Description: As we arrived early on a very mild and sunny Saturday morning, one of our first sight seeing stops in Fremantle was The Roundhouse.
So much of Western Australia's history is apparent in Fremantle, especially in the architecture and maintained areas of its old district. The Round House is a particularly good place to start to get a historical feel for the area, what it came from - and what it has grown into.
For a country which began as a prison colony - a bit of its early prison system is, I think, an interesting and important thing to experience.
Though not quite like visiting Alcatraz - the Round House in Fremantle does over a pleasant little taste of how justice came about in the old days of Western Australia.
The morning was peaceful, and my little group and I were among the first visitors to walk up the steps and arrive into the oldest standing building in Western Australia. Built in 1830-1831, it was the first permanent building created in the colony of Western Australia.
A rather small affair for the prisoners once they began to arrive, the building was soon added on to and remained the Fremantle prison up until the early 1990's.
The Round House itself (a rather pleasantly impressive and photographic building - not what you would expect of a colonial prison) was actually only used as a prison lock up until 1900 when it became the permanent residence of the constable and his family. (Perhaps accounting for the lack of unpleasant vibe in the place almost always accompanying any area where men have been held captive for long periods of time.)
The Round House is staffed with well informed and pleasant volunteer guides and the entrance is at the requests for donations. The building is open daily from 10 am to 330 pm.
Its a rather beautiful setting actually - the white washed stone of the Round House contrasting beautifully on a slight rise just above the city streets with the crystal blue Australian sky. The view of the Indian Ocean and Bathers beach just below the Round House can be seen from many of the look out points, as well as a great view of the old town itself.
There's not a whole lot to see and do here, so you don't need to allow a lot of time - but it is a rather nice place to start your tour of Fremantle - not least of all because of its historical significance. It would be great to bring kids as well as come on your own or with friends.
The helpful volunteers allow each person to be issued a crime (complete with a card you can take home telling you what your crime was - mine (I believe) were pig thief.) and then allowed to try your 'hand' (and head) in the stocks to see what it was like. Not a pleasant experience, but nice for photo opts.
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