WA - Fremantle

It started to rain on Saturday so we headed to the hippy port town of Fremantle, just outside Perth. Here we went on a tour of the prison. The convicts built their own prison and between 1855 and 1991 three hundred and fifty thousand people were detained there. We went on the ‘Doing Time’ tour which took an hour and a quarter. Our guide was entertaining with his quirky sense of humor and the grey sky, wind and rain created an adapt atmosphere for this grim cold prison. 

I closed Peter in the small, bare solitary confinement cell, apparently the longest anyone was kept here was 6 months, living on bread and water. 

The rather grim flogging posts are part of the tour and the gallows where 43 men and 1 woman were executed. There were even cells decorated with art and finally the story of how in 1855 a fire was started by rioting inmates which lead to the realisation that a modern fire engine couldn't fit through the 1855 gates.

Next was a trip to the local microbrewery for lunch and a walk round the town and local market. This was a fabulous market with everything from fruit and veg to souvenirs, with a lot of locally produced art. There were buskers and street entertainers to be found as well. We ended our day with a lovely meal back in the Perth suburb or Subiaco.