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12/18/2016 Part 18: Fremantle - November 17, 2016 After the starting the day with Kings Park and a brief stop on the Indian coast, we went into the town of Fremantle to wonder around, parking the car near Esplanade Park. We would head toward the waterfront area of Success Boat Harbour.    In the harbour area, there is a ton of statues to see, from those that pay tribute to the fishing industry and culture of the area, as well as that of former Fremantle resident and lead singer of the band AC/DC, Bon Scott. 
 We then took a stroll over to an old tunnel that had been dug by whalers several decades ago. This tunnel had also been used as a bombing raid shelter during World War II. 
 We then saw the Old Round House, which was the first permanent building built in the Swan River Colony in the 1830's. Inside they showcased life in the early days of the colony before it become the larger urban area that it now is.     As it got close to lunchtime, we headed into town, where there were a lot of well maintained buildings classic buildings. Christene and Mama Leony introduced me to an Austrailan burger chain called Grill'd that was REALLY GOOD! So good that I forgot to take pictures of the place!     After lunch, it was time to visit one of the oldest prisons in Australia, Fremantle Prison. It was opened 1855, then closed in 1991. Now they offer tours of the facility, which we decided to take to learn more about the place.     The tour starts off in the processing center where new prisoners are registered and issued their prison clothes.
 Once you exit the processing center, you then go into the main prison yard, and head over to the main cell block.  
 Once you're inside the cell block, you have the opportunity to look into the prison cells, and see how they were at different points in time. The one common trend in each of them was that you had a bucket or portable toilet as there was no pluming in the individual cells, and even as late as 1991 when the prison closed, the cells seemed very ancient in comparison to some more modern prisons. 
  One of the neat things that they did with the prison after it's closure was to preserve some of the art done on the cell walls by the prisoners who resided inside of them. It was fascinating to see just how talented some of the prisoners were.    Outside of the main cell block, we were shown the main meal area, as well as where they dumped their cell buckets and where they were able to exercise, although in the middle of the day in the summer, most of them would just try to hide in the shade since it can get really hot in Fremantle.    Our tour then got into some of the ways prisoners would be punished for poor behavior in prison, including a demonstration of one of the main punishments, lashes from a cat-o-nine tails (Fortunately for the volunteer, she went easy on him). We were also shown the solitary confinement block, which had about 10 or 12 cells for solitary. As you can see in the cell, there isn't much in there.
There was one specific cell in the block that was reserved for those who had been sentenced to be executed.
 Once the time for their execution came, they were led to the gallows, which was inside of a small building. According to the tour guide, the rope was replaced after each hanging with the old rope being burned. The death penalty has since been abolished in Australia, with the last hanging in Fremantle Prison taking place in 1964.
Upon exiting the prison tour, there is a gift shop where you can buy a convict teddy bear, and you can see the residence of the of the warden of the prison.   Before heading back into Perth, we also passed by a historic stadium, Fremantle Oval, which opened in 1895. It has hosted cricket and Australian Rules Football, with football becoming the main attraction of the stadium. It is the current home of the Fremantle Bulldogs of the Western Australia Football League.      And with that, we conclude our look at the historic area of Fremantle. It has a lot of sites worth exploring, and the prison tours was really fascinating.  Up next, we went over into the central business district of Perth and explore Elizabeth Quay. |
