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Australia

Perth (Fremantle), Australia

Fremantle: The Port Town That's Better Than a Day Trip to Perth

Known locally as Freo and to the Noongar people as Walyalup, Fremantle stands at the mouth of the Swan River and serves as the port for Perth. Convicts and gold-rush money built much of the town, and many of its 19th-century limestone buildings still stand. In summer a sea breeze, the Fremantle Doctor, usually arrives in the early afternoon, but the sun stays strong, so bring a hat.

Good to know

What to Expect

Ships tie up at Victoria Quay, at the mouth of the Swan River, alongside the Fremantle Passenger Terminal, with the town center just across the railway line. The terminal has a café, a licensed bar and toilets.

  • The terminal was built in 1960–1962 to handle migrants arriving by ocean liner and was refurbished in 2019.
  • The WA Maritime Museum is on Victoria Quay, near the terminal, and Fremantle station, with trains to Perth, is just north of the town center.
  • Fremantle is mostly flat and compact, which makes it a good town to walk.
  • Australia uses the Australian dollar (AUD).

Fremantle on Your Own

Fremantle is mostly flat and compact, and the prison, the museums and the market are all in the town just across the railway line from the terminal. If you would rather see Perth, the train from Fremantle station takes about 25 minutes.

  • The West End and Arthur Head: The Round House, a jail finished in 1831 and the first permanent building of the Swan River Colony, stands on the headland above Bathers Beach, with a whalers' tunnel cut beneath it in 1837–1838.
  • The museums: The WA Maritime Museum on Victoria Quay and the WA Shipwrecks Museum on Cliff Street are a short walk apart. In October 2026 both opened daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Shipwrecks Museum was free, and the Maritime Museum cost A$15 for adults and was free for children 15 and under; check before you go.
  • Fremantle Prison: At 1 The Terrace, the gatehouse visitor center is free to enter, but the cell blocks can be seen only on a guided tour.
  • Fremantle Markets: The market halls at 74 South Terrace, opened in 1897, trade from Friday to Sunday and on public-holiday Mondays.
  • Getting back on time: If you are on a port call, all-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own. All-aboard is given in ship's time, which may not match the local clocks or your phone.
  • Before or after the cruise: Trains to Perth run about every 15 minutes, and Perth's city center has a free transit zone for buses.

Getting Around

Fremantle itself is walkable, and Transperth trains and buses link it with Perth. You can pay with a SmartRider card or by tapping a contactless bank card on and off.

  • The Fremantle line runs from Fremantle station through Perth's western suburbs to the city, with trains about every 15 minutes and a journey of about 25 minutes.
  • In October 2026, travel on Transperth buses, trains and ferries was free all day on Sundays for anyone paying by SmartRider or contactless card; check before you go.
  • Children aged four and under travel free.
  • Ferries to Rottnest Island leave from B Shed on Victoria Quay.
  • Fremantle station's present building dates from 1907, on the line that first opened in 1881.

Where to Eat

Fremantle's food is shaped by the sea and by the Italian families who settled here: South Terrace's Cappuccino Strip is known for its outdoor cafés, and the Fishing Boat Harbour has some of Australia's largest fish and chip shops.

  • Fishing Boat Harbour: Restaurants, microbreweries and fish and chip shops face the boats; Little Creatures Brewery is in a former boat shed that was once a crocodile farm.
  • Cappuccino Strip: The stretch of South Terrace and the lanes off it known for outdoor dining, a short walk from the station.
  • Fremantle Markets: The food stalls in the market halls are open from Friday to Sunday.
  • Italian heritage: After English, Italian is the most common language spoken at home in Fremantle, and the harbor still holds a traditional Italian Blessing of the Fleet.

Tipping and Currency

Tipping is not customary in Australia, and restaurants must include the cost of service and taxes in the prices they post. A tip is accepted if you choose to leave one.

  • Hotel staff, porters and tour guides do not expect tips.
  • Tipping is not expected in taxis either.
  • Australia uses the Australian dollar (AUD).

Culture & Local Life

Fremantle has a large arts community and a strong music scene, and the Whadjuk Noongar people met and traded at Manjaree here, and still gather in Walyalup today. Its convict-era and gold-rush buildings, many of them of local limestone, are well preserved.

  • Walyalup: The Noongar name for Fremantle; the limestone headland at Arthur Head and Bathers Beach, called Manjaree, was a meeting and trading place.
  • Fremantle Arts Centre: The 1860s limestone building on Ord Street, built by convicts as an asylum, now holds exhibitions and concerts.
  • Music: AC/DC's singer Bon Scott grew up in Fremantle, and a statue of him stands at the Fishing Boat Harbour.
  • Fishing Boat Harbour events: The harbor hosts the annual Fremantle Sardine Festival and the Fremantle Boat Show.

A Brief History

The Noongar knew the river mouth as Walyalup long before Dutch sailors charted it in 1697. Britain claimed the coast here in 1829, convicts built much of the town from 1850, and the harbor dredged in the 1890s made Fremantle the entry point for the Western Australian gold rush.

  • 1697: Dutch explorers under Willem de Vlamingh mapped the area and sailed up the Swan River.
  • May 2, 1829: Captain Charles Fremantle raised the British flag near Arthur Head and claimed the west coast of the continent, and the Swan River Colony was founded that June.
  • 1831: The Round House jail, the colony's first permanent building, was finished on Arthur Head.
  • 1850 to 1868: The first convict ship, the Scindian, arrived on June 1, 1850, and the last, the Hougoumont, on January 10, 1868; convicts built Fremantle Prison in the 1850s.
  • 1876: Six Irish Fenian prisoners escaped from the prison in the Catalpa rescue.
  • 1897: Engineer C. Y. O'Connor removed the rock bar at the river mouth, opening the harbor to ocean shipping at the height of the gold rush, and the Fremantle Markets opened.
  • Second World War: Fremantle was the largest Allied submarine base in the Southern Hemisphere.
  • 1987: Fremantle hosted the America's Cup yacht races, which brought a wave of restoration to the town.
  • 1991 to 2010: The prison closed in 1991 and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010 as one of the Australian Convict Sites.
  • To learn more ashore: The WA Shipwrecks Museum on Cliff Street, in the convict-built Commissariat buildings, tells the story of the Dutch wrecks on this coast, including timbers from the Batavia, wrecked in 1629.

Traveling with Family

Fremantle has plenty for children within a short walk, from a submarine to a prison and a beach. Pick tours by age, because some prison tours describe violence and the tunnels have a minimum age.

  • Younger children: The WA Maritime Museum is free for children 15 and under, and Bathers Beach is right below the Round House.
  • School age: The free WA Shipwrecks Museum has Dutch shipwreck relics, and free guided tours of its galleries run at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. except in school holidays; check before you go.
  • Teenagers: Fremantle Prison's Tunnels Tour, with hard hats and ladders 20 meters below ground, is only for those aged 12 and over, and the regular tours discuss executions and other distressing themes.
  • Rottnest Island: The island 18 km west is home to quokkas, which you must not handle and should never feed; they are used to people, but every year some bite visitors, especially children.
  • Sun: Australian summers can be extremely hot, so bring hats and sunscreen even for a walking day.

Accessibility

The passenger terminal is on the flat quay next to the town, and Fremantle's two museums have lifts and ramps, though the prison, a historic site, is only partly accessible. Transperth arranges help at train stations if you call ahead.

  • The WA Maritime Museum has ramps and lifts, accessible toilets on both levels and two wheelchairs to borrow; only the HMAS Ovens submarine tour is not accessible.
  • The WA Shipwrecks Museum has a ramp, a lift and automatic doors, but no cloakroom, so bags and luggage cannot be taken in.
  • At Fremantle Prison, the exhibition galleries, shop and grounds are wheelchair accessible and two wheelchairs can be borrowed, but the upper levels of the cell blocks are not; the Behind Bars tour is mostly accessible, while the Convict Prison tour involves many stairs.
  • Call Transperth on 1800 800 022 at least an hour ahead if you need assistance at a train station.

Shopping & Local Markets

Fremantle Markets is the main shopping stop, with more than 170 traders in its two halls. South Terrace and High Street have independent shops and boutiques.

  • The markets open from Friday to Sunday and on public-holiday Mondays; in October 2026 the Yard opened from 8 a.m. and the Hall from 9 a.m., both until 6 p.m. Check before you go.
  • Inside you will find fresh produce, street food, independent makers, fashion and gifts.
  • The market buildings date from 1897.

Beaches

Fremantle has two town beaches close to the center: Bathers Beach below the Round House and South Beach to the south. Rottnest Island, a ferry ride away, has many more.

  • Bathers Beach, once the site of the town's whaling station, lies at the entrance to the harbor below Arthur Head.
  • South Beach has a shaded park, a kiosk, changing rooms, showers and barbecues.
  • Rip currents are the main hazard on Australian beaches and can sweep even strong swimmers out to sea.
  • Rottnest Island lies 18 km west of Fremantle and is reached by ferry from B Shed.
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