Fremantle and its History

It has taken me a few days to get back to blogging. Too many pictures, too many details, and trying to pick up my life on this side of the world. Tom was very happy to see me. Oh, and I do have a full time job, can't forget that!!!

Fremantle, known as Freo (for the local), was established in 1829 as a port for the fledgling Swan River Colony and was the major city in Western Australia for much of its early history. Today, many of the older buildings preserve and remain as storefronts and living spaces.

As with many part of Australia, Fremantle’s history centers on the penal system. Two of these sites have prominent spotlights.

(1) Round House

After we came back from Margaret River, the next morning, I woke up earlier than expected (jetlag from Brisbane). By now, my body is used to having a bit more exercise. So I went for a walk around town. Everything was still close. The weather was perfect, warm, and hardly much humidity.

I came upon the Round House by accident during the walk. This is the oldest building in WA. It was built as a gaol and was the first permanent building in the colony. I wasn’t able to go inside so I couldn’t tell how much of the interior remains. An old canon, facing the sea, still sits outside these walls.

(2) Fremantle Prison

The Fremantle Prison was the last convict establishment built in Australia and remains the most intact. It features the longest and tallest cell range constructed by the British Royal Engineers in this country. It was built by convict labor in the 1850s and decommissioned as an operating gaol in 1991. Think about it, this wasn’t that long ago.

I took three of my coworkers there on the last Friday before I left Australia. You cannot walk around the place on your own; one must join a tour. It was a good idea, as we got to hear about ghost stories and historical facts. This prison has both male and female cells. We only saw the male one. At some points during the tour, I felt goose bums even with the warm sun outside, just from imagining what life is like inside the cell blocks. We also stopped at the gallow, I took a look and left pretty quickly. The prison was known as one of the most notorious prison of the world at the time. The condition had to be extremely bad.

Even though I wasn’t comfortable with the place, it was an interesting tour and worthy of a visit. It is history.

Let's turn to more pleasant pictures. Here are snapshots of the city itself. I am still trying to recover from the jetlag. Definitely getting older as the body is not as easily adapt to changes as before...