Bannister Street now looks like any other respectable street in the commercial district, but it once was in the centre of Fremantle’s red-light district. Fremantle had always had its fair share of prostitution because it was the major port in Western Australia. Prior to WWII, prostitution was common knowledge, but policing it was difficult because brothels would be disguised as bakeries, grocers, watchmakers, boot dealers, tobacconists, or confectioners situated next to legitimate businesses.
With the coming of the Second World War, and the large number of American sailors, prostitution increased and became more blatant. Fremantle’s richest woman, Madame Mary Anne Collins, owned a brothel on Bannister Street that drew crowds stretching around the block. Australian youths spent hours acting as place-keepers for sailors who preferred to wait in the bar for their turn. Its proximity to the harbour meant easy access for the sailors, and the increased traffic meant booming business for nearby bars.
