Travel
A long weekend in Fremantle
Spend a weekend in Fremantle complete with the fascinating history of Fremantle Prison, plus plenty of cultural and food hotspots.
By Seana Smith
Until this recent weekend away, every trip to Fremantle had been too short.
A cycle along the Swan River had ended in Freo. A visit to Rottnest had started from there. I had once spent a half day looking around Fremantle Markets and the old prison, but I always felt like there was more to explore I was missing out on.
To finally spend a long weekend exploring Fremantle, staying right in the centre, was an absolute treat. Why hadn’t I done this long before?
I do love Perth, what’s not to love? The big, gleaming city centre, the natural beauty of Kings Park, and the views, beaches, boat trips up and down the Swan River, the Zoo when my kids were little, the restaurants and pubs when everyone grew up, the magnificent museum and art gallery and the bustling groove of Northbridge.
But Fremantle is special, with oodles of culture, food, views, beaches and wonderful shopping, all wrapped up in a neat bundle. It is easy to walk everywhere in Fremantle and to feel that you get to know every corner of this half boho, half glamourous port city. Well, it’s called a port city, but to me Fremantle is a port village.
When my son moved to Perth and chose to live in a suburb inland from Freo, my husband and I decided that we would base ourselves at the Esplanade Hotel for a long weekend. Here’s what we loved about Fremantle, and what we think other visitors would enjoy too.
Fremantle Visitor Centre
For us, the first stop is always the local visitor centre to pick up maps and check out all the latest events. We had already been reading the Visit Fremantle website and knew we could hire bikes at no cost there, but we decided on the day that we would walk everywhere as we had plenty of time.
I do love a paper map, so I was delighted to stroll out of the Visitor Centre with my map in hand and head off to explore some arts and historical sites.
Address: 155 High Street, Fremantle, Western Australia 6160
Phone: 61 (08) 9432 9988
Exploring indigenous history, art and culture
The Whadjuk people are the original inhabitants and traditional custodians of this area which is named Walyalup in the Nyoongar language.
Walking the Manjaree Trail from the Kidogo Arthouse near Bathers Beach is an excellent way to learn about this country, with signs explaining the six seasons, bush tucker, trade and culture of the area before colonisation.
Want more First Nations experiences? Start here
Visiting Walyalup Aboriginal Cultural Centre (WACC)
Close to Bathers Beach, the The Walyalup Aboriginal Cultural Centre (WACC) is a centre for local indigenous culture, arts and history. There you will find exhibitions, tours and cultural events.
Open: Wednesday – Friday 10am – 3pm.
Address: 12 Captain’s Lane, Fremantle
Fremantle hot spots for art and music lovers
There are always interesting exhibitions at the Fremantle Arts Centre, where the convict-build gothic building was initially used as a psychiatric hospital. Set amongst spreading lawns and gardens, this is a terrific spot to explore. You can even sign up for an arts course if you have time.
My husband and son went to see a band at the Freo.Social venue. You’ll find lots of live music in Fremantle, check out venues here.
You might enjoy a show at the Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, music lovers can look ahead to find concerts by Fremantle Chamber Orchestra and book lovers might like to pop in to the Fremantle Literature Centre.
Address: 1 Finnerty St, Fremantle WA 6160
Fremantle Arts centre website is here.
Fremantle colonial history
Fremantle was first settled by the British in 1829 and became a penal colony in 1850. There are many places to learn about this bloody history.
History buffs will love this too: 12 best historical sites to visit in Australia
Fremantle Prison
Built by convicts between 1852 – 1859, Fremantle Prison was in use as a prison until 1991. It is World Heritage listed and looks as daunting as it ever did. The complete history of the prison and the colony is told within its soaring walls and this is a place history lovers will spend hours in. Several tours are offered with expert guides telling chilling stories of the past.
The Fremantle YHA is housed in the prison, the brave-hearted can even sleep in the old cells.
Address: 1 The Terrace, Fremantle
WA Maritime Museum
Stories of shipping and the sea are told at this fascinating museum, with the history of WA’s colonisation explained as well as more modern artifacts like the America’s Cup winning yacht Australia II. Learn about the pearling luggers of Broome, the underwater riches off the coast of WA and about conservation.
This is another Fremantle favourite for visitors, you can easily pass several hours here.
Address: Victoria Quay Road Fremantle
WA Shipwrecks Museum
Another place for chilling historical tales is the WA Shipwrecks Museum, where you can learn about the dangerous waters off the WA coast and the ships that foundered there. Within the old convict-built Commissariat building, you’ll find fascinating maritime archaeology, terrifying true stories and revolving exhibitions.
Address: Cliff Street, Fremantle
Eating and drinking in Fremantle
Fremantle may be a relatively small area but it is bursting with excellent eateries of all descriptions, plus pubs, breweries and small bars.
Here are the places we enjoyed on this visit:
Address: 19 Henderson St, Fremantle
An upmarket café-restaurant and bar very close to Fremantle Markets, Emily Taylor serves fresh West Australian produce with an Asian twist. There is spacious seating indoors and outdoors. We had a really delicious lunch here with our son.
We became addicted to the lemon meringue croissants and the pistachio croissants bought from this excellent bakery. Not to be missed!
Address: 19 High Street, Fremantle
Down by the docks, on the site of a former crocodile farm, Little Creatures is a spacious brewery with all the brews on offer as well as pizzas and other meals. This proved a terrific place to catch up with friends in a relaxed atmosphere.
Address: 40 Mews Road, Fremantle
We fancied Mexican one night and found this pretty restaurant very close to the hotel. I’d highly recommend it for hearty burritos and yummy nachos.
Address: 97 Market Street, Fremantle
Modern Australia with a European twist, we loved eating breakfast at this Fremantle café and would joyfully go back any time.
Address: 30 Marine Terrace, Fremantle
The food stalls of Fremantle Market also kept us very well fed, and Chicho Gelato and Swan River Gelato did not disappoint for dessert.
Check this out too: 10 of Australia's most unique foodie experiences
Best beaches and walks around Fremantle
Walking around Fremantle is a pleasure, with so many beautiful old buildings, shops and cafes to look at and into. We also enjoyed taking a walk to The Round House, the first colonial building completed in 1831, it is a 12-sided building first used as a prison and looking as solid and foreboding today as it must have back in the 1800s.
Just below is pretty Bathers Beach where we enjoyed joining locals to watch the sun set. There are some large cafes here with lovely views over the water. Read the signage of the Manjaree Trail here as you walk.
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I also really loved a walk to South Beach. There’s a path on the seaward side of the goods train line which follows the coastline. You could divert into the Harbour to look at the fishing boats too.
South Beach is very long, with a dog park at one end, there was a kiosk here doing a roaring trade. I continued to the southern end where I had a wonderful swim in the clear blue sea, enjoying views over to Rottnest Island. I warmed up in the sauna by the beach, what a treat.
To return I walked to South Terrace, looked at the little shops and bakeries of South Fremantle and then had a coffee at the part of South Terrace known as Cappuccino Strip, just near the Fremantle Markets. A lovely expedition!
Boutiques, bookshops and op shops
In my previous all-too-rapid visits to Fremantle, I had not noticed all the bookshops and op shops dotted around the streets. Perhaps I had never seen beyond the glories of Fremantle Markets, which are dazzling.
But with more time, I found many bookshops to wander through, several on High Street alone. I also picked up a map showing all the op shops and vintage shops in Fremantle, 28 of them. It was a joy to potter through several of these.
There are plenty of upmarket boutiques and stores in Fremantle as well. The shops are a real reflection of the diversity of this port town, which has many students as well as professionals and the well-heeled who chose to live in Fremantle.
Trips from Fremantle
The ferry to Rottnest
On this trip we did not take the ferry over to Rottnest. It leaves from Victoria Quay on the river side of town, close to the train station. Next time we most certainly shall.
Train trip to central Perth
It was just a ten-minute walk from our hotel to the train station where we hopped on a train to Perth. This takes around 30 minutes, though we got off first at West Leederville to walk into Kings Park. We also used the train to get to beautiful Cottesloe Beach which is a 20-minute walk from Cottesloe station.
Next time, we plan to visit the beaches further south, like Coogee and Jervoise Bay.
With a son living in Perth, we are going to be regular visitors over the next few years. And I have a suspicion that we will be basing ourselves in Fremantle on each trip!
Feature image: courtesy of Seana Smith
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