Fremantle Prison, Historic prison compound in Fremantle, Australia
Fremantle Prison is a limestone compound containing cell blocks, tunnels, a gatehouse, and administrative buildings arranged across a large site in Australia. The complex displays the various structures that made up a working correctional institution from its early period of operation.
The facility was established in the mid-1800s to receive convicts transported from Britain who were brought to Australia to support colonial labor needs. It operated for over a century as a maximum-security institution before closing in the final decade of the 1900s.
The walls hold artwork created by incarcerated people over time, including paintings by Aboriginal prisoners expressing their confinement experiences. These works on the cells reveal how individuals coped with and documented their lives within these walls across different periods.
You can explore the site through guided tours that take you through cells, underground spaces, and various areas of the compound. Wear comfortable shoes and allow enough time to walk around, as the grounds are extensive and some paths have uneven surfaces.
Beneath the compound runs an extensive network of underground tunnels that were carved into limestone during construction. These hidden passages were part of the original defensive structure and reveal an unexpected engineering aspect of how the facility was built.
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