Perth is one of the oldest cities in Australia, with a long, rich and incredibly diverse history. And while you can definitely see that history just by simply walking around the city, it’s much better experienced with trips to the city’s fantastic museums.
Fremantle Prison
Western Australia’s only World Heritage Site is a prison, which seems a little strange to some, but it’s no real surprise given the amount of history within the walls of the Fremantle Prison. Originally a prison for convicts from the United Kingdom, the Fremantle Prison is now a popular destination for tourists and school groups. Along with 10 other preserved prisons across Australia, Fremantle Prison is a physical reminder of Australia’s past as a former penal colony.
There are several tours to choose from, each with their own unique draws. Start easy with a simple tour around the prison block in the Convict Prison tour, where you’ll learn the early history of the prison, like their construction by convicts. Progress on to the Behind Bars tour, a look into the prison’s time as a maximum security facility.
If you’re feeling fit, get a better feel of how former convicts lived with the tunnels tour, which includes both a land and water segment, tracing the tunnels dug out by former convicts as part of hard labour. And for those up for a challenge and maybe a scare, try joining the True Crime tour, where the museum’s guides share stories of the worst of Fremantle Prison’s former convicts, from bank robbers and escape artists, to bushrangers and serial killers, as well as the Torchlight tour, an evening walk around the prison’s compound.
Whatever you do, rest easy in knowing you’ll get to leave the prison at the end of your tour - not all who enter the prison’s walls got to do the same.
Address: 1 The Terrace, Fremantle WA 6160, Australia
Opening hours: Daily from 9am to 5pm
The Western Australia Maritime Museum
Almost all of Australia’s 25 million strong population live on the country’s coast, near the water, so it’s no surprise that maritime is such an important part of their national culture. The Western Australia Maritime Museum, one of six locations of Western Australia’s state museum, is testament that fact.
Located in the by the water’s edge in the port city of Fremantle, just outside of Perth, the WA Maritime Museum has several long-term displays such as an exhibit on the Swan River, which runs from Fremantle, in through Perth and beyond, and the Indian Ocean, which Fremantle borders, as well as a few short-term exhibitions.
The museum also proudly displays the Australia II, the 12-meter-class yacht that won the America’s Cup in 1983, as well as the HMAS Ovens, an Oberon class submarine which is open for tours and displays how Fremantle played a part in World War II.
Address: Victoria Quay Road, Fremantle, Western Australia, 6160, Australia
The Perth Mint
The last of Australia’s three colonial branches of the United Kingdom’s Royal Mint, the Perth Mint is both a museum and a working mint. Visitors to the mint can go on a guided tour around the heritage building, where their guides will share Western Australia’s history with gold, from the gold rushes in the late 19th Century that drew people to that part of the country, to the current day.
Part of the museum’s exhibitions includes the world’s largest coin, the Australian Kangaroo One Tonne Gold coin, which serves as a piéce de resistance to their Gold Exhibit, alongside other objects such as natural gold nuggets, and activities like a live gold pour. The museum even offers a Mine to Mint tour, which sees visitors beginning their tour at the Newmont Boddington Gold Mine, a massive working mine 130km outside of the city, followed by a tour around the mint.
And before leaving make sure to stop by their gift shop, which is positively glittering with souvenirs, including medallions which are available for you to personalise with custom messages for yourself or a loved one.
Address: 310 Hay St, East Perth WA 6004, Australia
Museum of Perth
Initially a virtual museum existing on the social media platforms Twitter and Facebook, the Museum of Perth is a private museum that was started in October 2012 to document the social, cultural, political and architectural history of Perth. The museum opened its brick-and-mortar space three years later in October 2015, with a permanent exhibition on the history of Perth and a host of rotating exhibitions on Perth’s social history.
Though it’s a small museum compared to others, the Museum of Perth is well-loved for the diversity and curation of its exhibits, as well as their unique perspective of the city, which interest both locals and tourists alike. And since their exhibits rotate fairly regularly, it’s safe to say that you’re almost guaranteed to find something different each time you visit.
Address: 8-10 The Esplanade, Perth WA 6000, Australia
Opening hours: Daily from 9am to 4pm except Sundays
Art Gallery of Western Australia
Located in the heart of the Perth Cultural Centre, the Art Gallery of Western Australia is home to Western Australia’s state art collection, comprising of more than 17,500 works of art, 3,000 of which are Indigenous works.
The gallery’s exhibits collectively narrate the story of Western Australian art, from the WA Unlimited gallery, to their Six Seasons space, which showcases Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art. Their collection of contemporary, modern and historical art is also on display in separate exhibits.
Address: Perth Cultural Centre, Perth WA 6000, Australia
Opening hours: Daily from 10am to 5pm except Tuesdays
