Convict Quarter

“Descend into a labyrinth of tunnels at the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Fremantle Prison, dine on dumplings in what was once the Old Fremantle Lockup, and catch a match at the Oval, one of the oldest Aussie Rules venues in the country and home to the city’s beloved Fremantle Dockers AFLW team.”

The Convict Quarter offers a tangible connection to Western Australia’s roots in every brick, beam, and stone.

Western Australia’s oldest remaining courthouse, The Old Courthouse, stands as a reminder of the city’s early legal system and the stories of justice—both harsh and progressive—that were meted out within its walls while a stone’s throw away the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Fremantle Prison offers a glimpse into the lives of those who built it under duress.

Today, life on the inside at Fremantle Prison is more thrilling than chilling with a crew of friendly guides, not guards, ready to take you on a range of spooky torchlight, true crime, and tunnel tours, while the Old Courthouse is a much-loved pub you'll be happy to appear in.

Stroll back down the hill and the city’s colonial past meets modern-day legend at Moon and Mary, where Perth’s dumpling Queen Jacquie Chan’s dining room, beer garden, and speakeasy slash distillery sits inside the Old Fremantle Lockup—a former stopover for convicts before they faced the courthouse. The original heritage walls remain.

Tucked down another lane The Warders Hotel and Cottages has transformed the limestone cottages that were once the Prison Warder's homes into a restful sanctuary for boutique hotel lovers while across the road, Emily Taylor Bar & Kitchen, named after the wife of one of the first captains to bring Asian spices to the city, offers another taste of the quarter’s multicultural history.

Behind the cottages lies Fremantle Oval, a Victorian-era sporting pavilion that has seen early cricketers, the state’s first Aussie Rules footballers, and even royalty grace its field since its beginnings in 1895. Look for The Mark, a sculpture by Robert Hitchcock at the Parry Street roundabout that celebrates a particularly high-flying leap made by John Gerovich in the 1956 WA National Football League preliminary final.

Your historical jaunt finishes with a beer and a gig at the iconic Freo.Social, the first purpose-built military hall in Western Australia that served as the centre of the city's corps leisure and social activities upon completion in 1895, including the first game of badminton ever played in Australia. It became a musician's club in the 80s and has been the city's home of live music ever since.