Fremantle - WA
Fremantle was founded in 1829 and
is Western Australia’s chief port, lying at the mouth of the Swan River. It is
less than 30 minutes from Perth and is a great place to explore for a day or
two.
Heritage features greatly in this city; convict labour was used to build many of the original buildings, which are still in excellent condition even if many are now used for different purposes.
Many streets have remained unchanged since the mid 19th century and the entire area has a great historical architectural feel to it.
Two free buses circle the city http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au – they run 7 days a week (but do check times on their website) from the Railway station with many drop-off points. So you can easily see the many sites that Fremantle has to offer. There is also Fremantle Tram Tours – they give a live commentary and you can hop on and off them as you wish.
They do Ghostly Tours on Friday nights including dinner, which could be fun! http://www.fremantletrams.com.au If you fancy seeing more on foot, there is a Convict and Colonials Walking Tour that runs at 10am every day – more info on http://www.twofeet.com.au
There is always something happening in Freo (that’s what the locals call it), Heritage Festivals, Art Exhibitions, Beer and Seafood Festivals, Film nights and Bazaars. The Waterfront Harbour is a brilliant place to eat and drink – or just hangout especially at weekends and holidays when it is really busy.
It is a delightful setting, with the ocean on one side and a grassy park to sit and have a picnic and enjoy time with friends and family, on the other side. There is a skate-park, permanent table tennis tables; fairground rides with a big wheel and ample space for a game of cricket or footie.
If you want to try Freo’s famous ocean-fresh Fish and Chips, try Cicerellos (with its aquariums inside) or Kailis Fish Market Café, both on the Waterfront – where you can stroll around the boardwalk admiring the boats, the statues and watching the fish below.
The most iconic place for a drink is
Little Creatures Brewery; what a fascinating place that is. The bar is actually
set amidst the pipes and workings of the brewery; they make a delicious range
of beers and after seeing it being brewed or having a beer-tasting tour, you
can take some home. Everyone should go to Little Creatures – it is open every
day. http://www.littlecreatures.com.au.html
Fremantle isn’t very big, and not far along the Waterfront is Bathers Beach
with its delightful beachfront restaurant overlooking lovely white sands. It
was the first licensed beach area in Australia. Here you will find places to
sit and have a picnic, Kidigo Art house (an Aboriginal art gallery), play areas
and ice creams.
Further along the path, that has new statues and wonderful
aromatic bushes, you come to The Roundhouse. This is the oldest public building
in WA, which was opened in 1831; originally built to hold any person convicted
of a crime.
It has 8 cells, jailer's’ quarters and a central courtyard with a set of stocks. It eventually became a police lock-up before being turned into a museum.
It is a fascinating place to spend an hour learning what life was like there almost 200 years ago, and outside there are great views out to sea and back down one of the main streets into the heart of Fremantle.
When I was there they fired a canon at 1pm – so don’t let it alarm you. There are many steps to get up to it though, so it isn’t disabled- friendly. http://fremantleroundhouse.com.au Next door is Glen Cowens Studio, which is in one of the 100-year old cottages, look closely else you will miss it.
There are some public toilets close-by too. Not far from here there are a couple of excellent museums.
The Maritime Museum of WA is a huge modern building housing exhibits from early settlers, lots of artefacts from Emigrant Ships, and old Islanders canoes and relics. There are also international and modern day maritime vessels and shipping information; and photographs and accounts of the conditions people had to endure on their long journey to reach Australia in years gone by.
The building has been
designed as a symbol of Fremantle’s maritime past, set where the Swan River
meets the ocean. Outside the museum you will find HMAS Ovens submarine amidst
the port buildings. I loved the walls at the front of the building with details
and names of thousands of emigrants that have landed at Fremantle and have made
it their home. It is well worth a visit.
http://www.museum.wa.gov.au/wa-maritime-museum.html
If you walk a short way down the river (just though the port car park), you will see a sailing ship The STS Leeuwin. You can take a 3-hour cruise on this vessel, with light snacks and drinks; or you can opt to have a go at helping to sailing it. http://sailleeuwin.com
Another place worth a visit is the Shipwreck Museum of WA, which is in the Convict-built old Commissariat building. It is described as the best maritime archaeological museum south of the equator and has details about shipwrecks from as early as the seventeenth century.
There is a large room specifically
designated to the SS Batavia, one of Western Australia’s most famous shipwreck
stories and what happened to its survivors as well as huge parts of the SS
Xantho. There are interesting information boards to read, as well as admire the
exhibits and there is a well-stocked shop selling many books based on local
maritime history. You only have to give a donation to go in, and it is well
worth spending an hour or so there – I found it fascinating. http://www.museum.wa.gov.au/museums/wa-shipwrecks-museum.html You can also check out the Army
Museum of WA with its historical displays of men and women who have served in
the Army, their Medals, Photographs and artillery exhibits. http://www.armymuseum.wa.com.au
But for me, my favourite attraction in Fremantle is the Prison Museum. I initially went there to investigate an ancestor that was transported there in 1861 (I wrote a book about him – FINDING THOMAS DAMES), and the staff were so helpful assisting me, they even let me go into their research library.
I spent a whole day there, doing a few of the guided tours and got a real feel of what the place was like up to 170 years ago. You can buy a combination ticket for the tours which makes it considerably cheaper – a list of the different tours are on their website, such as Doing Time Tour, Great Escapes Tour, and Torchlight Tour.
One of my favourites was the Tunnels Tour, where you have to wear specially provided clothing and boots and climb down into the water tunnels below the prison. Then after a short walk, you float along the waterways in small boats – at times it was quite frightening in the blackness, but thoroughly exhilarating.
The climb back up was rather difficult though and I wouldn’t recommend this tour for anyone who wasn’t moderately fit.
Although there is plenty more to be seen above ground; as well as a delightful café for lunch or a quick drink. http://www.fremantleprison.com.au.html
Heritage features greatly in this city; convict labour was used to build many of the original buildings, which are still in excellent condition even if many are now used for different purposes.
Many streets have remained unchanged since the mid 19th century and the entire area has a great historical architectural feel to it.
Two free buses circle the city http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au – they run 7 days a week (but do check times on their website) from the Railway station with many drop-off points. So you can easily see the many sites that Fremantle has to offer. There is also Fremantle Tram Tours – they give a live commentary and you can hop on and off them as you wish.
They do Ghostly Tours on Friday nights including dinner, which could be fun! http://www.fremantletrams.com.au If you fancy seeing more on foot, there is a Convict and Colonials Walking Tour that runs at 10am every day – more info on http://www.twofeet.com.au
There is always something happening in Freo (that’s what the locals call it), Heritage Festivals, Art Exhibitions, Beer and Seafood Festivals, Film nights and Bazaars. The Waterfront Harbour is a brilliant place to eat and drink – or just hangout especially at weekends and holidays when it is really busy.
It is a delightful setting, with the ocean on one side and a grassy park to sit and have a picnic and enjoy time with friends and family, on the other side. There is a skate-park, permanent table tennis tables; fairground rides with a big wheel and ample space for a game of cricket or footie.
If you want to try Freo’s famous ocean-fresh Fish and Chips, try Cicerellos (with its aquariums inside) or Kailis Fish Market Café, both on the Waterfront – where you can stroll around the boardwalk admiring the boats, the statues and watching the fish below.
It has 8 cells, jailer's’ quarters and a central courtyard with a set of stocks. It eventually became a police lock-up before being turned into a museum.
It is a fascinating place to spend an hour learning what life was like there almost 200 years ago, and outside there are great views out to sea and back down one of the main streets into the heart of Fremantle.
When I was there they fired a canon at 1pm – so don’t let it alarm you. There are many steps to get up to it though, so it isn’t disabled- friendly. http://fremantleroundhouse.com.au Next door is Glen Cowens Studio, which is in one of the 100-year old cottages, look closely else you will miss it.
There are some public toilets close-by too. Not far from here there are a couple of excellent museums.
The Maritime Museum of WA is a huge modern building housing exhibits from early settlers, lots of artefacts from Emigrant Ships, and old Islanders canoes and relics. There are also international and modern day maritime vessels and shipping information; and photographs and accounts of the conditions people had to endure on their long journey to reach Australia in years gone by.
If you walk a short way down the river (just though the port car park), you will see a sailing ship The STS Leeuwin. You can take a 3-hour cruise on this vessel, with light snacks and drinks; or you can opt to have a go at helping to sailing it. http://sailleeuwin.com
Another place worth a visit is the Shipwreck Museum of WA, which is in the Convict-built old Commissariat building. It is described as the best maritime archaeological museum south of the equator and has details about shipwrecks from as early as the seventeenth century.
But for me, my favourite attraction in Fremantle is the Prison Museum. I initially went there to investigate an ancestor that was transported there in 1861 (I wrote a book about him – FINDING THOMAS DAMES), and the staff were so helpful assisting me, they even let me go into their research library.
I spent a whole day there, doing a few of the guided tours and got a real feel of what the place was like up to 170 years ago. You can buy a combination ticket for the tours which makes it considerably cheaper – a list of the different tours are on their website, such as Doing Time Tour, Great Escapes Tour, and Torchlight Tour.
One of my favourites was the Tunnels Tour, where you have to wear specially provided clothing and boots and climb down into the water tunnels below the prison. Then after a short walk, you float along the waterways in small boats – at times it was quite frightening in the blackness, but thoroughly exhilarating.
The climb back up was rather difficult though and I wouldn’t recommend this tour for anyone who wasn’t moderately fit.
Although there is plenty more to be seen above ground; as well as a delightful café for lunch or a quick drink. http://www.fremantleprison.com.au.html
Freo also has an Indoor market that has been there since 1897, selling handmade goods, jewellery, fashion items, local produce (such as cheese, honey and chocolate) as well as many different items. It is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays as well as holiday Mondays, and it does get very crowded.
Fremantle’s high streets have many bars and cafes, as well as a variety of tourist shops. I found a wonderful home made ice cream parlour called Dolce Vita Gelato – a great place to sit down and try a few flavours!
I was impressed that near the church and town hall, there was somewhere you could refill your bottle with cold water for only 25 cents. When you walk around, you can’t help but marvel at the feeling of colonialism, heritage and maritime history that is everywhere to be seen. It is like you have been transported back one hundred years. You can download walking maps, an art walking map and a heritage-walking map – they are a wonderful help when getting around – from http://www.visitfremantle.com.au.html
Freo has several nice hotels and backpacking lodges; I have stayed at the Esplanade Hotel and I can highly recommend staying there.
Whenever I go to Perth, I always have to visit Fremantle for at least one day - you really must go and see some of what it has to offer.
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