Fremantle Convicts Culture and Street Art Walking Tour

Explore Fremantle’s convict past, culture, and street art on a 2-hour guided walking tour with a local Two Feet guide.

Getting started

Meet your local Two Feet guide at the designated starting point in Fremantle and join your group for a guided walking tour. After a brief introduction and outline of the route, you set off into the streets, with your guide leading the way. The walk covers approximately 60 minutes of walking time, so arrive a little early and be prepared for outdoor conditions.

What to expect

Fremantle streets and heritage buildings

Fremantle sits just outside Perth and is often described as its hip, historical cousin, with a compact center packed with heritage architecture.

Features

• Walk through streets lined with heritage buildings and visible street art, noticing how old facades and contemporary murals sit side by side in the cityscape.
• Your guided walking tour with a local Two Feet guide provides commentary on how almost 10,000 men were transported from Great Britain and Ireland as convicts and how they built their own prison in this port town.
• Across the 2-hour tour, there is around 60 minutes of actual walking, with regular opportunities to rest so you can comfortably take in the surroundings.

Convict Fremantle and prisoner stories

This part of the tour focuses on Fremantle’s convict era and the human stories behind the sentences, escapes, and daily life tied to the port.

Features

• Hear tales of daring prisoner escapes that unfolded around Fremantle, learning how the town’s layout and coastline shaped these attempts.
• Your local Two Feet guide connects the streets you stand on to the broader system that brought convicts from Great Britain and Ireland, explaining how their labor helped shape Fremantle’s buildings and infrastructure.
• As you move between locations, there are pauses built in so you can stand, listen, and ask questions rather than walking continuously.

Rottnest Island and Indigenous histories

Although you remain in Fremantle, your guide uses the surroundings to trace powerful links to nearby Rottnest Island and its significance.

Features

• Learn about the expulsion of Indigenous peoples to Rottnest Island, hearing how this history is tied to Fremantle’s role as a port and administrative center.
• Your guided walking tour with a local Two Feet guide gives context to how these events sit alongside today’s visible culture, from cafes and creative spaces to street art that reflects changing perspectives.
• The walking segments are kept to manageable lengths, with time to pause while your guide shares these stories so you can absorb the information without rushing.