[1] It comprises a lake, sculpture and fountain and was built to honour the contributions of pioneering women to the development of the city and state.
[1][2] In the early 1960s there were moves to establish the memorial,[2][3][4] with planning beginning in 1963.
[5] The centrepiece, a 2.7-metre-tall (9 ft) bronze statue designed by Margaret Priest, stands on a stepping stone in an ornamental lake and is surrounded by five other stones and fountains.
[1] The statue was unveiled, and the fountain in the lake was officially started, by the Governor of Western Australia on 14 January 1968.
[5] The opening ceremony was hosted by the King's Park Board members and chairman, and a large group of attendees heard a speech by Geoffrey Summerhayes, the architect, which described his plan for the memorial as, "the figure of a woman apparently mounting a stream by stepping stones … stepping stones of progress".