We are staying in the historic West End of Fremantle – which is a port city about 30 minutes drive from Perth, but it is considered to be a suburb of that city. The locals call it “Freo”.

Fremantle has an interesting history – and the European part of that history has a lot to do with it being a penal colony and a bustling port.

Many of the buildings (and I mean hundreds) here are quite old (by Australian standards) – and could be described as Victorian in style. And, they have been very well preserved. It is such a pleasure to walk around the streets. Which by the way, were not very busy at all – unlike Rottnest Island.

I noticed that many of the buildings belonged to the Notre Dame University of Fremantle. Mick and I had to admit we had not heard of it before, so we had to do some research. It is relatively young, having been established as a private Catholic University in 1992, and it occupies around 50 properties in this part of Fremantle.

The colourful facades add to the pretty streetscapes, and then you turn a corner and come across a restaurant, bar or cafe. Oh, and breweries – which makes Mick happy.

Many of the buildings have histories linking them to the shipping and cruising industries. While the current tenants may not be involved in those trades now, the external facades take you back in time.

I think the most common type of building here is the ‘pub’. There are dozens of them within walking distance of our accommodation.

This is just one of them – but its my favourite.

These homes are found adjacent to the Fremantle Markets, and they are used as either accommodation or a retails business.

Now to some more surprises….

A short walk from our accommodation is the Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour where we found several seafood restaurants and bars, but also a small beach. I took this next photo early this morning – hence the lack of sunbathers, but I’m sure it got busier later in the day.

Alongside the harbour is a small railway track – I am unsure if it is still in use today, but it is the very first time I have seen a sprinkler system on a railway line. I assumed it was to keep down any dust.

Tonight we are going to visit the Little Creatures Brewery before having dinner at one of the seafood restaurants.

Tomorrow we head to Bunbury.