Fremantle, or Freo as locals call it, is a small city close to Perth sitting in the mouth of the Swan River famous for its port, fishing harbour and historic significance. Before the British founded their Swan River colony here in 1829, this area was known as Walyalup by Noongar people who inhabited this area.
The city was named after captain Charles Howe Fremantle who landed here in May 1829 and claimed this land for Britain. The Aboriginal people here called this land Manjaree or Walyalup.
For many, it’s a convenient starting point to board the ferry to Rottnest island but there are a few landmarks you’ll like to explore. And of course, read about the insta-famous island of quokkas too!
1. Round house
Round house sitting on the top of a limestone formation, Arthur Head (walk through the tunnel inside it!) is the one of the main landmarks of Fremantle.
Dating to 1831, it’s the oldest public building in Western Australia. Originally built as a prison for Swan River Colony by the British government, it was later converted into a police station, water station and eventually into a storage facility. Now it’s a historical site. Climb the stairs and observe the fishing harbour, and the promenade of Fremantle – and maybe you’ll even see the canon firing from the Gun Deck!
2. WA Maritime museum
The WA Maritime museum located on Victoria Quay is one of the top landmarks of Fremantle, and if you arrive by ferry, it’s going to just a couple min away from the pier you arrive to.
It’s a very good museum where you can learn about the British and Australian maritime exploration of this coast, marine life, fishing and pearling, aboriginal links to the Indian Ocean and of course the most famous vessels. It even has tanks with live fish and microscopes to observe some of tiniest creatures and structures from the sea!
Meet here HMAS Ovens (to visit it close, you’ll have to attend a special tour), Australia II, famous yacht that won the America’s Cup in 1983, and Parry Endeavour on which Jon Sanders circumnavigated the globe three times without a break, along the aboriginal small boats. There’s also a small dome where you can watch educational short movies.
3. WA Shipwrecks Museum
The WA Shipwrecks museum occupying the historic Commissariat buildings, is a nice spot on your exploration of Fremantle if you’re interested in history and marine archaeology!
The most important exhibit here is the partially recovered Dutch Batavia shipwreck that sank in 1629 and is now housed in a separate Batavia gallery – learn about the mutiny story behind it!
Besides that there are other numerous objects recovered from various shipwrecks including Trial, the oldest known shipwreck in Australia dating to 1622; the Rapid, the James Matthews as well as other Dutch shipwrecks’ objects obtained from Zuytdorp, Zeewijk, and Vergulde Draeck. Examine the world’s oldest known message in a glass bottle dating to 1886 from Paula German ship, vases, chess set, ceramics and others. The entrance is free.
4. Fremantle Markets
The Fremantle Markets is another architectural and cultural landmark of Fremantle. It was built in 1897 and incorporates multiple stalls for craftsmen and fresh food vendors.
Unfortunately it’s open only a few days a week (on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), and during our visit it was closed, but at least we were able to see its gorgeous architecture from outside and grab some tea to the side of it.
You might also like to have a look at other historical buildings of Fremantle including the National hotel, Metropole (former King’s theatre) and Princess theatres!
5. Fremantle prison
Fremantle Prison constructed in 1851-1859 is undoubtedly the main landmark of the city.
First things first: it’s better to book your tickets in advance. For instance, we booked our tickets by phone on the day of our trip and secured our spots.
The tour takes from an hour to an hour and 15 minutes where you learn not only about the history of the site but also about the British criminal justice system back in time as well as the main events important for the whole country of Australia today. You walk through the part of prison as it looked in the 19th century, then proceed to the 20th century, see the unescapable cell, room with recently discovered drawings on the walls, Catholic and Protestant chapels, solitary cells, the courtyard and other part of the venue.
Our guide took us through the timeline of the prison highlighting the main characters of it – the prisoners who were known by their escapes (for instance, Irish Fenian prisoners or Joseph Bolitho Johns, known as Moondyne Joe) or creative projects inside the prison such as chapel decorations.
6. Fremantle oval
When in Fremantle, spot the Fremantle oval, a large stadium originally constructed to hold cricket matches. It is very famous among the locals, and Fremantle Oval’s Heritage Victoria Pavilion dates to 1897.
7. Rottnest Island
Come to the only place in the world where you can see quokkas in the wild – and yes, it’s located close to Fremantle!
Quokkas are small marsupials (yes, they have a pouch!) that live only on a few islands off Western Australia. The largest population resides right here on the Rottnest Island, just off the coast of Fremantle. I can completely confirm that quokkas are the absolute cutest! And if you’re lucky, you can spot a baby quokka in the pouch too.
There are a few important rules to follow around them: no touching and no feeding. Quokkas need to forage for themselves; human food can make them very sick. Everyone comes here to take a selfie with a quokka, but please don’t chase them! They are naturally curious, so if you stay still, they’ll come to you.
Naturally, all the souvenirs feature quokkas – and so do the local buses! The island supermarkets, however, strictly enforce a “no quokkas allowed” policy.
While quokkas made this place an Instagram star, Rottnest Island actually has so much more to offer!
The island is quite large, and after arriving by ferry, visitors usually get around by tour bus or rental bike (note: private cars aren’t allowed on the island!). Oh, and keep your eyes peeled: vibrant Galah cockatoos live here by the arrival point, too! We opted for the Quokka Coaches Island Explorer, a hop-on, hop-off bus that stops at the island’s major spots, excluding the West End where vehicles aren’t permitted.
There are 19 stops in total, and the full loop takes about an hour. I booked our tickets online in advance; you can buy them on-site if available, but keep in mind you can’t book online for same-day visits. We tried to reserve an electric buggy a few days ahead of our trip, but they were already fully booked for the times we needed.
Some of the stunning spots you might want to visit include Pinky Beach (and the Bathurst Lighthouse), Geordie Bay, Little Parakeet Bay, Armstrong Bay, City of York Bay, Wadjemup Lighthouse, and Salmon Bay. Many people come here for swimming and snorkelling in the summer (just a reminder: it was winter in Australia!).
Beyond the beaches, imagine taking a stroll under mighty eucalyptus trees or walking across ancient Pleistocene sand dunes.
You can also visit the Wadjemup Museum to learn about the deep heritage of the Aboriginal Whadjuk Noongar people, who consider this sacred land and call it Wadjemup as well as the history of the island which was used as a prison and concentration camp during both World Wars.
8. Swan Valley cruise
You can get to Rottnest by ferry directly from Fremantle or from Perth itself – why not to add a nice water journey to your trip?
We took a Swan Valley cruise with Rottnest Express. It takes about 2 hours with a stopover at the Fremantle: if you come from Perth, your ferry might stop at Fremantle briefly until proceeding to the final stop – Rottnest island – if your itinerary includes this stop; or around 90 min directly from Perth CBD.
The scenery is absolutely stunning and you can observe the skyline of both Perth and Fremantle, but the last part of the journey before arriving at the Rottnest might be quite rough if it’s windy.
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Yours,
Anna xxx
