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Ah, Fremantle, we are mighty happy we knew you for two days! Such a pretty port town. You likely have never heard of it, but it was our gateway to Perth, which you have heard of. Our post on Perth will come in the next day or two. But Fremantle had a lot to offer on its own. It is located south of Perth at the mouth of the Swan River. Aussies shorten all the words they can, as you will also see in one of the photos below. So the locals don’t like to say the three syllables of “Fremantle.” They call it – Freo.
Visited by Dutch explorers in the 1600s, “Freo” was settled in 1829 and named after Captain Charles Fremantle. It became Great Britain’s primary destination for convicts. Fremantle Prison, in fact, is now a tourist attraction and World Heritage Site, but it operated into the 1990s, for about 140 years. Today it is a busy cruise port (three giant cruise ships were docked all at the same time), with late 19th/early 20th century buildings. The standout for us was Fremantle Market, which is open on weekends and has been around for 125 years. There was an interesting array of lovely booths, a good mixture of retail goods, bakeries, fruit/vegetable stalls, cafes, and restaurants. We purchased strawberries that were all as big as plums! And we bought some Filipino treats to give to the crew, as they are missing home and their native foods (which we all miss when we are traveling). For us, Fremantle was more than just a town via which we could get to Perth – on its own, it was a delightful place to visit with very friendly folks!
Fremantle Town Hall. With the flag on top, it was easy to spot anywhere in the city to lead us back to the center of town.Only two statues in town that we noticed – one of a former governor, and this one of a dingo with a snake slithering along its body.A building dating to 1896. We wondered what the street level looked like back then.The National Hotel has architecture very reminiscent of New Orleans.…and this building was very reminiscent of all the Moorish architecture we have encountered in our travels.An Escape Room sign that we liked.Most of the sidewalks downtown were covered, providing a welcome respite from the sun.A beautiful building, this one is now the Beerpourium.Of course, the pig caught our eye.Forever Fun. Just saying the name of the candy is fun.The window of a Chinese restaurant.This is the pretty FOMO (fear of missing out) parking garage.As part of the covered sidewalks, this building installed some interesting arches.A beautiful Australian woman mural with some native animals.We just love how most words are shortened here. You all know barbie for barbecue and brekkie for breakfast. Here’s another – Hot Choccy. But we confess that we are not sure what a Cappuccino Strip is!An old Fremantle building, across the street from the fabulous market.Meet Saba, the gorgeous town barber! She was taking a break, wearing red antlers (of course), and was very friendly and gracious, letting us photograph her. Her shop is called Fresh Man.Fremantle Market. It was decorated with stars and moons, reminding us of ourAustralian/German friend Stella (“Star”) and her daughter Luna (“Moon”). And Stella’s husband’s name is Marcus, so he completes their Galaxy Family, as his name is derived from Mars, of course.Boxing kangaroos – only in Australia (but you knew that).Beautifully decorated stall.Fremantle Market is very attractive. As you can see from the sign, it was founded in 1897.So many fun emu pictures!Aussie whimsy. We love their sense of humor.Pretty cupcakes, including Smiley cupcakes and Raspberry Sundae – 9 for $21 is equivalent to $14 US, or $1.50 each. Not bad! A Sin Gin menu? You’ve got to be kidding! They did a great job with their descriptions.Real roses – a stunning blue, some rainbow, and even black!Not Intel Inside, but Pretty Inside. Anna is pretty everywhere, as far as we can see, and happy to let us take a photo. She was shopping with her friend Olivia, on the right.You may be wondering what in the world this variety of names is all about. It is a fudge shop, with about 40 different uniquely named treats. The Summertime fudge is meant to resemble a slice of watermelon!A most unusual business – a photo of your gorgeous iris!The store is My Lucky Evil Eye. We liked the swirling Arabic lamps.The Latin inscription around these three wolves says, “Glory is the reward of valor,” which is the motto of the Scottish Clan Donnachaidh. It is also known as Clan Duncan or Clan Robertson – hence, McRoberts Brewery.Very colorful braids!MUFFLE: warm, crispy, chewy dough (in the shape of small round balls) filled with ice cream, fruit, or whipped cream, as you can see. Sounds yummy.These beauties said they were going to a Christmas party. Several more groups of 6-8 young women followed, dressed differently than this group, but all in clothing similar to each other. It was fun to see!
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