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Photo: Gnangarra, CC BY 2.5 au via Wikimedia Commons
The convicts that were transported to Australia from the UK built it in 1851 to house themselves. Following the end of convict transportation in 1868, Fremantle Prison served as Western Australia's main maximum security prison until its closure in 1991. Today it remains as a building as part of the Australian Convict Sites and is used for several purposes including as an art gallery, museum and conference center. Basic tours run throughout the day, and a 'Torchlight tour' runs on Wednesday and Friday nights, which explores the history of prison hauntings. For the adventurous, the tunnels tour will take you through the tunnel network underneath the prison.
Fremantle Prison, sometimes referred to as Fremantle Gaol or Fremantle Jail, is a former Australian prison and World Heritage Site in Fremantle, Western Australia. The site includes the prison cellblocks, gatehouse, perimeter walls, cottages, and tunnels. It was initially used for convicts transported from Britain, but was transferred to the colonial government in 1886 for use for locally-sentenced prisoners. Royal Commissions were held in 1898 and 1911, and instigated some reform to the prison system, but significant changes did not begin until the 1960s. The government department in charge of the prison underwent several reorganisations in the 1970s and 1980s, but the culture of Fremantle Prison was resistant to change. Growing prisoner discontent culminated in a 1988 riot with guards taken hostage, and a fire that caused $1.8 million worth of damage. The prison closed in 1991, replaced by the new maximum-security Casuarina Prison.
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Part of Fremantle Arts Centre, a contemporary art gallery. The Moores has six individual exhibition spaces and a cafe.
A museum for Contemporary Arts with a shop and a cafe. In summer free Sunday music sessions in the courtyard.
Shipwreck Galleries
Recognised as the foremost maritime archaeology museum in the southern hemisphere. The Museum is housed in 1850s-era Commissariat building and has since been restored to its historic glory. Steeped in history, the galleries house hundreds of relics from ships wrecked along WA’s treacherous coastline, including the original timbers from the Batavia (wrecked in 1629), the de Vlamingh plate, and also countless artifacts from the Dutch shipwrecks Zuytdorp, Zeewijk and Vergulde Draeck.
The Whaling Tunnel was built to provide easy access between the original Bather's Beach port and the town of Fremantle. The tunnel has been restored, and has detailed explanations of its construction and local artifacts, making it a worthwhile self-guided tour.
Western Australia's first permanent building. Built as a prison in the 1830s, the Round House now serves as a small, but informative museum, that focuses on the convict lifestyle of the 1800s. Now restored and updated with more detailed information, maps and volunteer guides (although the tour of the building is mostly self-guided).