Australia Independent Travel | Perth Day Trips | Fremantle | Must-Visit Port City in Western Australia | Fremantle Markets & The Containbow | Little Creatures Brewery
When traveling to Perth, don't miss the day trips just outside the city. Besides the famous Rottnest Island (home of the quokkas) and The Pinnacles, Fremantle — known as the must-visit port city of Western Australia — is absolutely another spot you shouldn't skip.
Fremantle sits at the mouth of the Swan River on Australia's west coast. It's a port city where many independent travelers and locals alike come on weekends to relax and soak up the holiday atmosphere of a harbour town.
- Tourism Australia official site: Guide to Fremantle
🚃 Location & Transport Info
Fremantle lies on Australia's west coast, about 20 km from central Perth — roughly a 20–30 minute drive, or just half an hour by train. It's really close.
For tickets, I recommend buying the DayRider day pass. A one-way trip from the city to Fremantle alone costs AUD 5, so the AUD 10 day pass is definitely worth it. Once in Fremantle you can also use the day pass on all the local buses.
Taking the train is very simple: from a station in central Perth, hop on the Fremantle Line (the blue line) and ride it all the way to the final stop. The platforms are clearly signposted, so there's no worry about finding your way.
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| The platforms are all clearly signposted |
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| The spacious platforms at Perth Railway Station |
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| The trains are fairly new and kept quite clean |
🏞️ Popular Attractions in Fremantle
Once hailed as the best-preserved 19th-century port city in the world, Fremantle's streets have a wonderfully historic feel. The moment you step out of the train station onto the streets of Fremantle, it's like walking into the 19th century. The town centre isn't large, and most attractions are within walking distance — though if you've bought a day pass you can also hop on the local buses!
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| Fremantle Railway Station |
Fremantle doesn't have a huge number of attractions — it's more of a laid-back holiday spot. The main places people usually visit are:
- Fremantle Markets
- Fremantle Prison
- Fremantle Roundhouse
- Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour
- WA Maritime Museum
And one more photo spot I found online:
- The Containbow (rainbow shipping container arch)
⛲️ Fremantle Markets
Housed in a Victorian-style building, Fremantle Markets is a public market established in 1897. Beyond fresh produce, the market sells all kinds of quirky goods, clothing and handicrafts — and its food court is one of the must-visit spots for travelers!
- Address: South Terrace &, Henderson St, Fremantle WA 6160
- Opening hours: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 09:00 – 18:00
- Official website: http://www.fremantlemarkets.com.au/
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| The area for quirky goods, clothing and handicrafts |
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| The food court |
It's far smaller than Melbourne's Queen Victoria Market,
but even though the market is compact it stocks a bit of everything — the only downside being that the limited space makes it feel very crowded inside.
Brazilian Barbecue WA
Since we arrived at Fremantle Markets close to midday, we looked for something to eat in the market's food court. We happened to walk past Brazilian Barbecue WA, tried a sample of their roast beef and thought it was great, so we went with them. It really was pretty tasty — a place I'd happily recommend.
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| The beef was very well grilled |
THE HONEYCAKE
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| AUD 7 per slice of cake |
While researching Fremantle attractions, I came across more than one blog raving about this honey cake, so we made a point of buying a slice. Maybe my palate just doesn't get it, or maybe it simply wasn't to my taste — personally I didn't really like it, and it wasn't cheap either... That said, taste is very subjective, so give it a try if you like; I just wouldn't recommend it myself.
🚧 Fremantle Prison
Fremantle Prison opened in 1855 as Western Australia's first prison, and it's the only World Heritage-listed building in the state. It was originally used to hold convicts transported from Britain, and in 1886 it was handed over to the colonial government for locally sentenced prisoners. Fremantle Prison remained in use until 1991, making it one of Australia's longest-serving prisons.
- Address: 1 The Terrace, Fremantle WA 6160
- Opening hours: 09:00 – 17:00 (until 21:00 on Wednesdays and Fridays)
- Official website: https://fremantleprison.com.au/
However, Fremantle Prison isn't open for visitors to wander through freely — you have to join one of the tours and enter with a guide at set times. There are several different, distinctive tours to choose from, but our time was limited this trip so we didn't go in. You'd probably need to stay a night in Fremantle or arrive earlier in the day to have enough time.
- Prison Tours: total duration 1 hr 15 min
- Tunnels Tour: total duration 2 hr 30 min
- Torchlight Tour: total duration 1 hr 30 min (Wednesday and Friday evenings only)
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| Ticket prices for the various tours |
🛖 Fremantle Roundhouse
The Fremantle Roundhouse was built to hold any convicted criminals in the settlement, and it stopped being used as a prison in 1886. After that it became a police lock-up, and by the late 1890s it was used as accommodation for the water police.
- Address: 15 Captains Ln, Fremantle WA 6160
- Official website: http://www.fremantleroundhouse.com.au/
- Opening hours: 10:30 – 15:30
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| The view from the lookout beside the Roundhouse |
🌈 The Containbow
The Containbow is a relatively recent attraction that has been drawing more visitors. Commissioned by the City of Fremantle and designed by Marcus Canning, it was built in 2016 from nine recycled shipping containers formed into an arch — 9 metres high, 19 metres long and weighing about 66 tonnes.
Standing between the bridges in the beach reserve, next to the Canning Highway at the entrance to the City of Fremantle, The Containbow is actually some distance from the lively town centre. It's a 25-minute walk from Fremantle Railway Station, and there isn't much else nearby, so I wouldn't really recommend the long walk in summer. This time, though, we had a day pass, so we simply took the bus straight there!
On a fine day, the rainbow containers against the blue sky photograph beautifully and look quite unique. Still, this really is just a photo spot — it's a bit of a trek and there's nothing much around, so weigh up your schedule before deciding whether to make the trip.
The construction of The Containbow:
🍽️ Little Creatures Brewery
Fremantle is a well-known food destination. Alongside its many Italian and Asian restaurants, its harbourside location also means plenty of seafood places to choose from.
This time we picked a famous local craft brewery restaurant — Little Creatures Brewery, Fremantle. It sits right on the well-known Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour, where you can feel the sea breeze, nibble on some snacks and sample the local craft beer.
- Address: 40 Mews Rd, Fremantle WA 6160, Australia
- Opening hours: 09:00 – 22:00
- Official website: https://littlecreatures.com.au/
Little Creatures Brewery is a brewery founded in Fremantle in 1996 by four friends. Today it's not only a brewery but also a restaurant serving all kinds of food, including pizza, burgers and fries. There's quite a range of beers — you can browse them all on their official site: https://littlecreatures.com.au/beers/
The food is pretty standard beer-friendly fare, but as the sky darkens the brewery gets livelier and the atmosphere really picks up. If you're not sure where to grab a bite and a drink, this historic brewery is worth a visit — and a chance to try an Australian beer while you're at it. I later found out they've even opened a branch in Taipei, so if you're curious you can get a taste there first.
All in all, Fremantle is well suited to a day trip. It's really close to central Perth — only a 30-minute ride — and a great place to soak up the atmosphere of a harbour city and experience how the locals spend their days off.
Itinerary overview: Australia Independent Travel | 18-Day Itinerary Overview | Honeymoon Trip | No-Car Travel Itinerary Reference | Recommended Local Tours & Booking
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