About Fremantle

See also: Things to do in Fremantle, Accommodation

Fremantle is often described as a city of artists and indeed many of the state's leading practitioners in the visual arts, crafts, writing, film and photography live there. It is an interesting and visual place, being a bustling port city with a substantial fishing industry, surrounded by beaches and with a city centre (the West End) consisting of an outstanding collection of Federation and other historic buildings. Fremantle is also renowned for its numerous coffee houses, small restaurants, museums as well as a number of significant historical landmarks such as the Round House and the Fremantle Prison. It was once, briefly, 'home of the Americas cup'.

Fremantle is located at the mouth of the Swan River on the West Coast of Western Australia and is part of the Perth metropolitan area. The Perth city centre is only 14kms away - a 25 minute cab ride or 30 minutes by train.

On May 2, 1829 Captain Charles Fremantle formally annexed all of Western Australia for England to prevent a similar move by France. One month later a party of settlers arrived from England aboard the ship Parmelia, led by Captain James Stirling who established two townsites in the new Swan River Colony: a port and a farming community. He named the port Fremantle and the farming settlement Perth.

The history and development of Fremantle has always revolved around the city's port facilities, but its most rapid development took place during the Western Australian gold discoveries of the 1890s. However, the early years saw slow progress because of capital and labour shortages. The introduction of convict labour from England in 1850 provided the workforce for expansion and the construction of many of Fremantle’s original buildings which are still standing.

Today the Port of Fremantle, completed in 1897 by CY O'Conner, is an efficient and modern container handling facility, the main entry port for Western Australia, an important landing destination for goods destined for the eastern states and a popular stop over for cruise ships and visiting naval vessels, especially the US Navy.

Fremantle was a major naval base during the latter stages of the 2nd world war and had more than 130 submarines, mostly American, operating from the inner harbour.

In addition to the port, there is a boat harbour for a substantial fishing fleet and surrounded by all of the maritime services needed to support the fleet, several large recreational boating harbours (that hosted yachts for the Americas Cup challenge in 1987) and a small boat building industry. In recent years two significant historical replica ships were built here - the HMS Endevour and the Dyfkin (the first Dutch vessel to chart the Australian coastline in 1666).

During the year there are two important community events, the Blessing of the Fleet in October and the Fremantle Festival in November.

The bottom line is: When visiting Perth in Western Australia, why would anyone stay anywhere else but in Fremantle? If you don't stay in Fremantle, what do you do after 6pm and where do you go at the weekend? These are the questions you will get from the locals.

Things To Do In Fremantle

Enjoy a coffee at one of the many laid back coffee houses, open from very early to very late, every day of the week. Fremantle has long been the home of coffee drinking in Western Australia and the quality of the coffee served is a serious preoccupation of patrons of the various coffee houses that make up so called 'Cappuccino Strip' along South Terrace.

Visit the weekend markets - there are two - every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Fremantle Market is over 100 years old and this very traditional market place is now a popular destination for visitors as well as the local community who regularly shop for fruit, vegetables, fish and other perishable foods. In addition there a number of food stalls and small speciality stalls that are always worth poking around. A place to buy and be entertained.

More recently, the E-Shed market was established behind Victoria Quay, inside one of the 'sheds' that had been relocated from off the    Victoria Quay. You can see the gap in the sheds along the wharf further to the east. This market is similar to the Fremantle Market, is open at the same time, but enjoys a view into the inner harbour.

Fish in the harbour or from the North of South Moles, or maybe from one of several nearby beaches.

Go for a bike ride along the river or along the beaches. Bike tracks are now common around Fremantle with good rides available along the river and along the coast both to the north and south of the river.

Enjoy fish and chips sitting around the edge of the fishing boat harbour. Without a doubt one of the simpler pleasures of the city (and one of the cheapest!) is the enjoyment of eating traditional fish and chips overlooking the Fishingboat Harbour or nearby Bathers Beach. One of the fish and chip shops has several large aquarium displays that offers great entertainment to all ages and a good cross section of the local fishery.

Take a stroll and look at the turn of the century architecture in the West End. Much is written about the "turn of the century" architecture in and around Fremantle. The building boom in the West End was largely in response to the gold discoveries in Western Australia in the 1890s. Fortunately, the city escaped much of the ravages of the middle of the last century, thanks primarily to a group of residents who saw the value of the older buildings and took on the would be developers and local government of the day. Many of these buildings have now been restored and 'recycled' to become residences or form part of the Notre Dame Australia University. The West End is a quieter part of Town and still has a few old pubs. It is a pleasant area to stroll through on the way to the Maritime Museum, the Round House or Victoria Quay.

Visit the many museums in Fremantle including the world renowned Maritime Museum, Energy Museum, Prison Museum and the Army Museum.

The Maritime Museum is located in two venues, the 'old' Maritime Museum in what was once the Commissariat Store in Cliff Street near the Round House and the 'new' Maritime Museum on Victoria Quay. The Commissariat Store was constructed in the 1850s and 1860s using mostly convict labour. The buildings were converted into a museum which opened in 1979 as part of the State's 150th anniversary celebrations. The new museum on Victoria Quay is an iconic building in the shape of an upturned boat and houses the Americas Cup yacht, Australia ll. The WA Maritime Museum contains the finest maritime archaeological collection in Australia. Apart from being a display and storage centre for marine artefacts, the museum also houses the departments of Maritime Archaeology and Material Conservation and Restoration and was recently acknowledged as a Centre of Excellence by the Federal Government.

Take a stroll around the many art and craft venues including, aboriginal art galleries in High Street, the Moores Building in nearby Henry Street, and the Fremantle Arts Centre.

Go for a tram ride around town. This is a popular way to see and hear about the city of Fremantle.

Watch the sun go down on the Indian Ocean from the Round House.

Enjoy a meal at one of Fremantle's many excellent restaurants. Every style of eating is available and every price range is catered for. However, it is fair to say that Italian and Asian food predominate. Because of the climate, al fresco style is popular every where but in particular along South Terrace, otherwise known as the Cappuccino strip. For the most part dinning is extremely informal.

Listen to live music in a variety of venues including pubs, nightclubs, the Fly by Night, Kulcha Club or Mojos.

Take a swim at nearby Bathers, Port, Leighton or South Beaches. Bathers Beach is practically in the heart of the city being located between the South Mole and the Fishing Boat Harbour. The Round House is at the northern end. The beach is not very visible and is a favourite for the local residents in the West End. It is also a popular place for casual visitors who more often than not, enjoy eating their fish and chips while watching the setting sun.  Port and Leighton beaches, on the north side of the river are extremely popular for swimming, beach recreation and surfing, having beautifully clear water and clean white sand. A feature of South Beach is the extensive parkland and picnic areas behind the beach.

Take a ferry to Rottnest, to Perth or on further up to the wine growing area of the Swan Valley. Fremantle is located at the mouth of the Swan River and which forms the axis connecting all of the major attractions in the Perth metropolitan area - ranging from the Swan Valley (a wine district) in the upper reaches, Perth City, Fremantle and Rottnest Island (an Island holiday and recreation destination) to the West. These destinations can all be easily accessed by boat. Ferry terminals can be found on Victoria Quay, at Rous Head (at the end of the North Mole) and the East Street jetty, between the bridges.

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