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.
The Army Museum of Western Australia is a regional museum run by volunteers. The collection includes the South African War, World War 1, World War 2, the Korean War, South Vietnam and the more recent peacekeeping operations such as East Timor.
Address: Army Museum of Western Australia, Artillery Barracks, Burt Street, Fremantle, WA , Australia
The Italian-style Town Hall was designed by the well-known Melbourne architects Grainger and D'Ebro and officially inaugurated in 1887, the year of Queen Victoria's Jubilee. The massive and richly decorated tower, with the black swan which is the emblem of Western Australia, has a steep mansard roof. On the ground floor of the Town Hall is the tourist office.
Address: Fremantle City Council, Box 807, Fremantle, WA 6959, Australia
The Round House on the High Street (1830-1) was Western Australia's first prison and oldest public building. This fortress-like structure on a limestone hill is not round but twelve-sided, with cells for the prisoners and a house for the governor.
Address: Round House, 10 Arthur Head, Fremantle, WA 6160, Australia
The Western Australia Maritime Museum was built by convict labor in 1851 as a commissariat store and customs house. From 1879-90 it was a post office, and thereafter was restored to serve its present purpose. Its main attraction is the remains of the Dutch East Indiaman Batavia, which ran aground on the Abrolhos Islands in 1629. During the mutiny which followed the shipwreck 125 men were killed.
Address: Western Australia Maritime Museum, Victoria Quay, Fremantle, WA 6160, Australia
Hours:
9:30am-5pm
Always opened on: Anzac Day (Australian & New Zealand Army Corps) (April 25), Day after Christmas, St Stephen's Day, Boxing Day (December 26)
Always closed on: Christmas - Christian (December 25), Good Friday - Christian
Tips: Open 13:00 to 17:00 on Boxing Day and Anzac Day.
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Fremantle, Perth
