Things to Do in Fremantle

Housed in a Victorian marketplace more than 100 years old, the Fremantle Markets are a Western Australian institution. A visit to the markets offers not only the chance to shop for fresh food and unique gifts, but also to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the entertainment offered by a rotating schedule of street performers.

The Round House, a historic 12-sided building, was built in 1831 and is the oldest public building in Western Australia. Travelers can tour this unique architectural destination and learn about the original settlement, as well as how this iconic building was once used to house local lawbreakers.

Visitors can learn about the Fremantle Round House's colorful past and also get an up close look at the famous Whaler’s Tunnel—the oldest underground tunnel in Western Australia. Completed in 1838, the original tunnel spanned some 64 meters, but today measures just 46. And while the 1 p.m. sound call that once rang out daily to alert ships on sea to the official time no longer occurs, travelers can sometimes catch a reenactment ceremony put on by some of the Fremantle Volunteer Heritage Guides.

Travelers in search of Australian history, culture and traditions will find all this and much more at the Fremantle Arts Centre in Western Australia. This popular destination attracts as many locals as it does visitors, thanks to a long list of exhibits, events, class offerings and outdoor concerts. Lovely gardens and a quiet café offer up the perfect spot to enjoy a bit of sunshine and relaxation, and the Sunday music sessions are free to the public and attract a diverse crowd. Travelers say the modern art displays and picturesque landscapes make this an essential stop on any visit to Western Australia.

Celebrated as Australia’s leading maritime archaeology museum, the WA Shipwrecks Museum is among the highlights of Fremantle’s Western Australian Museum, housed in an impressive 19th-century Commissariat building. Inside, visitors can uncover fascinating tales of shipwrecks, mutiny and trade along Australia’s treacherous west coast; marvel at items retrieved from shipwrecks like the Zuytdorp, Zeewijk and Vergulde Draeck; and see part of the hull of the Dutch merchant ship, Batavia.

Among the hundreds of items on display, highlights include a 17th-century inscribed plate left on Cape Inscription by Willem de Vlamingh, a plate left by Dirk Hartog during the first confirmed European landing in Western Australia, and a huge collection of rare maps, charts and other artifacts.