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Australia · Western Australia · Fremantle

Fremantle Prison (historic)

Decommissioned historic / World Heritage SiteMaximummaleClosed 1991High
Verified
Aging · 5mo ago
Sources last reviewed on

Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date.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.

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How to send mail, money, and visit Fremantle Prison (historic)

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Photograph of Fremantle Prison (historic)

Gallery

From Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA where not otherwise stated).

  • AnglicanChuchInterior.JPG

    Photo by Ghostie Guide via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

  • Brick and stone - panoramio.jpg

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

  • Broken glass atop wall at Fremantle Prison 01.JPG

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

  • Broken glass atop wall at Fremantle Prison 02.JPG

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

  • Catholic chapel, Fremantle Prison.jpg

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

  • Cellblock - panoramio.jpg

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

  • CellFremantlePrison.JPG

    Photo by Frmir via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

  • Church wing - panoramio.jpg

    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

  • Moondyne Joe
    Moondyne Joe
    1827–1900

    Joseph Bolitho Johns (c.

  • Bon Scott
    Bon Scott
    1946–1980 · singer

    Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott (9 July 1946 – 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 Cooke
    1931–1964 · serial killer

    Eric Edgar Cooke (25 February 1931 – 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

1 The Terrace, Fremantle 6160

Conditions Risk Score

Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated

—
Insufficient data
We don't have enough public data on this facility to score it. Have something to add? Send us a correction.

Related facilities

All in Australia →

Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.

Data completeness

58%

How many of our profile fields are populated. We surface this so families and researchers know the limits.

Sources

Cite this page

Under CC-BY-4.0. Include the URL and access date; the site is a living reference and entries can change.

APA
World Prisons. (2026). Fremantle Prison (historic). Retrieved October 23, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/fremantle-prison-historic
Chicago
"Fremantle Prison (historic)." World Prisons. Accessed October 23, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/fremantle-prison-historic.
BibTeX
@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}
}