Overview
- Features: Historical buildings with 19th century architectural beauty
- Opening Times: Daily, 10am to 5pm (Doing Time), 11:45am to 4:45pm (Great Escape), 7am to 7pm (St Patrick’s Basilica)
- Best Time to Visit: September to November
- Duration: 1 to 2 hours
- Travelled By: Rental car, train
- Cost: $19 (Prison Day Tour), $26 (Prison Day Tour Package), free for all else
- Address: Fremantle, Western Australia
- Type: Activity, Building
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Summary
You don’t need a map to find the historic and heritage listed buildings in Fremantle. They are all over the place and you can just wander along the streets and see the many beautiful nineteenth century, architectural styles. Even the architecture of the modern residential buildings blend in so well that sometimes it’s hard to tell them apart.
Fremantle Tour of Historic Buildings
Round House Prison
In a country predominately settled by convicts, it is not surprising that the first permanent building to be built in Western Australia was a prison. The Round House Prison, so named because if it’s unusual 12 sided shape, was built in 1831.
It is located on a beautiful hillside overlooking the ocean, so at least the prisoners in those days had a nice view if nothing else.
The Round House Precinct originally housed a courthouse and gallows all within a fifty metre radius from the prison, and there is a “Whalers” tunnel leading from Bathers Beach below the precinct through the hillside to the town.
Fremantle Prison
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With a ratio of three convicts to every one free man, the town quickly outgrew the tiny prison and was forced to build a larger scale prison precinct. The Fremantle Prison is now one of Western Australia’s premier heritage attractions. The Prison was built by convicts in the 1850’s and was used continually as a place of incarceration and punishment for almost 140 years.
While I explored the Prison’s fascinating history on an entertaining Prison Day Tour, there is also the Tunnel Tour Adventure or Spooky Torchlight Tour available for the adventurous at heart.
Fremantle War Memorial
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The Fremantle War Memorial is a war memorial located on Monument Hill. The memorial itself comprises a large obelisk, the Fallen Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial, surrounded by eight smaller memorials. The site was originally established by the Fremantle Town Council in 1928 to commemorate the losses of the First World War.
Basilica of St Patrick
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The Basilica of St Patrick is a Roman Catholic church located on Adelaide Street. It is one of five churches in Australia with minor basilica status.
The Basilica was designed by Michael Francis Cavanagh in a gothic revival style, the foundation stone was laid on St Patrick’s Day in 1898, and the nave opened in 1900. The design incorporated a nave with aisles and clerestory, transepts, a wide and spacious apse, with a tower and spire supported by flying buttresses rising from the northern side.
These are just some of the renowned buildings in Fremantle, however all you need to do is go for a walk down any road in Fremantle to view and admire the architectural wonders of the nineteenth century.
