The gatehouse clock
A grand stone entrance.
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Fremantle Prison is a former prison and World Heritage Site in the port city of Fremantle near Perth, part of UNESCO's Australian Convict Sites. It includes the cellblocks, gatehouse, perimeter walls, cottages and tunnels, and tells a story spanning well over a century of prison life in Western Australia. It opened in 1855 for convicts transported from Britain and passed to the colonial government in 1886 to hold locally sentenced prisoners. Royal Commissions in 1898 and 1911 pressed for reform, but major change began only in the 1960s. In 1988 a riot saw guards taken hostage and a fire caused serious damage. The prison closed on 30 November 1991, replaced by a new one. You enter by the great gatehouse with its stone clock, then walk between high stone walls and yards to the long cellblock under its netting. Tours show small cells, halls, a kitchen and exercise yards. Several tours are on offer, including a standard prison tour, an underground tunnels tour and a torchlight tour at night. It is about 15 km in a straight line from central Perth, easily reached by train to Fremantle and a walk. The subject is heavy, and some details may not suit young children. Book the tunnels tour ahead, and bring a hat and water, as the yards are shadeless in summer.
A grand stone entrance.
Tiers beneath the netting.
Beneath the prison.
1 The Terrace, Fremantle, Western Australia
Visits are built around tours, so check the types and times on the prison's site.
The subject is heavy, so choose your tour with care, as some details may not suit young children.