10 Best Sights in Fremantle, Western Australia

The eclectic, artsy, and always bustling Fremantle Markets have been housed in this huge Victorian building since 1897 and sell everything from WA landscape photographs to incense, freshly roasted coffee, toys, clothing, and fruit and vegetables. You can also get a delicious array of street food, such as Turkish gözleme, German sausages, doughnuts, chocolate cake, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. Around 150 stalls attract a colorful mix of locals and tourists. 

One of the most popular tourist attractions in the state, prison day tours illustrate convict life—including (successful) escapes and the art cell, where a superb collection of drawings by prisoner James Walsh decorates his former quarters. The jail was built by convicts in the 1850s and is an important part of the region's history. Choose from a variety of tours, including a goosebump-inducing one by flashlight or a thrilling underground tour for which visitors are provided with hard hats, boots, and headlamps before descending 65 feet into the labyrinthine tunnels. Climbing (and a sense of adventure) is a must!

Little Creatures has got a lot going for it—including its harborside location and fun-loving, artsy vibe. Regarded as the founders of craft beer in WA, a tour of this iconic brewery is a must. The tour includes a beer-making 101 session, a jaunt around the brewery, and a sample of the current brews and ciders on tap with one of their informative Hop Heads. If you like what you see and taste, stay on in the Brewhouse, where you'll find contemporary pub grub on the menu or book a table in the lively Great Hall for dinner overlooking the harbor. 

On the harbor side of Esplanade Park sits the gigantic Tourist Wheel, a 24-enclosed-car Ferris wheel offering spectacular views of the port city, Indian Ocean, and Rottnest Island on a clear day. Each gondola holds six people and spins for about 10 minutes per ticket. Be sure to have your camera ready when you stop at the top, 40 meters above the grounds. 

Resembling an upside-down boat, the Western Australian Maritime Museum sits at the edge of Fremantle Harbour. It houses Australia II, winner of the 1983 America's Cup, and has hands-on, rotating exhibits that are great fun for children. You can also take guided tours of the Ovens, a former Royal Australian Navy World War II submarine. Another attraction is the Welcome Walls, a record of all those who immigrated to WA via ship during the major postwar migration. A five-minute walk away on Cliff Street in a separate, heritage building, is the Shipwreck Galleries, home to more fascinating maritime history.

Sometimes, good things come in small packages. This flat, soft-sand beach sits hidden between the Fishing Boat Harbour and the Roundhouse and is an ideal spot to picnic with takeout fish-and-chips, or to enjoy a sunset cocktail from Bathers Beachhouse, the only restaurant licensed to serve drinks on the beach. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: solitude; sunset; swimming; walking.

Like most of Fremantle, the Gothic-looking Fremantle Arts Centre (FAC) was built by convicts in the 19th century. First used as a lunatic asylum, by 1900 it was overcrowded and nearly shut down. It became a home for elderly women until 1942, when the U.S. Navy turned it into its local submarine base in WWII.

As one of Australia's leading arts organizations, FAC has an engaging, year-round cultural program. There are also dynamic exhibitions, a gift shop, and an expansive live music and special events program, which includes free live music on Sunday afternoon from October to March; people like to bring picnics and blankets but there's also an on-site bar-café. 

An eye-catching landmark of early Fremantle atop an ocean-facing cliff, the Round House was built in 1831 by convicts to house other convicts. This curious, 12-sided building is the state's oldest surviving public structure. Its ramparts have great vistas spanning from High Street to the Indian Ocean. Underneath, a tunnel was carved through the cliffs in the mid-1800s to give ships lying at anchor easy access from town. From the tunnel you can walk to the calm and quiet Bathers Beach, where there used to be a whaling station, and listen for the firing of the cannon at 1 pm daily. Volunteer guides are on duty during opening hours.

South of busy Cottesloe and about 30 minutes from central Perth, Leighton is a relatively quiet beach loved for its sugarlike sand and flat, calm water, which is perfect for those who like to paddle. It's equally loved by wind- and kite-surfers on windy days, who tear across the tabletop surface. At the northern end of the beach, dogs are allowed to be off-leash, so expect to see lots of happy pooches running around. Amenities: lifeguards (summer); parking; toilets; food and drink. Best for: snorkeling; swimming; sunset; walking; windsurfing.

A local favorite, wide Port Beach has small, gentle waves; water the color of a Bombay Sapphire bottle; and pale white sand. It butts up against Fremantle Harbour's North Quay wharf and stretches towards Leighton. Like most of the western-facing coast, the sunsets are epic and the views of Rottnest charming. Amenities: food and drink; toilets; lifeguards; parking. Best for: snorkeling; sunset; swimming; walking; windsurfing.