March 18 - (March 12 Fremantle & Perth Part 1)

March 12 – Fremantle & Perth Part 1

Our approach to the Fremantle Harbor stirred some excitement on board as we watched an Australian submarine cruise by our ship.  We later learned that there is a naval station and submarine base on an island off the coast of Fremantle.  There are also two American Submarines there as well.  We were told that they cruise the waters around the coast of Australia on a regular basis as a defensive measure.  It was a pretty cool sight!

Fremantle has welcomed seafarers from around the world for over 150 years. This port city lies at the mouth of the Swan River and is Western Australia’s leading harbor. It really came into the limelight during the America’s Cup Yacht Race of 1986/87 which was held on the waters off Fremantle. Prior to hosting the race, the city underwent a dramatic face lift and was transformed into a restored and revitalized city of cafes, restaurants, bars and beautiful Federation-style buildings. In the previous race a few years earlier, the crew of Australia II had relieved the United States of this prized sailing trophy, which had been in American hands since the very first race 132 years earlier.  Lucky for us, the Cup was successfully wrestled from Australia’s sailors and returned to America following the races off Fremantle. The Australia II is housed in the newly built and beautiful Marine Science Museum at Fremantle Harbor which we visited on our tour.

The second part of our excursion was a tour of the Fremantle Prison; the largest and most intact convict built prison in Australia and is Western Australia’s only World Heritage Listed Building.  It was continuously used as a place of incarceration for almost 140 years!  It is said to be the most “haunted” building in Fremantle.

The use of convicts’ labor to “build Australia” dates back to 1770 when James Cook claimed the land by Sydney Harbor in the name of the British Crown. Cook’s actions delighted those back home in the British government who, at that time, found their prisons overcrowded with criminals ranging from petty thieves to murderers.  The government decided to rid the system of these unwanted citizens by shipping them off to Cook’s barren outpost, called New South Wales. As each new settlement was started across the new country, more convicts were sent to build roads, buildings, houses, and yes, their own prisons! From that time until 1868 when the practice was abolished, 162,000 convicts were sent over as laborers.

In Fremantle, the convicts arrived and started building their prison in 1851. They moved into the Main Building in 1855. The final construction was completed in 1859.   Those housed in the Fremantle prison from Great Britain were called convicts.  In 1886, those who were locally sentenced were kept in the prison and called prisoners. Convicts worked outside the prison during the day and slept in the prison at night.  Prisoners stayed in the prison 24/7. Punishment for misbehavior ranged from flogging, to solitary confinement, to hanging.  Forty-four men were hung in the gallows until capital punishment was abolished in Australia in 1984.  When convicts served the length of their term, they were free to live and work in the community, but never allowed to return home to England. If they tried to return, they were immediately hung upon being caught. Their wives and/or families were offered a one-way ticket from England to join them, but they too could never return to England.  Our tour guide said no one took the offer of the one-way ticket.  . When you see the pictures it’s hard to believe this prison operated with few changes until 1999!

Fremantle’s sister city is Perth, just 12 miles north and connected to the harbor by the Swan River.  The ship stayed overnight in Fremantle so we could visit both cities, but Perth will be in Part 2.

Cheers!

Australian submarine cruising by our ship as we approach the harbor

Marine Science Museum located in the Fremantle Harbor

Megamouth: a species of shark found off the coast of Australia

Fremantle town square

The Round House; the first prison in Fremantle used to house the arriving convicts
until the new prison was built.  The Tunnel under the Round House was used
to transport whales to  processing after being unloaded from whaling ships
in the harbor.

Example of houses in Fremantle

War Memorial for fallen soldiers

Entrance to the Fremantle Prison built by British convicts

The white line on the stone wall represents the height of the earth mound the convicts
needed to excavate before building could start on the prison.

The Main Building of the prison housed the first convicts upon completion

Inside the 4 story Main Building

The Chapel inside the prison.  The paintings on the front walls were painted by one of the convicts. The chapel is still in use today and can be rented for weddings!!

A restored cell depicting how they looked in the 1800's

Upgraded in the early 1900's.  Notice the "poop bucket in the corner".

Bunk beds were introduced in the mid 1900's.  Chemical toilets were tested after protest
from the prisoners, but were done away with when the guards noticed the prisoners
getting high from drinking the chemicals from the port-a-potty tanks!  No kidding!! 

The most current cell.  The prisoners were allowed to paint in their cells, but had to
purchase their own paints with money they earned working in the prison.

An example of a solitary confinement cell

The gallows used to hang 44 residents of the prison minus the
electric fan.  An incorrect noose is for safety reasons, but the
collapsing floor & the handle to release the floor are the originals.