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Friday, January 8, 2010

Week 2/52 - Fremantle - History in Stone

Welcome everyone to Week 2 of our 52 week tour around Western Australia. This week we travel south from our capital city Perth, to our major port city, Fremantle. I haven't been to Fremantle in a while, so it was fun walking around and taking photos for you this weekend.

Fremantle was established in 1829 as a port for the new Swan River Colony settlement and was the major city in Western Australia for much of its early history. It was here that the first settlers landed on their arrival from England, and it was the first port of call in Australia for many migrants and visitors. Fremantle handles the majority of the State's imports and exports.

Fremantle is a rich mixture of cultures and nationalities -a unique blend of a lively multicultural yet relaxed lifestyle which attracts hundreds of tourists and visitors daily.

Within easy walking and cycling distance, visitors can experience contemporary circus, fine crafts, original music and theatre, exciting galleries, museums, bookshops, buskers, cafes and restaurants, and a lively nightlife. Along with maritime history and extensive architectural conservation, the Arts have become a central part of Fremantle life where visitors can discover the past and present.

Many Arts organisations are housed in historic buildings providing a contemporary use for old warehouses and some of the most spectacular reminders of Fremantle's early history. The University of Notre Dame is also housed across the city in a number of historic buildings.

At the western end of High Street on Arthur Head, a headland overlooking the Indian Ocean is the Round House, Western Australia's oldest building, built as a goal in 1831 two years after the first settlement in Western Australia (the first convicts arrived in 1850). Below you can see the Round House at the end of High Street which is lined with some of the wonderful architecture that is a distinctive part of Fremantle. Underneath the Round House is the Whalers Tunnel built in 1837 by the Fremantle Whaling Company to allow easy access between Fremantle and the ocean.

From Life Images by Jill

This is Fremantle's harbour. In this photo you can see a combination of both old and new - the sailing ship Leeuwin taking passengers for a late afternoon cruise, and a huge container ship being brought into dock by tug boats. Near here is the WA Maritime Museum which amongst other exhibits, houses Australia II, the yacht that brought the America's Cup and the next race series to Fremantle and in doing so pulled Fremantle from a port into the lively bustling city it is today. The Leeuwin is a training ship, which my eldest son went on a voyage from Perth to Albany when he was 16.

From Life Images by Jill
Boats, the water, and fishing are an integral part of Fremantle. Here is the lively waterfront precinct, where you can have a feed of fish and chips almost any time day or night.

From Life Images by Jill
The Fremantle Markets are abuzz with activity and crowds every Saturday and Sunday. It is the place to buy fresh fruit and vegetables, gifts, art, clothes, almost anything you can think of. The crowd you see have been watching a street performer.

From Life Images by Jill
The Fremantle Prison dominates the skyline and history of Fremantle. Built from local limestone by convict labour in the 1850s and decommissioned as an operating goal in 1991, and now Heritage Listed, the goal is the largest convict built structure in Western Australia. The photo you see here is the gatehouse. The goal now welcomes thousands of visitors every year - there are numerous tours including a torchlight tour if you are feeling brave, and a tour 20 metres below to explore the labyrinth of tunnels below the prison. The complex also houses the Children's Literacy Centre.

From Life Images by Jill
This next photo is of some of the terrace workers cottages. These ones in the photo are adjacent to the Fremantle Markets. There are many more examples of these terrace houses around Fremantle.

From Life Images by Jill

Many of the early buildings in Fremantle were built of local limestone with decorative wrought iron lace work on their balconies. Between 1890 and 1912, following the discovery of gold in Kalgoorlie many buildings were replaced by the solid buildings we see today, many with very decorative plasterwork scrolls and patterns on their facades. In recent times many of these have been converted into private residences, art spaces, restaurants, shops etc, beautifully restored and retaining the character of Fremantle. The University of Notre Dame also occupies a great number of these buildings across the centre of Fremantle, bringing a young and multicultural vibrancy to Fremantle.

From Life Images by Jill
Detail of one the buildings showing delicate plasterwork.

From Life Images by Jill

One notable building, once the Bond Store.  Built in 1851 from local limestone by convicts to store food, clothing and equipment, and later converted into a Customs House and Bonded Warehouse, it now houses the Maritime Museum where you can see relics of shipwrecks run aground on the Western Australian coast on their way across the Indian Ocean to the Dutch East Indies - a fascinating place to spend a few hours.

From Life Images by Jill
High on a hill overlooking Fremantle and the port is the war memorial, remembering those who have lost their lives during war.

From Life Images by Jill

The sailing ship Leeuwin with the background of the port-

 
 
From Life Images by Jill

19 comments:

  1. Jill, it looks like a really fun city! Great photos -- thanks for taking us there.
    Tenzin's Mum

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  2. Fantastic Jill. The narrative is as interesting as the shots. The architecture is very photogenic and of course, any harbour scenes are a photographers paradise. It would be worth flying over there just for the fish and chips, which, next to bacon and eggs is my favourite meal. Love the history too. Thanks for this leg. See you later. PAUL

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  3. Great sun shine and a lovely place, walking around in shorts and baggy shirts, right on the coast, boats and fishing and fish and chips 24/7, isn't it great.
    Your pictures are wonderful and very inviting, part 2 is excellent and I'm ready for part 3 whenever you are, well done Jill
    Beachcomber

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  4. tnx for the tour Jill! i love places with history in it..best part of this is we dont pay a dime to see your fabulous country..will surely look out for upcoming photos..i would really love to see the architecture..
    Jennie

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  5. Thank you Jill for bringing me home even for a little while in your photos...beautiful shots of a great place..i think most weekends my mum and i would go to the markets or down to cicerellos and eat fish and chips or head over to the port and see what ships were in.
    You always think the grass is greener until you realise what you had. I keep telling everyone here that Western Australia is one of the most beautiful places on earth.
    Cant wait to see the Mandurah photos. Take some of the bridge and the pelicans for me
    again pangs of homesickness hit.
    Angeleyes216

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  6. Gorgeous shots Jill! Thanks for all the extensive information behind them too. I love ports - I could wander around taking pics of boats all day. I find them very magical for some reason. I'm loving your tour!
    SoxAddict

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  7. Thank you for the second part of the tour Jill and for your excellent comentary. The photographs are amazing, my favourite being the second one. But all of them show the busy town of Fremantle so well. Your tour is proving a great success. I can't wait for the next part and seeing the architecture and history
    JakethePig

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  8. Great set Jill! Thank you for including us in you travels. Be safe and have fun. Looking forward to seeing more.
    Jamie Hickey

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  9. Gorgeous shots, Jill. Great stories too. I'd love to go on a clipper cruise like that! Thansk for the ride!
    Equilution

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  10. Wonderful series Jill What an unusual town Fremantle is The architecture could verywell be from the Old West in the Us or a quaint New England town on the shore Really neat history and you have captured the spirit and beauty very well Nice job
    Tycooder

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  11. My Gosh Fremantle is a beautiful place and you captured it fantasticly. Thanks so much for the tour, enjoying it very much! all 4 shots are excellent Jill.
    Dvetter

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  12. Jill ,
    What a fantastic set and narrative . Really looking forward to more of this journey
    TFS,
    -John Frost

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  13. love the shots and love the narrations with the pics
    Skyline Photo

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  14. Thanks for notification Jill, I would have hated to have missed this set. Terrific photographs brought alive with your narrative, it looks like a beautiful place and I am so jealous of you being in the warmth of the sun.
    Billmac57

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  15. Great photo set and travelogue! I would love to go to Australia.
    Alphasco

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  16. Thank you for sharing this marvelous series of pictures.
    kgb224

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  17. Thanks for sharing these images and historic background of the place Jill , i love the cities like this which even after hundreds of years still keep thier face unchnaged and never lose thier identity. Worderful Jill god luck for rest of the weeks.
    atulsc

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  18. Great job Jill, the photos are fantastic and so is the commentary. Fremantle looks like a lovely place, very clean and tidy. My husbands first memories of Australia were here, he wasn't even a ten pound pom, he was free.
    shmelly

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  19. Hi Jill! Thanks for the second installment. The city looks just beautiful. The buildings in the first shot remind me of the carribbean - all the pastel colors. And I love the bustling market. Can't wait for next week
    Martha36

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Thank you for stopping by. I hope you have enjoyed this tour around Western Australia. I look forward to hearing from you and thank you for taking the time to comment.