HMAS Leeuwin was a major Royal Australian Navy shore establishment in East Fremantle, Western Australia, active from 1940 to 1984. Commissioned on 1 August 1940 as Fremantle’s naval depot, it became crucial in World War II, supporting wartime naval operations and later serving as a training hub. After the war, Leeuwin shifted focus to training naval reservists and national servicemen.
In 1960, Leeuwin transformed into the Junior Recruit Training Establishment (JRTE), pioneering secondary education and naval training for young recruits aged fifteen and a half to sixteen and a half. Over nearly a quarter-century, the base saw thousands of junior sailors pass through its gates—at its peak, over 800 junior recruits resided at Leeuwin each year. Training encompassed academics, discipline, and seamanship, creating a formative experience for generations of RAN personnel.
The base’s distinctive multi-story accommodation blocks, built in the 1960s, echoed the architecture of shipboard life and fostered camaraderie among trainees. Leeuwin was decommissioned by the Navy in 1984, closing a formative chapter in Australia's naval history.
