30 minutes drive from Perth's CBD, a short train ride or a scenic ferry ride, 'Freo' as it's known by the locals, has a working harbour, colonial architecture and an artsy ambience.
Retaining its historic maritime charm, Fremantle is the perfect place to have a beer at the local pub and watch the ships cruise in and out of port. As a working port, this is also one of the best places from which to catch a ferry to the spectacular Rottnest Island, with it's enchanting bays, clear blue waters and exciting local wildlife.
Take your pick of things to explore, from marketsOpens external site in a new window, funky fashion, microbreweries or crafted wines, and be entertained by performers, artists and more than a few eccentrics.
The area is also renowned as foodie mecca, with beautiful old buildings, loads of charm and some seriously fresh, local produce. Expect freshly baked, crusty bread and other sweet treats, fresh seafood straight from the ocean combined with crisp and tender veggies, washed down with some of the finest wines from the surrounding regions.
Fremantle PrisonOpens external site in a new window is Western Australia's only World Heritage listed building, and is a premier heritage precinct that is conserving and interpreting the most intact convict era site in Australia.
Right on Indian Ocean's shore, the Western Australian Maritime MuseumOpens external site in a new window presents Fremantle’s past, present and future as a coastal city and port.