Fremantle Ferry

Fremantle Guide

Fremantle Ferry Port

Fremantle is a port city in Western Australia found by the mouth of the twisting Swan River just south of the state capital of Perth. Much of the city is built upon a chain of limestone hills, known to the indigenous Australian population as Booyeembaras, on a triangular stretch of land that angles into the deep-blue waters of the Indian Ocean. The beaches skirting the city shoreline, their silver-sand as soft as velvet, are popular during the summer months when the air is warmed by the sultry glow of the sun. Fremantle was first founded as a base camp by British naval officer Captain Charles Fremantle in the early 1800’s. Since then it has evolved into a bustling metropolis shaped by an amalgamation of modern and 19th Century architecture. One of the most noteworthy structures of this unique cityscape is the historic Roundhouse prison, an imposing limestone tower which ranks as the oldest building in the entire Western Australia region. The port of Fremantle sits upon the southern bank lining the mouth of the Swan River. Here, inside a recently renovated cargo warehouse called B Shed, is found the local ferry terminal. Facilities include a café, toilets, an ATM and a baby changing room – all of which form part of a contemporary unit that sits stark against the backdrop of the shed’s original interior. A number of transport routes lead to and from the port. The Fremantle train station, which also serves as a hub for the public buses that cruise across the city centre, is under a 10-minute walk from the ferry terminal and offers a direct route into downtown Perth. There are plenty of main roads that feed into the harbour-side too, including the Kwinana Freeway that covers over 60-miles, both to the north and south, of the region’s curved coastline. One passenger route currently leaves from the B Shed port in Fremantle. A Rottnest Express line sails to Rottnest Island just a short distance off the city’s western coast, a journey that whisks passengers out of the narrow harbour and into the Indian Ocean.