Fremantle (pop. 24,000) is the port of the Western Australian capital. When James Stirling, landing here in 1829, selected the site for the port he named it after Captain Charles Fremantle, who had recently taken possession of the west coast of 'New Holland' in the name of King George IV. At the end of the 19th C the construction of an
artificial harbor made Fremantle an important port shipping agricultural produce and minerals.
A series of handsome buildings with richly decorated façades, including banks, offices, hotels and the market hall, bear witness to the self-confidence and wealth of late 19th C Fremantle. Although the town is now caught up into the Perth conurbation it has preserved the atmosphere of the 19th C port and many fine buildings.