Australia · Western Australia · Fremantle
Fremantle Prison (historic)
Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date. Always verify with primary sources before acting on any figure. See data sources.
For families
How to send mail, money, and visit Fremantle Prison (historic)
Step-by-step guidance using the Australia system — addresses, money services, visit booking, what to bring on your first visit.

Gallery
From Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA where not otherwise stated).
Photo by Ghostie Guide via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Photo by Stephen Edmonds via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Photo by Mitch Ames via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo by Mitch Ames via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Photo by Mitch Ames via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Photo by Stephen Edmonds via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Photo by Frmir via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

Photo by Stephen Edmonds via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Convict-built limestone prison; UNESCO World Heritage Site (Australian Convict Sites). Now a tourist attraction.
Background
Fremantle Prison, sometimes referred to as Fremantle Gaol or Fremantle Jail, is a former Australian prison and World Heritage Site in Fremantle, Western Australia. The site includes the prison cellblocks, gatehouse, perimeter walls, cottages, and tunnels. It was initially used for convicts transported from Britain, but was transferred to the colonial government in 1886 for use for locally-sentenced prisoners. Royal Commissions were held in 1898 and 1911, and instigated some reform to the prison system, but significant changes did not begin until the 1960s. The government department in charge of the prison underwent several reorganisations in the 1970s and 1980s, but the culture of Fremantle Prison was resistant to change.
Source: Wikipedia article lead, CC-BY-SA.
Capacity
—
Current population
—
Occupancy
—
Year opened
1855
Closed 1991
Figures from official sources · verified 29 May 2026 · methodology
Facility profile
Population held
male
Opened
1855
Region
Western Australia
Security level
Maximum
Death-row facility
No
Conditions
No conditions summary available yet.
Visiting
No visiting information available.
Mailing
No mailing information available.
Practical info
Contact the operator's website for inmate-specific procedures.
Known issues
No major issues documented in our database.
Notable inmates
- Ernest Alexander "Shiner" Ryan1886–1954

Bon Scott1946–1980 · singerRonald Belford "Bon" Scott (9 July 1946 â 19 February 1980) was an Australian singer who was the second lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980.
- Eric Edgar Cooke1931–1964 · serial killer
Eric Edgar Cooke (25 February 1931 â 26 October 1964), nicknamed the Night Caller and later the Nedlands Monster, was an Australian serial killer who terrorised the city of Perth, Western Australia, from September 1958 to August 1963.
Source: Wikidata + Wikipedia.
Contact & address
Conditions Risk Score
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
Related facilities
Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.
- Port Arthur Penal Settlement (historic)Port ArthurMaximumDecommissioned historic / World Heritage Site
- Barwon PrisonLara, VictoriaMaximumState maximum-security93% occupancy
- Long Bay Correctional ComplexMalabar, SydneyMixedState complex98% occupancy
- South Coast Correctional CentreNowra HillMixedMinimum to maximum security
- Langi Kal Kal PrisonLangi Kal KalMinimumMinimum security
- Ouyen Community Correction Services
Data completeness
58%How many of our profile fields are populated. We surface this so families and researchers know the limits.
Sources
- UNESCO â Australian Convict Sites
- Fremantle Prison official site
- Wikipedia — Wikimedia Foundation
- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation
- Australian state and territory corrections departments (consolidated) — State agencies â Corrective Services NSW, Corrections Victoria, QCS, DCS-SA, DOJ-WA, DOJ-TAS, NTCS, ACTCS
- Wikidata (Q3089169)
- Wikipedia
- Wikimedia Commons
- See /data-sources for our overall methodology.
Cite this page
Under CC-BY-4.0. Include the URL and access date; the site is a living reference and entries can change.
World Prisons. (2026). Fremantle Prison (historic). Retrieved October 23, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/fremantle-prison-historic
"Fremantle Prison (historic)." World Prisons. Accessed October 23, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/fremantle-prison-historic.
@misc{worldprisons-fremantle-prison-historic,
author = {{World Prisons}},
title = {Fremantle Prison (historic)},
year = {2026},
url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/fremantle-prison-historic},
urldate = {2026-10-23}
}