North Fremantle

On the north side of the Swan River mouth, North Fremantle is a busy, fishing-boats-and-railway-line sort of place with stacks of dockland and riverside. It's a stroll over the bridge into the heart of the great port city of Fremantle - one of the most colourful and historic cities in Australia. If you're a first-time visitor to this area, leave plenty of time for exploring Fremantle and enjoying the food and the fun of the many great watering holes which abound in the waterfront precinct. There are loads of historic, and fascinating buildings, including WA's oldest public building, The Round House - a 12-sided structure built in 1831 to accommodate crooks before they were sent off to even less desirable places of incarceration. Visitors are welcome to inspect the tiny cells then escape to the beautiful, grassy picnic spot above. The Fremantle Museum and Arts Centre was once a mental asylum for women and, just down the road, is the old Fremantle Jail, which was built by convict labour. Tours of the jail provide an interesting and sometimes spine-tingling insight into West Australian history.