Fremantle Goal and the Shipwreck Galleries

25th July 2014

Another day in Fremantle visiting the old goal and the shipwreck museum.  Then stayed on into the evening and had dinner on the street known as the cappuccino strip.

Fremantle Prison

We did an excellent tour of the prison, which was still in use as a high security prison until 1991.  The goal was built in the 1850's by some of the first convicts sent to WA from England.  These convicts were sent at the request of the Swan River settlement as they wanted labour for building the colony.

Prison interior, 4 storeys of cells

The prison is very well presented as some parts have been restored to the 1850's era whereas other areas have been left just as they were when vacated in 1991. We were suprised how basic the prison conditions were in the recent past.
The tour was very entertaining and included tales from the old times, but also more recent events including a tour of the execution chamber where over 40 hangings took place.  That was macabre.

Prison cell as left in 1991

The shipwreck Gallery is really good.  On display are artifacts from a number of 17th century Dutch ships wrecked in WA waters, including the Batavia.  A large part of the rear hull of the Batavia, wrecked in 1629, was still intact when found in several metres of water.  Many years were spent preserving and drying the timbers and now they are on display in the museum along with many other artifacts including a lot of silver coinage, bricks [used for ballast]  pottery and metal items and even some fragments of lace.

Replica of the 1606 Duyfken which charted the north Australian coast