Businesses in the heart of Fremantle hope the permanent heritage listing of the historic West End will provide a much-needed boost to trade and tourist numbers.

The precinct includes 250 buildings constructed in the convict era and following the 1890s gold rush; it is the largest-ever heritage listing in Western Australia.

It was given an interim listing under the Barnett government in 2016, but the listing has now been made permanent by the new Heritage Minister, David Templeman.

The State Government, the City of Fremantle and local businesses hope the permanent recognition of the area's historic value will translate into an economic boost for the CBD, which has struggled with a loss of workers in the town and a flagging retail sector in recent years.

Karl Bullers says bringing the building back to life had been stressful but ultimately rewarding. ( ABC Radio Perth: Emma Wynne )

Karl Bullers, the co-owner of the grand four-storey National Hotel on Market Street, said he was hopeful the listing would prompt more government spending on marketing for the area.

"I'm hoping it's going to drive heritage-based tourism and people will come in greater number to explore the area," he said.

"There are so many different buildings and there are some amazing stories that you come across."

The hotel that was almost lost to fire

The National Hotel was built in 1902 by Michael and Daniel Mulcahy, brothers from Tipperary who made a fortune on the goldfields and owned a number of hotels, as well as vast pastoral stations in the state's north.

Mr Bullers brought the building back from the brink of demolition after a fire destroyed everything but the walls in 2007.

He is now banking that the public's love of history combined with hospitality will keep his business going.

The refurbished roof space on the National Hotel affords views across historic Fremantle. ( ABC Radio Perth: Emma Wynne )

The soaring red brick building with wraparound verandas was a much-loved pub in city for more than 100 years, before being closed for over a decade and almost lost altogether.

"The venue closed for renovations in 2005, some new investors bought it and they had spent a lot of money on it, and then in 2007 two 13-year-old boys broke in and set the place on fire," Mr Bullers said.

"There were no floors, no doors or windows or staircases left standing, only the walls.

"The structural engineers came in and managed to come up with a plan to save it."

Iconic building restored to former glory

Mr Bullers bought the hotel in 2012 and after two years of building and restoration work reopened the bars on the two lower floors in 2014.

He said he hoped to open up the upper floors, which contain hotel rooms and the roof terrace, in the future.

While many of the features in the hotel appear to be original, they are mostly modern reproductions or antiques brought in from other buildings, Mr Bullers said.

"Where possible we put things back as there were," he said.

"We wanted to restore it as much as possible."

The first floor bar at the National Hotel; most of the features are reproductions after fire destroyed the hotel's interior. ( ABC Radio Perth: Emma Wynne )

The response from locals to the 115-year-old hotel being back open for business has been "phenomenal".

"I think in general I have scored a lot of brownie points with the community because it is such an iconic building and it's right in the middle of town and it was pretty much empty and derelict for 10 years," Mr Bullers said.

"You can't please everybody — some people wanted it restored back to the rough bar that it was before it burned down.

"Other people are just thankful that somebody came along and saved the building."

Ghosts of the past

And in addition to sinking a few pints, many people who visit the hotel are keen to hear the stories of its past.

"Heritage is almost fashionable again now," Mr Bullers said.

"People want to know how their ancestors lived, and they like to get into the building and see spaces they haven't seen before.

"I do history tours, we have done heritage dinners, we have been involved with the Heritage Festival."

The hotel has even had ghost hunters in to check the building for paranormal activity. They shared their findings at a Halloween dinner.

Fremantle's historic West End is Western Australia's largest-ever heritage listing. ( ABC Radio Perth: Emma Wynne )

It is this resurgent interest in all things old that is currently driving visitor numbers to the area.

That gives Mr Bullers hope that the time and stress involved in restoring a historic building can pay off.

"You have to take a leap of faith to do it; heritage often means spending a lot of money and as you go along you find hidden surprises," he said.

"From a financial point of view, it got incredibly stressful.

"Now it's all done and it's trading well, I can sit back and it's more comforting — but there were some tough times in the last few years."

Speaking at the official announcement of the West End's permanent listing, the Heritage Minister said he was optimistic that a focus on historic buildings would be good for Fremantle's economy.

"I think this is very exciting for the City of Fremantle," Mr Templeman said.