Sights in Fremantle
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Round House
Commenced in 1830, shortly after the founding of the colony, this odd 12-sided stone prison is the oldest surviving building in WA. It was the site of the colony's first hangings and was used for holding Aborigines before they were taken to Rottnest Island.
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Maritime Museum Shipwrecks Galleries
Although the Maritime Museum commands a lot of attention, don’t miss the intriguing Shipwrecks Galleries, where you can learn about gung-ho seafaring adventures and misfortunes. The museum (in a building constructed in 1852 as a commissariat store) has a display on WA’s maritime history, with emphasis on the recovery and restoration of the famous wreck Batavia, in addition to other Dutch merchant ships and some more recent wrecks.
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Western Australian Maritime Museum
Housed in a stunning, architect-designed building on the harbour, just west of the city centre, the Western Australian Maritime Museum is a fascinating exploration of WA's relationship with the ocean. It faces out to the sea, which has shaped so much of the state's, and Fremantle's, destiny.
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Fremantle Arts Centre
An impressive neo-Gothic building surrounded by lovely elm-shaded gardens, the Fremantle Arts Centre was constructed by convict labourers as a lunatic asylum in the 1860s. Saved from demolition in the late 1960s, it houses a changing roster of interesting exhibitions.
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WA Maritime Museum
Housed in a stunning, architect-designed building on the harbour, just west of the city centre, the WA Maritime Museum explores WA’s relationship with the ocean. It faces out to the sea, which has shaped so much of the state’s, and Fremantle’s, destiny.
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Bon Scott sculpture
A surprising drawcard for visitors is the Bon Scott sculpture at J Shed, where music fans can see this memorial to late-lamented local boy and lead singer of rock group AC/DC. A more permanent site is planned at Fishing Boat Harbour.
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Old Fremantle Prison
In some ways, the Old Fremantle Prison, with its foreboding 5m-high walls, dominates present-day Fremantle. Tales of adventures and hardships experienced here have lived on in the city’s imagination.
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Samson House
Fremantle boomed during the WA gold rush and many buildings were constructed during, or shortly before, this period. Samson House is a well-preserved 1888 colonial home on Ellen St.
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Fremantle History Museum
The Fremantle History Museum focuses on the diverse nationalities that make up the town's population.
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Chamber of Commerce Building
A building of the boom era is the (still-in-use) 1873 Chamber of Commerce building.
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German Consulate Building
A building of the boom era is the 1903 former German consulate building.
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To the Fishermen
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St John's Anglican Church
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Old German Consulate
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Mark of the Century
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Fremantle Train Station
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Fremantle Grammar School
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Fremantle Cemetery
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Customs House
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Western Australian Museum – Shipwreck Galleries
Housed in an 1852 commissariat store, the Shipwreck Galleries are considered the finest display of maritime archaeology in the southern hemisphere. The highlight is the Batavia Gallery, where a section of the hull of Dutch merchant ship the Batavia, wrecked in 1629, is displayed.
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Western Australian Museum – Maritime
Housed in an intriguing sail-shaped building on the harbour, just west of the city centre, this is a fascinating exploration of WA's relationship with the ocean. Various boats are on display and, if you're not claustrophobic, you can take an hour-long tour of the Australian Navy submarine HMAS Ovens (departing every half-hour from 10am to 3.30pm).
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South Beach
Sheltered, swimmable, only 1.5km from the city centre and on the free CAT bus route.
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Public Sculptures
Enlivening Fremantle's streets are numerous bronze sculptures, many by local artist Greg James . Perhaps the most popular, certainly with black-clad pilgrims, is the statue of Bon Scott (1946–1980) strutting on a Marshall amplifier in Fishing Boat Harbour. The AC/DC singer moved to Fremantle with his family in 1956 and his ashes are interred in Fremantle Cemetery.
Others include To the Fishermen, also by James, andMark of the Century, by Robert Hitchcock.
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Gold Rush Buildings
Fremantle boomed during the WA gold rush in the late 19th century, and the city retains many of the wonderful buildings that were constructed during, or shortly before, this period. High St, particularly around the bottom end, has some excellent examples including several old hotels. Worth seeking out are the Chamber of Commerce Building, built1873, St John's Anglican Church, built 1882, Fremantle Grammar School, built 1885, the Town Hall, built 1887, Samson House, a well-preserved 1888 colonial home, the Esplanade Hotel, built 1896, the Old German Consulate, built 1903, Fremantle Train Station, built 1907, and the Customs House, built 1908.
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