Freo...as the locals call Fremantle

We drove to Fremantle on our anniversary.  We wanted to go to the E-Shed Markets and then somewhere for lunch.  We went to the E-Shed Markets which were a bit disappointing and then for a walk to find the "Cappuccino Strip".  We seemed to be walking for ages before ending up at a restaurant upstairs in a pub....well it was so noisy that we couldn't hear each other, on top of which, we where running out of time on the parking meter.......

So, we decided to go to Freo again but this time in style.  We all went on a Captain Cook Lunch Cruise, which provided tea and coffee on the way over, a tram tour of Freo and lunch on the way back.  We took the bus and train from Gwelup into the city and onto the esplanade and then walked to the Barrack Street Wharf.  While waiting to board the boat, just off the jetty, there were three dolphins that seemed to be herding fish for the pelicans and other birds. Apparently, there are lots of dolphins in the waters around Perth.

Located at the mouth of the Swan River, Fremantle and its harbour serve as the port of Perth.  Fremantle was settled in 1829 and in 1850 the first convicts arrived there with the thirty-seventh and last convict ship docking in 1868, signalling the end of penal transportation to Australia.  Fremantle was declared a city in 1929.  It has a population of approximately 25,000.

Fremantle is named after Captain Charles Fremantle, an English naval officer who pronounced possession of Western Australia and established a camp there. It is know as Freo to the locals.

The tram tour (well it is not a tram at all) hosted by tour guide extraordinaire,  Geoff, was very informative.  It took past the Round House, which had eight cells and a gaoler's residence but when the first 75 convicts arrived from Britain it was apparent that the Round House was inadequate to house them so the convicts had to build their own goal...Fremantle Prison which was used until 1991.

The Round House

World Heritage Listed Fremantle Prison

In 1892, an Irish-born engineer C.Y. O'Connor commenced work to deepen Fremantle Harbour by removing the limestone bar and sand shoals at the mouth of the Swan River.  It was successfully completed in 1903.   His plan was controversial and contrary to previous expert advice it was thought that his proposal was impracticable.  More than 100 years of continued use of Fremantle Harbour proved O'Connor's technical judgement to be correct.

Today, the Inner Harbour handles almost the entire container trade for the state as well as livestock exports, general cargo and motor vehicle imports whilst the Outer Harbour is a one of Australia's bulk cargo ports angling a variety of commodities form grain to LPG.

C.Y. O'Connor is best known for his work on the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme, also known as the Goldfields Pipeline, perhaps the worlds longest water main which carries water 530 km from Perth to Kalgoorlie.  O'Connor was subjected to prolonged criticism by members of the press, libellous newspaper articles (so whats new) and by many members of the Western Australian Parliament over the scheme which lead to him committing suicide less than a year before the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme was officially commissioned.

We didn't go to Rottnest Island which is 20 klms off the coast.  Geoff said there was not much there for a day tour but was good if you wanted to "get away" from the world for a while.  

Geoff took us to the War Memorial which stands on Monument Hill, an 11 acre public reserve.  It was impressive but the best thing was the kids who were "ice boarding" down it.  They had these slabs of thick ice which had rope handles and they would "board" down to the bottom and then drag them back up the top...but, mostly they fell off half way down...they didn't care, they were having so much fun., must have been cold on the old tush though.

Kids "ice boarding" down Monument Hill, Fremantle

Would like to go back and stay in Freo for a while.....it is an interesting place.