Best Things To Do In Fremantle, Australia

1. Cappuccino Strip

The Cappuccino Strip is a jam packed place starting from South Terrace to Parry Street. Cappuccino Strip is legendary for its many outdoor cafes, restaurants and bars that offer an almost unending variety of coffee. This strip is home to many stylish microbreweries also. Sample boutique beer at one of the great microbreweries and also feast on the local flavors at the many restaurants and cafes, namely Benny’s Bar and Café, Capri Restaurant and Gino’s. At night, especially weekends, the Cappuccino Strip is the free entertainment hub, offering cabaret and live music. It is a hub for art lovers too, with local musicians putting on concerts and numerous street buskers out to impress the crowds on weekends.

Cappuccino Strip

Address: South Terrace, Fremantle

Website: Cappuccino Strip

2. Fremantle Markets

My, what an experience you’re in for! You see, these markets are not like any other. Established over one hundred years ago, the Fremantle Markets are a fascinating fusion of music, art, food and culture. Come in and smell the unique aromas, taste the fresh produce, soak up the atmosphere and browse the never ending stalls, where you meet some wonderful characters. With over 150 stalls stocking everything you could possibly imagine, enjoy the thrill of discovery an authentic bustling market, bursting at the seams with the weird and the wonderful. Feast on fresh produce like crepes, nuts, coffees and cheeses. Lose yourself in fashion, antiques, jewelry and ceramics. Delight in unique gifts, home wares, souvenirs and accessories that you simply won’t find anywhere else. You can pick up mementos such as sheepskin and leather goods, locally designed fashion, metalwork, honey, opals, boomerangs, scenic photographs, arts and crafts. Apart from that, just sit back and watch the eclectic mix of tourists, craftsmen, musicians and many local characters.

Fremantle Markets

Address: Corner of Henderson & South Terrace, Fremantle

Website: Fremantle Markets

3. Visit Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour

Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour is renowned throughout the world. Although it is a working harbor, the emphasis is very much on relaxation and food. It is a unique tourist location and provides an array of visitor experiences. One can watch fresh seafood being unloaded from fishing boats ready for export or local dispatch from the working port. The harbor is home to a wide range of fishing recreation boards surrounded by boardwalks, restaurants, bars and entertainments outlets. Here you will be spoilt for choice with a mouth watering selection of fresh seafood markets, restaurants, cafes and food stalls, with stunning views over the harbor and the Indian Ocean out to Rottnest Island. Among the attractions within the vicinity are the Shipwreck Museum, Ferris Wheel, Harbour Trail, The Esplanade and fresh fish markets. From the boardwalk one can watch the boats coming in with their catch. Nearby is the famous Kalis Fish and Chips, voted the best fish and chips in Western Australia.

Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour

Address: Mews Rd., Fremantle

Website: Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour

4. Rottnest Island

Rottnest Island is a popular destination for locals and visitors. A visit to the island is just a short ferry trip away and take approximately half an hour from Fremantle, or 40 minutes from Hillary on the Sunset Coast. Discover its pristine waters and hidden bays during a day excursion or for those who want to explore the island and stay longer, there is a variety of accommodation available on the island ranging from holiday villas and bungalows to youth hostels. Rottnest Island is surrounded by some of the world’s finest beaches and bays, so it is very popular for snorkeling, scuba diving, surfing and swimming. Whale and dolphin watching are also popular, especially during the migration period. Rottnest is also home to a large array of flora and fauna, many birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals, including the cutest mini marsupial known as Quokka, which is found only in Western Australia.

Rottnest Island

Address: Henderson Ave, Thomson Bay | Rottnest Island, Cockburn, Rottnest Island

Website: Rottnest Island

5. Western Australian Maritime Museum

The three sites of the Western Australian Maritime Museum bring together Western Australia’s rich maritime heritage. Millions of migrants come to Western Australia by sailing ship, steam ship, naval vessel and ocean liner in transit to other Australian ports or as immigrants intending to make Western Australia their home. The port of Fremantle is integral to this history. The museum is especially popular with its stunning maritime design, set on Victoria Quay at the entrance to Fremantle Harbour. This landmark houses Alan Bond’s America’s Cup winning yacht, Australia II, and six themed galleries. They are the Indian Ocean, Tin Canoe to Australia, Hooked on Fishing, Cargoes and Naval Defense.

Western Australian Maritime Museum

Address: Victoria Quay/Peter Hughes Drive, Fremantle

Price: Around 15 AUD/11.36 USD (Adults), Free of charge (Children), 7.50 AUD/5.68 USD (Concession)

Website: Western Australian Maritime Museum

6. The Shipwreck Galleries

The Shipwrecks Museum is housed in an 1850s building and has since been restored to its historical glory. It is situated on Cliff Road, centrally located in Fremantle City. The galleries house hundreds of relics from ships wrecked along the Western Australian treacherous coastlines. Apart from that, it houses the original artifact timbers and treasures from the infamous 17th-century Dutch Batavia shipwreck, which sank in 1629. In addition, it also showcases the stories of many other shipwrecks, which have been removed from the seabed and assembled for the public. The entry to the museum is free. This hidden jewel provides an amazing insight into the history of the explorers of the older times, their trade routes, naval defenses, migration and their adventures.

The Shipwreck Galleries

Address: Cliff Street, Fremantle

Website: The Shipwreck Galleries

7. Fremantle Prison

The Fremantle Prison is a historic and preserved monument and is one of Western Australia’s premier heritage attractions, built in the 1850s and used as a place for incarceration and punishment for 140 years. Visitors can explore the prison’s fascinating history on an entertaining day tour, Tunnel Tour Adventure, or spooky Torchlight Tour. Be intrigued by stories of daring escapes and marvel at prisoner’s paintings in the cells and yards. Tours are conducted daily from 10 am – 5 pm, or you experience the prison by night on an eerie torchlight tour on Wednesday and Saturday nights. You can even take a tour beneath the prison to explore the tunnels that were constructed in 1890. The oldest remaining public building is the Round House. This attraction is the only UNESCO World Heritage building in the whole of Western Australia.

Fremantle Prison

Address: 1 The Terrace, Fremantle

Website: Fremantle Prison

8. Fremantle Arts Centre

How about visiting the character building housing the Fremantle Arts Centre? While appreciating the exhibitions, concerts, arts, paintings and music in a superb heritage building on magnificent grounds, you can learn about the centre’s fascinating history. Over the past 150 years it has been an asylum for convicts and the mentally ill, a women’s shelter, a depot during WW1 and a technical school. Since 1972, it has hosted a series of exhibitions by local and international artists, music and concerts as well as comprehensive learning programs for people of all ages. It’s also home to a shop known as the best little art shop in town. The store stocks beautiful objects by Western Australian artists as well as books, fashion, gifts, kids’ stuff and more.

Fremantle Arts Centre

Address: Fremantle Arts Centre, 1 Finnerty St, Fremantle

Website: Fremantle Arts Centre

9. The Duyfken

The Duyfken, the famous Dutch ship during the 1600s, was the first Dutch ship that landed on Australian shores in 1616. It was partially destroyed and a replica of it was built in Western Australia in 1999. The full scale replica is now at Elizabeth Quay in Fremantle. It is beautifully crafted and has so much history, with insight into how the passengers live and travelled aboard and the conditions they endured. Come and feel the history and embrace the experience on the Duyfken while it is moored at Elizabeth Quay through the guided tours. There are also audio tours that bring you through 400 years of history, to give you a feel of what it was like aboard the ship. You even have the chance to help pull the ropes and to raise the sails and steer the ship.

The Duyfken

Address: 40 Mews Road, Behind Little Creatures, Perth

Website: The Duyfken

10. South Beach and Leighton Beach

One of Fremantle’s greatest attractions is its coastline of pristine beaches on the edge of the Indian Ocean. All the beaches are suitable for swimming, relaxing, kite surfing, paddling and other leisure activities. South Beach is located on Fremantle’s inner harbor, close to the centre of the city. It is a family friendly beach and has superb views of Rottnest, Carnac and Garden Island. As they say in Australia, life’s a beach, and that’s so true in Leighton. It stretches for miles, which is great for long walks on the water’s edge. The water’s so pristinely blue, you can even see the bottom of the ocean and occasionally gaze on dolphins, schools of fish and watch divers, snorkelers, and kite flyers among the rocks of Cottesloe end. The beach is clean, with plenty of parking, which is a plus, and there is also a designated area for dogs.

South Beach/Leighton Beach

Website: South Beach/Leighton Beach

Fabulous Fremantle

Fremantle is a working port, host to a big fishing fleet as well as container ships and large cruise vessels. It maintains a vibrant commercial life and is a desirable tourist destination. Fremantle also has seven days a week shopping, allowing visitors to relax over a cup of coffee at the Cappuccino Strip, before going on search of innovative fashion or souvenirs. Start planning your visit now!