
The Vintage Fleet can often be seen at DFES ceremonial and education events as well as community events such as the annual Perth Christmas Pageant.
The Vintage Fleet is maintained by the Vintage Fleet Restoration Team.
The W.A. Bush Fire Museum and Heritage Group is devoted to the preservation of the history heritage and history of bush fire in Western Australia.
The primary purpose of the group is to collect, preserve and display the oral, pictorial and artefactual history of Volunteer Bush Fire Brigades and other organisations involved in fire prevention and control in WA, such as forestry agencies and land management agencies.
The W.A. Bush Fire Museum and Heritage Group is independent of DFES. We recognise how each organisation's collections tell the broader history of the fire and emergency services in WA. For more information, please visit their website.
All heritage enquiries, including donation offers and research requests, should be submitted in writing to educationandheritage@dfes.wa.gov.au. Please note that research requests are processed by a small dedicated team of volunteers. Response times may vary depending on the complexity of the request and their current research priorities.
On 23 July 2000, the Firefighters’ Memorial Grove in Kings Park was unveiled to mark the centenary of fire services in WA and honour the contribution of career and volunteer firefighters in protecting our State.
Located on Forrest Drive, the memorial includes a granite arc representing the base of a burnt out tree and a ten tonne rock symbolising a flame, which reflects the impact and role of fire.
The memorial also includes an impressive life size bronze casting of two firefighters, a low granite wall containing a commemorative script and a landscaped pathway, which combines to create a connection between the existing and new elements within the Grove.
The purpose of the two statues is not only to recognise the contribution of all firefighters both past and present, but also to display the deep respect and gratitude that the community holds for them.
The statues also represent the respect and admiration that firefighters hold for each other, specifically the support that they provide each other while facing some of the most challenging and hazardous environments.
May the Firefighters’ Memorial Grove be a place of contemplation, a place to reflect on cherished memories and a place that celebrates the ongoing dedication of our valued firefighters now and into the future.
International Firefighters’ Day is observed on 4 May each year, to coincide with the feast of St. Florian, the patron saint of all firefighters.
On this day we pay our respects to volunteer and career firefighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty. It also provides an opportunity to acknowledge current and past firefighters for their extraordinary commitment, exceptional courage and selfless pledge to serve their community.
Died of heart attack while fighting Baldivis fire.
Died while damping down Yornup fire.
Died in road accident while burning verges in Gingin.
Died fighting Two Peoples Bay fire.
Died from accident during Shannon River burn-off.
Died fighting prescribed burn at Burnside Block.
Died fighting Cascade Scadden fire.
Died doing off-road vehicle training.
Died fighting fire near Albany.
Died in accident at speed-reel training event in Toodyay.
Died during planned burn.
Died from stroke while fighting Two People Bay fire.
Died in road crash while on duty.
Died after road crash during Kelmscott burn-off.
Died fighting fire near Nannup.
Died in road crash in thick smoke while fighting Chidlow fire.
Died from fractured skull during Bibra Lake fire.
Died in Quinninup bushfire.
Died from coronary thrombosis at North Perth Fire Station
Died fighting prescribed burn at Burnside Block.
Died fighting fire near Nannup.
Died in vehicle-training accident in Yanchep.
Died on duty.
Died of fractured skull at Claremont Fire Station.
Died in North Perth fire.
Died transporting water to Oldfield River fire.
Died from fall while helping SES volunteers secure a damaged roof.
Died fighting fire near Nannup.
Died fighting Kenderup fire.
Died in road crash on way to incident.
Died fighting Greenbushes fire.
Died in road crash while fighting Fitzgerald River National Park fire.
Died fighting Canning River fire.
Died from falling tree limb in aftermath to fire near Walpole.
Died of kidney cancer, working at Success Fire Station.
Died fighting Serpentine fire.
Died fighting bushfire.
Died in road accident while fighting Lancelin fire.
Died of heart attack while fighting Kwinana fire.
Died from electrocution in East Fremantle fire.
Died during Wickepin burn-off.
Died fighting fire near Nannup.
The DFES Education and Heritage Centre can be contacted via email educationandheritage@dfes.wa.gov.au or by phone during opening hours on (08) 6381 1110.