Address & Contact
716 Stirling Hwy
Mosman Park WA 6012
Phone: N/A
Email: N/A
Web: https://www.artillerywa.org.au/raahs/leighton.htm
Information
OPEN: EVERY SUNDAY OF THE MONTH
HOURS: 10.00 am – 3.00 pm
COST: Adults $10.00 and Children (6 - 16 y.o.) $4.00. Hidden beneath Buckland Hill at Mosman Park, the Leighton Battery tunnels are part of a major World War II coastal defence system built to protect Fremantle Harbour. Constructed in 1941–1943, the site formed part of the “Fremantle Fortress”, a network of artillery batteries guarding one of Australia’s most important wartime ports.Inside the hill is a network of more than 400 metres of underground tunnels that once connected ammunition magazines, plotting rooms, workshops, rest areas and a command post used to coordinate the large naval guns positioned on the hill above.The guns were installed after the fall of Singapore in 1942, when Fremantle became a critical Allied submarine base and a key entry point for ships arriving in Western Australia. The battery’s role was to identify incoming vessels and defend the harbour from potential enemy attack.Although heavily armed and staffed by up to 135 personnel, the guns were never fired in combat, and the battery later served mainly for training before being closed in 1963.Today the restored tunnels and gun positions form the Leighton Battery Heritage Site, where volunteer guides open the underground complex to the public on scheduled days, offering a rare look inside one of Australia’s best-preserved WWII coastal defence installations.
