Fremantle Prison

Nice place interesting and spooky. It’s not the rock, but it;s not that far!

Hi — instead of going for dinner we decided to do the torch light tour on a Friday night at 7.45. Cost $ 26 per person and easy to book. Parked outside the prison for $ 2.50 am hour.
Collected our tickets from the gift shop — too
Easy. There were approx 30 on our tour. Probably a perfect number.
Don’t want to say too much about the tour and spoil the surprises. The tour guide was very knowledgable and had a dry sense of humour which was great.
Only one negative point to note, there were so many tours going on you could hear the other groups at times… Which kinda spoiled a some of the surprises but enough to mark it down as a four star. It’s just a note.
We didn’t see any ghost
Great evening out

La Fremantle Prison, ahah !
Quand on arrive à Perth en Australie, vous êtes paumés, personne né parle votre langue et vous devez vous trouver un logement assez rapidement.
Direction Fremantle, on nous conseille la prison de Fremantle, au départ je me dis: «WHAAAAAAAAAAT???» une prison? Mais en fait, c’est à la fois un musée et une auberge de jeunesse.
N’ayant été qu’à l’auberge de jeunesse, vous n’aurez qu’un demi avis.
Du coup, après avoir pris le train, j’arrive à la prison de Fremantle, une entrée qui vous donne direct le ton, j’entre. Un accueil super sympa, des jeunes qui ont l’habitude d’avoir des étrangers, donc ils sont patients, ils répètent si il le faut, parlent lentement.
Vous avez plusieurs choix de chambre, par 8, par 6, par 4, ou chambre privée pour deux (attention, c’est des lits superposés).
Maintenant que je suis détentrice d’une carte pour ouvrir ma chambre, let’s go.
Une cours avec des hamac, des tables, une belle cantine avec un grand grand plan de travail, on peut au moins cuisiner à 20 en même temps, le matériel est a disposition. Des frigos et des casiers pour que vous puissiez mettre vos achats de nourritures.
Vous êtes dans une prison, le décor suit ! Le long des murs vous trouverez des tableaux relatant l’histoire de la prison et de ses détenues (ça a été une prison de femmes pendant longtemps).
Pour le nombre de chambre, je trouve qu’il n’y a hélas pas assez de douche et de salle de bain. En heure de pointe, si tu veux aller au toilette, tu te retrouve en concurrence avec au moins 5 personnes qui utilisent le local WC pour se laver les dents etc… (donc environ 10 à 15mn par personne) faut pas être pressé !
Mais c’est nettoyé 3 fois par jour, donc niveau propreté c’est pas mal.
Vous rencontrerez pleins de personnes sympa et régulièrement des petites animations sont organisées pour animer l’auberge de jeunesse !
Niveau prix, ça dépendra bien évidemment du type de chambre que vous souhaiterez, plus elle est grande et peuplée, moins ça sera cher. Off course !

A blast through time and a good tour to go for if you want to know more about Prison life in the past.
The guide brought us to see a Martha Rendall ghost reflected in the chapel window which can be seen on the outside, but the glass looks fine on the inside. Real or not, let the pictures convince u! Or take a trip down to see for yourself.
There are three tours — doing time, great escape or tunnel tour. I figured the doing time tour would give me a great first-​hand experience of how prison life was like.
Walking through the empty hallways of sector ½/​3 and visiting the various cell blocks, kitchen, office, shower room and even the gallows was an eye-​opening trip. Our guide was awesome as well and I totally dig his dry humor told with a deadpan face.
The gift shop sold various memorabilia and I snagged a Prison Handbook (one where prisoners where supposed to read/​memorize on their first day) and a Prison Overview Book detailing almost everything of what the guide told us.
Highly recommended tour if ever you’re in Fremantle.

There are a few tours to do at this iconic tourist location. I advice visitors to not waste their time with the prison tour, but take the tour of the abandoned water supplying tunnels for the old establishment of Swan Valley. This is the tunnels tour and it involves loads of information and adventure!
My wife and I were lucky enough to have a tour with Sarah, the tour guide. She was very knowledgeable and funny throughout the entirety of the tunnels tour. She was with us for the entire three hour tour… a three hour tour.
The tunnels tour starts with a tour of the grounds and a history of the prison itself. Visitors are then taken into a redone entertainment/​staging area to watch an informational video and get fitted for their tunnel clothes and climbing gear. Once the gear is donned and the safety speech is completed, it is time to descend the 40 meter ladder system to the tunnels themselves. We were warned that the tunnels are very high and scary for those with fears of heights or of small spaces. I found that there was little time to even notice the height of the ladder because the staff rushed through the safety talk and then hooked us up to the harness system in mere seconds. I think this was an intentional tactic to not have anyone back out due to fear.
Once visitors are down the tube, a walking/​crouching tour of the tunnel ensues. There are history and geology lessons along the way. The tour then shifts to a row boat portion of the tunnels through the water. We were advised to use our hands to pull ourselves through the tunnels. It was incredible to imagine building such an elaborate tunnel system with hand tools and prison labour. After the tunnel tour concludes, visitors are asked to climb back out on the ladder system and are on their way to enjoy some quality time in Fremantle.
I was very pleased with the way this tour went. It was a unique spin on a prison tour and was one of the highlights of my trip to Australia. I would highly recommend doing the tunnels tour with Sarah as a way to enjoy the Fremantle Prison’s unique history and scenery.

I visited here yesterday to do their famous tunnel tours, which was as fun as I had been led to believe… We got there a few minutes early, however, and grabbed a coffee, chai latte, and brownie at the café beforehand. The brownie was AMAZING. My date said it might have been the best brownie he’d had in his life, and he’s had a lot of brownies. It was definitely up there for me as well. Not to be missed if you’re there! The drinks were nothing special but perfectly acceptable. So we will absolutely be back to the café, even if we’re not doing a prison tour at the time!
Other folks on here have posted far more exhaustive reviews on the tours themselves, so I’ll keep it brief. Tunnel tours are not for those who are afraid of heights, enclosed spaces, or the dark. Otherwise, you’ll have a great time traipsing around below the prison! Just don’t forget to bring your own socks…

I loved the Fremantle prison I thought it was great :) it’s pricy but everything in Perth is :). I thought it was very interesting but I am a murderer fan so if that’s not your thing then this place isn’t for you. They more brush up on whiners the most famous people that went there facts like the youngest oldest what type of food they got etc. But I went to the regular one I’d like to go on the others I had another of fun :)

I came here with a couple of friends and did the Torchlight Tour. There was heaps of information, the tour guide was pretty funny and the whole tour was really entertaining and scary !! I’d love to do the Tunnels Tour where you go underneath the prison and in little boats but i just don’t think I’m brave enough.

Want to visit a UNESCO World Heritage Site without leaving Perth? Fremantle Prison is your answer. It’s part of a network of convict sites around Australia including places like Port Arthur in Tasmania and Arthur’s Vale Historic Area in Norfolk Island. There’s 11 places in total. I’m slowly working my way around to visit them all.
There’s a number of different tours that suit different audiences and fitness levels. Yes, you read that right, fitness levels. Most of them are walking tours but one involves a bit of climbing and rowing boats. I am a serial offender in visiting Freo Prison as I’m always taking visitors within the walls so I’ve done a number of tours and some multiple times. The only tour I haven’t signed up for is the Torchlight Tour.
The guides are very informative and work on entertaining as well as informing. I came here first as a primary school student and was frustrated by the things that were obviously glossed over for our sensitive minds. The visit as an adult is markedly different with more of the gore and brutality that occurred within the prison walls. A wonderful job is done to bring sensitivity and lightness to a sombre part of Perth’s history.
Doing Time Tour — This is the full history of the prison from its origins right through to the last days of operation in 1991. Nothing is hidden including the gallows where people have the option of not viewing. You do also get the opportunity to see the murals and paintings past inmates have left behind.
Great Escapes Tour — Of all the tours, I’ve had the most laughs on this one. The guides are full of stories of escapes, foiled and successful. There is also one cell that was converted into an escape proof cell for the infamous Moondyne Joe. You also get to see the rifle range on this particular tour.
Tunnels Tour — This is the tour where your fitness levels will be asked. You do need to climb a 20m ladder up and down for entry and exit of the tunnels. The tunnels are passageways dug out by convict labour. You get to go in replica convict row boat big enough for two and row through the passageways. The water here was originally Perth’s drinking water supply.
You do need to pass an alcohol breath test to go on this tour.
Prison Art Tour — A more in depth look at the artwork left behind. The types of work include Aboriginal paintings, landscapes, graffiti, and convict art. It’s a really small tour group as no more than 12 people can go on this tour.
I first visited the Freo Prison in 1992 just after the closure and I always feel a tinge of sadness at the missed opportunity to preserve the paintings in the courtyard of the prison. These works are incredibly faded. I hope something is done to restore these works before it’s too late. They were really vibrant back then.

This is really only of the tourist highlights in the Fremantle — Perth area and a must-​see if you are here. We took the evenng torch tour which is great, although maybe a bit scary for very young kids. By the light of the little torch that you can keep at the end of the tour you get a well– guided tour through the prison for 1.30 hours.
I will not give you any further information as it would waste all the fun, but be ready for some very cool surprises. The tours are only on wednesday and friday nights and make sure you book well in advance as they are extremely popular. The costs were 25 $ for an adult and a child $ 10. There are also family passes.
Seriously, this is top fun and your chance to learn something about the history of WA !

Such an interesting but also slightly depressing tour of what was a fully functional prison until November 1991. I’ve been on two tours of this prison and I must say it depends on who your guide is which decides whether it’s an informative and interesting tour or one where you’re looking at your watch the whole time! When I went in April my tour guide was funny and interesting and told us so much about the history of the prison. But when I went there earlier this week, with some friends who had never been before, our tour guide was different and seemed more keen on making jokes than telling us the interesting facts and history of the prison. No matter who your tour guide is, I still recommend going because this is history that people need to know about — how it was built, who built it, how long it took and the fact they had no running toilets in the cells!

My fiancé and I visited the Fremantle prison a month ago, we went on the general tour of the prison which was very good, plenty of information, great tour guides and a very nice history. We didn’t visit the café so cannot comment there, however I would recommend using public transport and not driving as parking is paid and a premium.

If you want to feel how the prisoners were treated in the past, this it the place you should be visiting as soon as possible.
One thing interested me the most is that the drawings on the walls. When you visit some of the prisoner rooms, they all covered with paintings that prisoners used to draw. I thought it was amazing!

Great place to visit if you enjoy a little history and just happen to be backpacking through Western Australia! I took the Doing Time Tour which is a general overview of the grounds including the chapel, recreation yard, cells and solitary confinement. I also took the Great Escapes Tour which dives into the individual stories of the prisoners, their art and prison breaks. Many of the tour guides were former prison guards which made the tours much more enjoyable as the could share from their own experiences. Both tours were very enjoyable.
Tips:
— Book ahead if you want to take either the Tunnel Tour or Torchlight Tour.
— Book tours together to save a bit of money.
— Stop by the Fremantle Market on your way for a bit of breaky before the tours.
— Don’t miss the gift shop, they have some great books on Australian history and the prison that would be hard to find elsewhere.

Freo gaol gives up the ghost.
I visited this gaol when I was 12 and I was putting on a pretty brave face, as I recall. It was a family trip with my mum and my two sisters and we laughed at the idea of a ghost tour, (a nervous laugh but a laugh none the less.) The tour is arranged in a way that you wind your way through the building, with every turn narrated by the stories the walls contains– the torture, the anguish– the evil.
All of the eerie suspense builds to a climax, released only with terrified screams (mainly my sisters) at the gallows. Stories told of the superstition associated with the number «6» explaining why that number was negated from the stalls. It is a tragic concept, but a well executed operation that holds a wealth of Western Australias’ history. I can’t help but wonder how much of the «haunting legend» is based on fictitious paranoia and how much is playful poltergeists…
One dark and stormy night I might take on the gaol again and see how the stories have evolved.

Last week I went and did the Fremantle Prison Tunnel Tour with my family. I have been to the prison before a few times and always enjoy it. This time though it was even better, like a little adventure.
From the very start of the tour I knew I was in for a good day. The tour guide, started talking about the history of the prison, and showed us a few drains that we would soon be underneath.
We watched a short video about the history of the under ground water ways. Then it was time to change into our body suit and harness, after laughing about how silly we looked. We where harnessed up and time to go down the ladders and into the tunnels.
We spoke about the poor prisoners that had to climb down here in the sweltering heat and with heavy shackles on.
Once down there we walked to little boats and paddled through the water ways.
It was amazing to see what these men did, it was pretty fantastic. Hard work.

I’m a historian, it’s not like I can give it less than 5 stars.
Fremantle Prison is the kind of place that nobody can afford to miss. Regardless of whether you are a tourist or a local, interested in history or interested in scary stories, you gotta go.
From escape stories, to ghost stories, from execution stories to cells where serial killers were held. From appealing conditions prisoners had to suffer to riots that happened in response to those conditions.
If you are not familiar with the convict history of Western Australia I suggest you do some light research before the visit so that you may fully appreciate the impact of what is said. Probably the saddest story you will encounter is that of John Button, who was wrongfully convicted of manslaughter and spent 5 years in Fremantle Prison among the most hardened killers and convicts Western Australia had to offer. When in fact, his girlfriend was murdered by Eric Edgar Cooke, one of WAs most famous serial killers.
Definitely recommended.

I came on the scariest night of the year, Halloween, and had the greatest time!
The prison is right near the town, so completely accessible if you need to catch the train in, and there is a massive car park at the prison so no stress about getting a space. The prison is made in the same stone as the rest of the original buildings in town, so actually looks quite nice, until you walk through to the cell block and suddenly the impact of the history and horror of the place hits you.
Going at night time was great, they give you torches and you walk around in a group following your tour guide. They have a lot to teach you and you learn a lot not just about the prison but the history of WA. On Halloween’s torchlight tour there were actors, sorry ghosts and dead bodies, constantly jumping out at you, and I’m ashamed to say I did scream quite often and flee my group to save myself!
I’d definitely recommend coming here for a visit, at any age it is fascinating and although it’s a horrible history, it is quite a fun trip!

Reader beware, you’re in for a scare! 90s pop culture references aside, I’ve always thought it was odd that the Fremantle Prison is so close to the Fremantle CBD and residential areas. I was imagined all gaols to be located far out of civilisation, like with Alcatraz or Azkaban. Nevertheless, its proximity to the Canning Highway makes day trips to the heritage-​listed building much easier and far less scarier.
When I visited the prison, I did the day tour because I am a chicken. And that was scary enough, let me tell you. You’re actually led pretty much throughout the whole place, winding your way through the individual prison cells, the gallows, the kitchen, the courtyard and even death row. Personally, I found the gallows the most frightening. It’s a seriously dingy and depressing bunker, which was made even more uncomfortable when the tour guide informed us the prison was still being used (floggings and all!) up until 1991. Aye Karumba!
Visiting the gaol is a lot like a trip back to high school for a history lesson. I wouldn’t say the experience was «fun» per se, but it certainly was interesting and I’m currently trying to work the guts up to go on the Torchlight Tour!

Walking around old Freemantle is a great experience. Be sure to stop and see the Freemantle Prison. It’s Western Australia’s only World Heritage Site. This is where the really bad prisoners were sent, on the other side of Australia. Perth developed as the stop one day’s travel up the Swan River from Freemantle to the valley where they grew their food. It’s a dramatic setting and a neat stop. But so is all of Freemantle and its setting.

Fremantle Prison is one of the most fascinating places to visit in Western Australia, especially if you have never «done time».
It is hard to believe that prisoners lived in such squalid conditions, including not having toilets in their cells, and instead having to use buckets.
The guides are very knowledgeable, and are able to provide so much information about the history of the prison and its inmates.
As you walk through the prison, you try to imagine what it would feel like to stay in a building which housed people who had some really bad reputations. You can even visit the gallows — there is a strange feeling in the air.
The Doing Time and Great Escape tours take approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, whilst the Torchlight tour is slightly longer (and scarier) and the Tunnels tour is over two hours long.