Located just 19 km (13 miles) from Perth�s city centre, Fremantle continues to serve as Western Australia�s principal port. Fremantle is now part of the built-up area of Greater Perth. Founded in 1829, Fremantle owes some of its attractive appearance to the convict craftsmen shipped in to save the colony�s faltering fortunes in the gold-rush building boom of the 1890s.

The centre of town is compact, its venerable townscape best enjoyed on foot. The town was brushed up for the America�s Cup yatch race in 1987 (when the US lost the cup for the first time in 200 years, and to the Australians). Fremantle has since become one of Western Australia�s most popular attractions. Unlike glittering Perth, the old port�s colonial charms remain intact, including the Round House (which actually has 12 sides), the Fremantle Museum and Arts Centre (recounting WA�s convoluted past), while the Maritime Museum has many relics of the famous Batavia. You can also catch the ferry to little Rottnest Island, which was first settled as a natural prison for West Australian Aborigines in the harsh old days. Today, �Rotto�, as the Aussies call it, is the traditional holiday spot for Perth families!