High Voltage: South Fremantle businesses left to serve ‘ghost town’ after punters follow the travelling music

It was an event tipped to bring 100,000 people to Fremantle and provide a High Voltage jolt to the local economy, but one of South Fremantle’s most popular venues was left to serve a “ghost town” after rock ’n’ roll visitors came and left with the travelling trucks. At High Voltage, the sequel to the Highway to Hell event along Canning Highway in 2020, bands on the back of trucks toured the streets of the port city and a concert was held at Fremantle Oval on Sunday afternoon. La Cabana co-owner Madeleine Fay said her venue — which typically has a line-up out the door every night — planned for a huge day of trade on Sunday alongside the AC/DC-themed rolling street festival, but instead barely turned a profit. “As someone that lives in Fremantle, it was a good vibe, but as a business, it wasn’t good at all,” she said. “We had a very slow day, slower than a normal Sunday. The trucks started at 3pm and we were thinking okay, this is going to attract a lot of people at that time but no one came in. “We had hoped that we would have done some good trade before that, but we didn’t and then we thought okay, once the trucks are done, those people are going to want somewhere to go so we’ll probably get a rush then. “But no, they just followed the trucks and we were left with a deserted street. “Basically, we might as well have been shut. We maybe just turned a profit but probably not even that, I still need to look at the numbers.” Ms Fay said road closures and Sunday’s chilly, overcast conditions could both be to blame. “It was a tricky one because we didn’t know what to expect, but we definitely expected it to be busy, so we staffed for that and we prepped a lot of food,” she said. “I think the weather definitely played a part in stopping people from coming to the event, but I also think the road closures didn’t help. “They closed sort of mid-morning and because of that the strip, which is usually bustling, was just like a ghost town. “When the trucks came, everything was happening on the street and people didn’t want to be inside of any venues. South Beach Hotel was busy on the outside, but the inside was empty. “It was like the trucks came by and people were everywhere, then they played the show and when it finished, everyone just followed the trucks away.” Venues in the heart of Fremantle faced a similar problem, Emily Taylor and Sailing for Oranges director of hospitality Tim Buckton said, with trade “slightly slower than a normal Sunday” and crowds disappearing early in the evening. “There were clearly more people around on the streets, but not spending money,” Mr Buckton said. “We expected crowds to stay, but they departed very quickly straight after the events finished, (there was) nobody around 7pm.” Mr Buckton also blamed the weather and road closures. “We think Perth people don’t enjoy coming out to events when the weather is bad, we had a similar experience with the Fremantle Street Art Festival,” he said. “A lot of the streets were closed, and many signs in the area advising heavy traffic and to avoid driving in. So the usual local crowd who may come in over the Sunday for lunch avoided town completely and that crowd was replaced with people who didn’t wish to spend money on lunch. “This is across the board as many retailers who also just provide grab-and-go had the same experience.” Fremantle Chamber of Commerce chief executive Chrissie Maus received “mixed reviews on trade” but said the “flow-on from the event marketing will be invaluable”. “The business exposure far outweighed any negative impacts ... and setting it as an annual tourist drawcard will mean the event will gain momentum and be even bigger next year,” Ms Maus said. “Many of our members used Sunday to leverage this unique and extraordinary opportunity and it paid off for them.” Despite the fickle weather and the experience of local traders on Sunday, Tourism Minister Roger Cook said he hoped the autumn event would become an annual fixture on WA’s tourism and music events calendar, but conceded the date might need to change. “This is part of an annual festival that we want to make truly Western Australian,” he said. “I think we’ll probably bring it forward on the calendar to make sure that it lands at a time of the year when we’ve got a better chance of getting better weather. “But certainly, you know, 40,000 to 50,000 people I reckon is a great outcome.” The State Government invested $5 million into bringing the Bon Scott tribute to life, based on the success of 2020’s show-stopping Perth Festival finale, Highway to Hell. Prior to the event, Mr Cook said more than 100,000 people had been expected to embrace their inner bogan and descend on Fremantle for the day. Perth Festival estimates however were that just 40,000 to 50,000 people were along the route and at the related venues. Ms Fay said if the event was to return next year, she hoped it will be organised differently. “I think not closing the whole South Terrace and half of Marine Terrace would help because there were too many businesses affected by that,” she said. “From what I’ve heard from retail shop owners, they really suffered from that because they rely on people walking by and the people that were there wanted to see an event, not to shop. “I’m definitely going to collate all this feedback for the council because if it’s going to be an ongoing thing for another year or two, something will need to change.”