Bagni di Lucca and Beyond

We are in Fremantle, Western Australia, visiting friends. It is a port city, part of the Perth metropolitan area. It is known for its maritime history. Central Fremantle is bounded to the north and east by the lower reaches of the Swan River and to the west by the Indian Ocean.

I grew up beside the beach in Queensland. It is odd to see the sun set over the ocean.

Fremantle is a delightful mix of old and new. The streets are dotted with lovely Victorian and Edwardian architecture and remnants of its days as a British penal colony.

We started our walk at the Round House, dating from 1830-31. It is the oldest remaining intact building in Western Australia. It was built as a jail and had 8 cells and a residence, which all opened up onto a central courtyard. Once convicts arrived in 1850 it was not big enough and a new prison was built further away.

In the 1850s bay whaling was carried out from the beach below the Round House and a tunnel was constructed underneath to provide whalers with access to the town from the beach.

These days the canon in front of the Roundhouse is purely decorative and other activities take place from the beach.

The Roundhouse is located in what is known as Fremantle’s West End. There are lots of lovely old buildings to admire, along with a few new ones, all put to good use.

The Fremantle Markets opened in 1897 and now houses over 150 stalls. It is a busy, vibrant place to shop and be entertained.

Down by the water there are cafes, restaurants and great sea views.

I love these old bathing sheds.

And the frog leading the way to the beach.

It was a bit early for lunch so we had a cool drink on the terrace at Little Creatures.

A walk along the boardwalk followed.

We said hello to Bon Scott on the way out. The singer from AC/DC lived in Fremantle from the age of 10. His music career began here.

Thank you Ann Beth for our lovely guided tour!