Free Gatehouse and guided prison interior
Fremantle Prison is both a historic place of incarceration and a visitor attraction with distinct areas of access. The Gatehouse opens daily from 09:00 to 17:00 and is free to enter, including the Visitor Centre, Convict Depot and shop. Access beyond it is by guided tour. Decide whether you want this introductory visit or a longer programme inside before arranging the rest of your day.
The prison is one of 11 places in the Australian Convict Sites UNESCO World Heritage property, inscribed in 2010. This designation concerns the prison as part of that serial property. The West End and wider city have their own history, which you can explore through our Fremantle history guide and visitor overview.
Day tours: Convict Prison, Behind Bars and True Crime
The daytime choices are Convict Prison, Behind Bars and True Crime. A single day tour costs 25 AUD for adults, 22 AUD for eligible concessions or groups of at least 10 adults, and 15 AUD for children. The family price is 73 AUD. The published tariff is valid until 30 June 2027. Two day tours cost 35 AUD per adult and three cost 45 AUD per adult, offering a different level of commitment from a brief Gatehouse stop.
The Convict Prison tour lasts 75 minutes and normally departs hourly from 10:00 to 17:00. On 12 November 2026 its final departure is at 16:00. German audio guides are available. Reservations are not compulsory for this tour, though they are recommended for particular times and busy periods. Allow the tour its own space in your itinerary instead of arriving near the end of the day and expecting every programme to fit.
There are stairs on the Convict Prison route, and the operator does not recommend it for visitors with mobility limitations. Its content includes accounts of violence, capital punishment, psychological distress and historical discrimination. Families should consider both the physical route and the subject matter when deciding which visit suits their children.
Tunnels and Torchlight
The Tunnels tour is a physically different visit from a day tour through the prison buildings. It lasts 2 hours 30 minutes and uses a vertical ladder system involving approximately 20 metres of ascent and descent. The minimum age is 12, and it is not wheelchair accessible. Reservation and advance payment are required. Choose an available dated departure rather than planning around an assumed daily weekday time.
Until 30 June 2027, Tunnels admission is 70 AUD for adults, 60 AUD for concessions, 50 AUD for children and 215 AUD for a family. Tunnels plus one day tour costs 80 AUD per adult. Torchlight is another programme, priced at 30 AUD for adults, 26 AUD for concessions, 20 AUD for children and 90 AUD for a family. Select the format for its subject and access requirements, rather than treating the ticket prices as interchangeable ways into the same visit.
Buying tickets and family conditions
Day tours are sold at the prison ticket office or by telephone, rather than as online day tickets. Online booking for Tunnels and Torchlight closes at 15:00 on the previous day. The prison's published booking conditions state that bookings are neither refundable nor transferable. Keep the sales route in mind when deciding whether to arrive for a day tour or reserve a specialist programme.
The family pass covers two adults and up to three children aged 4 to 15. Concession visitors need to show evidence of eligibility. A Companion Card accompanying person can enter free on a one-to-one basis under the prison's conditions. These price conditions are separate from whether a particular route or topic is suitable for an individual visitor.
From convict labour to closure in 1991
The Swan River Colony began in 1829 as a British settler colony on already inhabited land. Its move towards convict labour came later: the penal-colony proclamation was issued on 6 November 1849 and the first transported convicts arrived in 1850. Prison construction by convict labour took place from 1852 to 1859, with the main cell block first occupied in 1855.
The site became known as Fremantle Prison in 1867. Transportation ended in 1868, but imprisonment here continued until 8 November 1991, when inmates were transferred to Casuarina. These dates distinguish the transport system from the much longer life of the institution. The Round House, opened in 1831, is a separate, earlier colonial prison.
The heritage story involves forced labour and colonial expansion, including the displacement of Indigenous people. The Whadjuk are the Traditional Owners of Fremantle/Walyalup, with a living culture connected to both banks of the Swan River. Approach the buildings as evidence of those histories, rather than simply as an atmospheric setting for stories about punishment.
Planning the rest of the visit
Use our arrival guide to plan your journey into Fremantle, then choose a museum or waterfront walk around your prison time. For a broader introduction to the streets, city walking tours offer a separate activity. A walk around the city and a guided prison interior are different bookings.
Explore more of Fremantle
Continue your city visit with walks and water activities around Fremantle.
Fremantle Prison questions
Which parts can I visit free?
The Gatehouse, Visitor Centre, Convict Depot and shop are free, with daily opening from 09:00 to 17:00. The prison interior beyond the Gatehouse is visited on a guided tour.
Can I buy a day tour online?
Day tours are sold at the ticket office or by telephone. Tunnels and Torchlight have online booking, closing at 15:00 on the previous day.
Can children do the Tunnels tour?
The minimum age is 12. The route includes a vertical ladder system and is not wheelchair accessible. For other programmes, consider the prison's warnings about sensitive content as well as the route.