Perth History and Heritage Guide: Fremantle Prison, Swan River Colony and Western Australia's Unique Past

Perth's history differs fundamentally from the eastern capitals: Western Australia was established as a free colony in 1829 (twenty years after the eastern colonies began as penal settlements), but the chronic labour shortage led to the colonial government requesting convict transportation to WA from 1850 to 1868, making WA the last Australian colony to receive convicts and creating a unique hybrid history of free settlement and convict labour. The discovery of gold in the Goldfields (Kalgoorlie, 1893) triggered WA's equivalent of the eastern gold rush and funded the extraordinary Victorian and Edwardian public buildings that define Perth's heritage townscape. The Fremantle Prison (UNESCO World Heritage listed) is WA's most significant heritage site and one of Australia's finest convict heritage experiences.

Fremantle Prison — the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Fremantle Prison (The Terrace, Fremantle) is one of Australia's most significant heritage sites: built by convict labour in the 1850s and operating as a working prison until 1991, the prison provides an extraordinary range of heritage tours including the daytime main tour, the tunnels tour (the extraordinary convict-built water supply tunnels beneath the prison), the candlelight tour, and the torchlight tour. The prison's bloody and complex history (121 executions, major riots, and 136 years of continuous operation) is comprehensively interpreted. Entry is charged.

Round House — the 1831 Round House (Arthur Head, Fremantle) is the oldest surviving public building in Western Australia, built as the first gaol for the Swan River Colony. The twelve-sided limestone building on the Fremantle headland provides outstanding harbour views and remarkable heritage interpretation of the colony's earliest years. Entry is free.

Perth Mint — the 1899 Perth Mint (Hay Street, Perth CBD) is the world's oldest operating mint and provides outstanding heritage tours of the gold processing operations, the extraordinary collection of gold nuggets and coins, and the famous 1-tonne solid gold coin. The Perth Mint's history connects directly to the 1890s Kalgoorlie gold rush that transformed WA.

Rottnest Island heritage — Rottnest Island's history includes a period (1838-1931) as an Aboriginal prison, with over 3,700 Aboriginal men and boys incarcerated on the island for various offences against the colonial frontier laws. The Rottnest Island heritage interpretation now substantially engages with this history, and the Wadjemup Bidi walking trail includes significant Aboriginal history interpretation alongside the natural and European heritage.

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