fremantle

Fremantle just south of Perth started life as a port where convicts were landed and detained but is now an independent city built by convict labour. It is a trendy place with the mandatory antique shops, cafes and art galleries and the port is the busiest and biggest general cargo port in WA. Plans are underway to deepen the port to allow entry to bigger container ships.

A guided tour around the prison was highly entertaining due mainly to Brendan the extremely amusing Irish guide. The prison was only decommissioned as a maximum security gaol in 1991 so was used continuously as a place of incarceration for almost 140 years.

From trek phase 4

From trek phase 4

From trek phase 4

Many cells and areas of the prison depict prisoners' artwork, including that of the 19th-century forger James Walsh, whose artwork was hidden beneath layers of white-wash for decades.

From trek phase 4

From trek phase 4

The gallows room was the only legal place of execution in Western Australia between 1888 and 1984, with 43 men and one woman hanged in this period. Not an enjoyable room to visit, there was an aura of extreme unpleasantness.

From trek phase 4