Beers, shipwrecks and rainbows: Seven must-do highlights of Fremantle

Beers, browsing and a backstory combine in Western Australia’s historic port city.

Do time at Fremantle Prison

This hugely atmospheric, convict-built hulk of a building was only decommissioned as a prison in 1991. Nineteen years later, it joined the UNESCO World Heritage list as part of the Australian Convict Sites. The tours at Fremantle Prison are excellent, with some focusing on the convict history, others on prison life, and the most unusual of the lot on a wooden boat through a prisoner-carved labyrinth of tunnels beneath. Should you fancy a bit of the lag life, part of the prison has been converted to backpacker dorms by the YHA.
See fremantleprison.com.au, yha.com.au

Fire the gun at the Round House

There is an even older prison in Freo, however. The Round House is Western Australia’s oldest public building, having opened in 1831. This old stone survivor has a prime position overlooking Bathers Beach, with the view making the climb up the steps worth it. Come at lunchtime and you can watch volunteers fire the One O’Clock Gun, a tradition dating back to the early days of the Swan River Colony. Book well in advance and you can even be the designated cannon-firer for the day.
See fremantleroundhouse.com.au

Mooch the stalls at the Fremantle Markets

Another much-loved old timer is the Fremantle Markets, which have been running since 1897. Visiting is as much about the experience as the shopping – it’s a tightly crammed, somewhat claustrophobic warren to get lost in. Food stalls do an admirable job of representing global cuisine, but the big browse is all about finding that little something you never knew you needed – whether it be Moroccan-style lamps, Murano glass tumblers with little animal figures inside or some supremely fashionable platypus socks.
See fremantlemarkets.com.au

Hop aboard the Rottnest Island ferry

Fremantle is still a working port city, but for visitors the most important vessel tends to be the ferry to Rottnest Island. The half-hour crossing – sometimes livened up by passing whales and dolphins – opens up one of Australia’s great day trips. Bring a snorkel and hire a bike to explore car-free Wadjemup – as the island is now known. There are few greater pleasures than pedalling around between various white-sand beaches, then jumping in the water to meet the marine life. Oh yeah, there are plenty of quokkas too.
See rottnestisland.com

Sink a few beers at Little Creatures

Whisper it, but Fremantle’s “Cappuccino Strip” reputation is a little outdated. These days, it’s a more impressive place for handsome old pubs and modern breweries than cafes – though you can still eat very well and chug back numerous flat whites. Brewery options include Gage Roads and Ripple Brewing, but Little Creatures was a pioneer for Australian craft brewing, and its gargantuan beer cavern on Fishing Boat Harbour has a proper wow factor long before the first pale ale touches the lips.
See littlecreatures.com.au

Go Dutch at the WA Shipwrecks Museum

Western Australia’s illustrious history of calamitous navigation is explored in depth inside the former Commissariat buildings. By far the most interesting sections of the WA Shipwrecks Museum focus on the series of Dutch ships that smashed into the coastline long before Lieutenant James Cook arrived at the East Coast. The star attraction is the hull of the Batavia, which came a cropper in the Houtman Abrolhos Islands in 1629, the ensuing murder, madness and heroic rescue leading to one of Australia’s all-time great stories.
See visit.museum.wa.gov.au

Step under the Rainbow

Some pieces of public art provoke mixed opinions, but the Rainbow in Beach Reserve next to the Canning Highway is an instant – and Instagram – hit. Perth artist Marcus Canning has got hold of nine shipping containers, painted them in bright colours and arranged them in an arch. Nine metres high and 19 metres long, it’s both a nod to Fremantle’s shipping heritage and a gleefully bold slice of high visual impact silliness.

The writer travelled at his own expense. See westernaustralia.com