fremantle prison cave tour

Torchlight Tour

Join our Guides in the dark as they entertain you with sordid and ghastly stories.

Explore the darker side of Fremantle Prison’s history.

The Prison walls echo with stories of loneliness, pain and suffering, of executions gone wrong, of the innocent unjustly imprisoned and the guilty punished. 

Join our Guides in the dark as they engage you with sordid and ghastly stories.

Be warned - these tours are not for the faint hearted.

Bookings essential .

Tour details

Image gallery.

We stayed one more day in Perth than we originally planned - just to see the torchlight tour and it was absolutely worth it!

More to explore.

Tunnels Tour

Get into your hardhat, slip into your overalls, lock into the ladder system and descend below the Prison to explore a labyrinth of tunnels built by prisoners.

• Prices listed are valid until 30 June 2024

Western Australia Expert

Fremantle Prison Tours Review: Which One is Best?

Looking for a Fremantle prison tours review? Which one is best?

There are five Fremantle prison tours: Convict Prison, Behind Bars, True Crime, Tunnels Tour, and Torchlight Tour.

Our family have taken the Fremantle Prison True Crime Tour and the Behind Bars Tour. We plan on booking the Tunnels tour soon.

This post may contain affiliate links (of companies I book through). This means I may receive a small commission if you book through them. You can read the disclaimer for more information.

When it comes to prisons, most people think of Alcatraz. However, Fremantle Prison in Perth , Western Australia, is a prison that is worth visiting. Fremantle Prison is the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Perth and is the largest convict-built structure in Western Australia (and the most intact convict building in the Southern Hemisphere). The prison was used from 1851 until 1991 and is now a tourist attraction.

The Fremantle Prison Tours

Convict prison tour.

The Convict Prison Tour concentrates on the history from its construction to the end of the convict era in 1886. As we already knew a lot about the history, we decided to give this one a miss.

True Crime Tour

Hear the true stories told by your guide of the notorious inmates and their escapades. On this tour, you’ll see the prison cells, exercise yard, and see where prisoners escaped.

Behind Bars Tour

Behind Bars details how a convict-built prison transformed into Western Australia’s primary place of incarceration for men, women and children and served as a maximum security gaol from 1887 to 1991. See the main cell block and exercise yards as you learn about the daily life of the prisoners.

Tunnels Tour

A tour for the adventurous is the Tunnels Tour, which we hope to do soon. You need to wear a hardhat and overalls, lock into a ladder system and descend about 20 metres below the Prison to explore the tunnels built by prisoners. Guides lead you through dry sections of the tunnels on foot, before boarding replica convict punts to explore the submerged passageways accessible only by boat. You may get wet, so a spare pair of socks is recommended.

Torchlight Tour

A popular attraction is the Torchlight Tour but it’s not for the faint hearted. Your guide tells you sordid and ghastly stories in the dark with details of executions gone wrong, innocent people unjustly imprisoned and the guilty punished.

Fremantle Prison Entrance

Pay attention to the historic buildings along the Terrace with signs explaining what they were used for. As you approach the grand Gatehouse, think about all the prisoners that used this entrance at the start and end of their sentence.

The clock above was made in London in 1854 and installed at the front gate in 1856. The deputy superintendent lived on the top floor, while the gatekeeper and chief warder used the lower floor. Later in the 1900s, rooms were used as a visitor entry and search rooms.

Head to the gift shop to collect your tour tickets if you have ordered them online. You can visit the Gallery, Convict Depot, and Museum if you have time before your tour starts. The gallery features several paintings by prisoners throughout Western Australia, which are available to buy. There were some amazing artworks by indigenous Australians that stood out. The museum houses exhibits showcasing the history, conservation, and cultural significance of Fremantle Prison.

There is no entrance fee to enter the Gatehouse area. This includes access to the gift shop, Convict Café, Gallery, Convict Depot, and Museum.

Fremantle Prison Tours: True Crime Tour Review

The tour starts through the main prison gates, where your guide will briefly explain the tour and some rules to keep everyone safe and preserve this historical landmark.

Opposite, you will see the Anglican Chapel, part of the main cell block, which was restored in 2007 to remove the rendering used to cover the limestone in the 60s. It is now back to how it looked when it was first constructed, and much nicer.

As you walk around the perimeter of the main cell block, your guide will regale real-life stories of some of the most notorious prisoners that spent time here. It’s interesting to hear what they got up to and how some even escaped the prison.

I won’t go into detail about the stories as it will spoil your tour. However, we learned about  Martha Rendell  (who was the only woman to be executed here), the  Postcard Bandit ,  Eric Edgar Cooke  (the serial killer who was the last man hung here), Sydney Sutton (the last person to be flogged),  David & Catherine Birnie  (also known as the Moorhouse murderers), and Stephen Burnett and Peter Boyd (The  Rubbish Truck Heist ). Fascinating stuff!

You will see the exercise yard from above, the maximum-security cells, and the cell block during the Fremantle Prison True Crime tour.

Once the tour finishes, you can explore the Gatehouse area and read more about this historic convict prison.

The True Crime Tour at Fremantle Prison is one of the best tours in Perth .

Fremantle Prison True Crime Tour Price

The cost of this tour at August 2023 is A$22 per adult, A$19 for concessions, A$12 per child, and A$62 for a family pass.

The Family Pass is valid for two adults and up to three children (aged 4 – 15 years).

The Fremantle Prison True Crime Tour is not recommended for children under ten due to details relating to sex crimes.

Bookings are recommended in peak times to ensure the time slot you want is available.

Fremantle Prison True Crime Tour Times

This tour runs for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

They run daily every hour from 11.45 am to 4.45 pm.

Fremantle Prison History

Originally known as The Convict Establishment, the name changed to Fremantle Prison in 1867. The site was chosen due to the closeness to the city and the harbour. It was believed that the strong sea breeze would help prevent disease.

The prison was built by convict labour between 1852 and 1859, with limestone quarried on site. The site not only included the prison but accommodation for the officers. The buildings alongside Fremantle Prison, now called The Terrace, consists of four houses and the gatehouse. They housed the superintendent, the deputy superintendent, the chaplain, and the surgeon superintendent. The Knowle, the comptroller-general’s house, is now part of Fremantle Hospital. The grandeur of these residences helped perceive the high status of the young men who lived there. They remained staff lodgings until the 1960 s when they were taken over by prison administration and are now used for commercial and educational purposes.

The Surgeon’s residence was built in 1856 and the prison’s surgeon superintendent, George Attfield, moved in the next year. He was responsible for the patient’s health, including the effects of punishment, and looked after the prison hospital and the lunatic asylum on Finnerty Street. You can see this building before you enter Fremantle Prison.

Superintendent Thomas Dixon was the first occupier of the magistrate’s building which was constructed in 1855. It was in 1886 that the resident magistrate, who was responsible for hearing prisoners’ crimes, moved in. Holding cells were built into the cellar in 1903, which held the prisoners overnight until the reception was open the next day.

Between 1850 and 1868, when convict transportation ceased, nearly 10,000 convicts had come here.

Fremantle Prison remained in use until 1991 and was a dark place of hangings, floggings, riots, and escapes.

By 1886, there were fewer than 60 convicts held here, so Perth Gaol closed, and this became the main prison. Men, women, and juveniles were all imprisoned here.

A Royal Commission in 1983 recommended the prison’s closure, mainly due to a series of prisoner riots and diabolical prison conditions.

Fremantle Prison was decommissioned on 8 November 1991.

Women were already being held at Bandyup, but male prisoners were sent to Casuarina Prison. This replaced Fremantle Prison as Western Australia’s main maximum-security prison.

Where is Fremantle Prison?

Fremantle is a suburb in Perth, Western Australia.

How to get to Fremantle Prison

Besides driving, the easiest way to get to Fremantle from Perth is by train. The journey takes around 30 minutes and will cost approximately A$5 one way. Timetables can be found on Transperth’s site .

There are car hire booths at Perth Airport , but it’s best to pre-book your car rental. To compare Australian car hire prices, Discover Cars is an award-winning car rental comparison website. They offer competitive pricing in over 10,000 locations worldwide and are highly rated. DriveNow is a good resource to compare campervan hire in Western Australia. It includes all the large companies like Britz, Maui, & Jucy as well as smaller ones. Compare Rental Cars Here .

Other Helpful Guides

• Fremantle accommodation
• Things to do in Fremantle
• Perth sightseeing tours
• Perth 3-day itinerary
• Western Australia Travel Guide

If you found this Fremantle Prison True Crime Tour guide helpful, please consider booking through one of our links. It won’t cost you anything, but will help towards the cost of running this site. Thank you.

• Things to Do
• Restaurants
• Holiday Rentals
• Travel Stories
• Rental Cars
• Add a Place
• Travel Forum
• Travellers' Choice
• Help Centre

Excellent tunnels tour - Fremantle Prison

• South Pacific    
• Australia    
• Western Australia    
• Greater Perth    
• Fremantle    
• Fremantle - Things to Do    
• Fremantle Prison

Excellent tunnels tour

Excellent tour by Fran. I booked onto the tunnels tour & after signing your life away lol (only a standard waiver) Fran started the tour with a brief history of the prison. Don't drink too much the night before I'd your on an early morning tour as they do breathalyser you for H&S. The tour was excellent going down 17m underground attached to a ladder system then through a low ceiling tunnel you reach the boats & the water tunnels. Going in 2's along the tunnels the water is crystal clear. Until they turn all the lights out. Then asending the ladder system again. I did end up with a blister in my palm from the climbing so gloves would've been good. (Only found out they had them at the end). Definitely one of the best tunnel tours I've done (I've done a few). Thanks Fran & her team who assisted

The tour was a good experience and eye-opener, except the fact that our guide was too talkative and sometimes went off the topics. The gift shop is quite good too and the staff at the counter looked serious 🧐 though. It’s a recommended tourist attraction and if time permits then one can take more than 1 guided tours of the place.

If you are capable, do the tunnel tour. We did it today with Benny as our guide and it was amazing. I won't do too many spoilers other than to say what the prisoners built by hand in the mid-1850's is simply amazing. The climb in and out, the boat ride and the tunnels themselves are a unique experience. If you have the time couple this with one (or more) of the main prison tours to fully understand what an experience it must have been to have "lived" there as a "guest".

I would highly recommend visiting this prison. We did two tours here: one was fairly general (I've forgotten the name of it; presented by Annette), and the other was the Convict tour (I've forgotten the gentleman's name - Steve?). Both tours were very interesting - the guides were knowledgeable - though I have to admit, I was there to photograph rather than learn. The second tour we received at a discounted price (only $10/person) as a bonus for booking the first tour. The prison is a 10-15 minute walk from the train station.

We did ‘Life behind Bars’ tour. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Very good tour guide who bought to life the dreadful conditions and misery endured by (admittedly terrible) convicts. It is amazing to think that this place was still occupied in 1991. If in Fremantle I’d say it is unmissable. Tour size was a bit too big though. Good value.

I did the life behind bars tour and it was okay it is interesting but to be honest I was very bored from about half way through and its an hour long tour. It is worth it to see the prison itself but the tour I did wasn't really interactive at all and just listening to the tour guide talk. Also a bit scary for kids I would see but that may depend on which tour you do. Good price though so would still do it if you're in the area but I wouldn't go again.

Honest tourism information about Australia

What can I see on the Fremantle Prison tunnels tour?

• David Whitley
• Attractions

The Fremantle Prison tunnel tours go into the convict-dug tunnels below the historic, World Heritage-listed prison building. There’s a boat cruise through the Fremantle tunnels after an 18 metre ladder descent.

Fremantle Prison is one of the most important historic buildings in Australia. When convicts arrived in Fremantle , Western Australia in the 1850s, one of the most pressing tasks was to build a prison they could be locked away in.

Book your perfect Fremantle accommodation .

When convict shipping from the UK stopped, the Fremantle Prison housed the general population . By the time the prison closed in 1991 it was dangerously outdated and completely unsuited to task. The Fremantle Prison is now a World Heritage site, open to the public for a variety of tours. These are themed on prison life and escape attempts.

Fremantle Prison tunnels tour: Under the prison

The Fremantle Prison tunnels tour, however, goes deeper. Literally deeper – it takes visitors into the network of tunnels under the prison.

These underground passageways were dug out in order to tap into a fresh water supply. This was used first for the prisoners, and then for the whole of Fremantle.

The tunnel water is still used for the prison gardens, but the tunnels themselves are now a tourist attraction. Participants don paper suits, harnesses and helmets, then clip themselves to a safety ladder system.

The initial 18 metre descent on the Fremantle tunnels tour is down a series of ladders. This seems scary enough when you’re clipped on, but the original convicts just had a basic ladder and no safety equipment.

Things to book in Fremantle before you arrive

• Your Rottnest Island ferry tickets and bike hire .
• A best of Fremantle two hour walking tour .
• Whale-watching cruise tickets .
• A street art and beer tour .
• A half day sailing cruise to Carnac Island.
• A sunset sailing cruise .
• A four venue Fremantle bar tour .

How convicts dug the Fremantle Prison tunnels

Under the prison is a kilometre-long network of tunnels. Most of this was dug out by hand. Astonishingly, doing the digging for eight hours a day, six days a week, was seen as one of the better jobs. As long as the prisoners worked hard, they would be given time off their sentence in return. Far worse was standing at the top of the shaft, manually pumping out water all day long.

Once inside the tunnels, there’s a lot of bending over to do. They are not high. Tree roots sneaking through show that the tunnels go outside the prison boundaries.

DON’T MISS OUT! 9 fabulous Perth experiences to book today ✅

• ✅ See the Rottnest Island quokkas the smart way – with a ferry and bike package .
• ✅ Be amazed by the abundant wildlife – on a dolphin, penguin and sealion cruise .
• ✅ See clear night skies in a moon-like desert – on a Pinnacles stargazing experience .
• ✅ Indulge in chocolate, cheese & premium wines – on a Swan Valley food and wine tour .
• ✅ See the city sunset from the water – on a Swan River dinner cruise .
• ✅ Watch gold being melted and poured – on a Perth Mint gold tour .
• ✅ Combine nature with imperious city views – on Kings Park Segway tour .
• ✅ Face your fears and get the thrill of your life on a – on a 15,000ft skydive .
• ✅ Find all the best hidden hangouts – on a small bar and street art tour .

Fremantle Prison boat tour

Given that only around a quarter of the tunnel system is walkable, much of the tour is conducted by boat. Participants are loaded into a series of little wooden boats, only big enough for one or two people.

The paddling is self-propelled, and the boat ride goes past spider webs, well shafts and timber supports. It’s a disorientating experience, as there are no landmarks to go by and no maps to read. The lack of things to see make the tour so atmospheric, however. It’s a claustrophobic, underground experience that majors on the weirdness of the location.

The Fremantle Prison tunnels tour must be booked in advance.

The Fremantle tunnels tour costs $65 and lasts around two-and-a-half hours.

5 great day trips from Perth – make your visit special

• Rottnest Island ferry transfer – with bike hire and snorkelling gear. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• The Pinnacles desert – with koalas 🐨 and sandboarding.
• Wave Rock day tour – with wildflowers & Aboriginal culture.
• Margaret River wineries experience 🍷 – with tastings, caves & Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse.
• Full day Swan Valley wine tour 🍷– with lunch.

The prison is a 24km drive or taxi ride from Yagan Square in Perth CBD . A visit can easily be combined with a browse around the WA Shipwrecks Museum and the Roundhouse , or dining at Bread In Common .

Other Fremantle activities include taking a ride on the Fremantle ferris wheel , going for a sunset cruise and a street art and beer tour by bike.

Fremantle accommodation recommendations

The best Fremantle accommodation options are:

• For distinctive character and a sense of history: Hougoumont Hotel .
• For gorgeous apartments: West End Warehouse .
• For location and cool factor: Warders Hotel Fremantle Markets .
• For a decent pool: Pier 21 Apartmentment Hotel .       
• On a budget: Fremantle Prison YHA .

More underground adventures

The show homes of Coober Pedy , South Australia .

Caving tours at Giants Cave, Margaret River .

More heritage buildings

What heritage buildings in Adelaide are worth seeing?

Explore the castle in the rainforest at Paronella Park near Innisfail .

Which are the best historic buildings on Collins Street , Melbourne ?

• Azerbaijani
• Chinese (Simplified)
• Chinese (Traditional)
• Haitian Creole
• Kinyarwanda
• Kurdish (Kurmanji)
• Kurdish (Soranî)
• Odia (Oriya)
• Scots Gaelic

Enquire about Fremantle Prison tours

Fremantle Prison offers a variety of tours that show the history of Fremantle Prison, Western Australia's first World Heritage building.

Bookings are essential and conditions apply on some tours.

If you are a school or group wishing to visit Fremantle you can read about how to plan your visit and tour options on the Fremantle Prison website .

You can also telephone the ticket office on 61 8 9336 9200.

Related services and information

• West Coast Zone abalone days
• Book a venue at the State Library
• Register for social sport competitions
• Annual reports: Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
• Sport and recreation
• Annual report 2020: Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
• Buy tickets to Scitech
• Apply for or renew a recreational fishing licence

Provided by

• Facebook share (Opens in a new tab/window)
• Twitter (Opens in a new tab/window)
• LinkedIn (Opens in a new tab/window)

Acknowledgement of Country

The Government of Western Australia acknowledges the traditional custodians throughout Western Australia and their continuing connection to the land, waters and community. We pay our respects to all members of the Aboriginal communities and their cultures; and to Elders both past and present.

Moscow Metro Tour

• Page active

Description

Moscow metro private tours.

• 2-hour tour $87:  10 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with hotel pick-up and drop-off
• 3-hour tour $137:  20 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with Russian lunch in beautifully-decorated Metro Diner + hotel pick-up and drop off. 
• Metro pass is included in the price of both tours.

Highlight of Metro Tour

• Visit 10 must-see stations of Moscow metro on 2-hr tour and 20 Metro stations on 3-hr tour, including grand Komsomolskaya station with its distinctive Baroque décor, aristocratic Mayakovskaya station with Soviet mosaics, legendary Revolution Square station with 72 bronze sculptures and more!
• Explore Museum of Moscow Metro and learn a ton of technical and historical facts;
• Listen to the secrets about the Metro-2, a secret line supposedly used by the government and KGB;
• Experience a selection of most striking features of Moscow Metro hidden from most tourists and even locals;
• Discover the underground treasure of Russian Soviet past – from mosaics to bronzes, paintings, marble arches, stained glass and even paleontological elements;
• Learn fun stories and myths about Coffee Ring, Zodiac signs of Moscow Metro and more;
• Admire Soviet-era architecture of pre- and post- World War II perious;
• Enjoy panoramic views of Sparrow Hills from Luzhniki Metro Bridge – MetroMost, the only station of Moscow Metro located over water and the highest station above ground level;
• If lucky, catch a unique «Aquarelle Train» – a wheeled picture gallery, brightly painted with images of peony, chrysanthemums, daisies, sunflowers and each car unit is unique;
• Become an expert at navigating the legendary Moscow Metro system;
• Have fun time with a very friendly local;
• + Atmospheric Metro lunch in Moscow’s the only Metro Diner (included in a 3-hr tour)

Hotel Pick-up

Metro stations:.

Komsomolskaya

Novoslobodskaya

Prospekt Mira

Belorusskaya

Mayakovskaya

Novokuznetskaya

Revolution Square

Sparrow Hills

+ for 3-hour tour

Victory Park

Slavic Boulevard

Vystavochnaya

Dostoevskaya

Elektrozavodskaya

Partizanskaya

Museum of Moscow Metro

• Drop-off  at your hotel, Novodevichy Convent, Sparrow Hills or any place you wish
• + Russian lunch  in Metro Diner with artistic metro-style interior for 3-hour tour

Fun facts from our Moscow Metro Tours:

From the very first days of its existence, the Moscow Metro was the object of civil defense, used as a bomb shelter, and designed as a defense for a possible attack on the Soviet Union.

At a depth of 50 to 120 meters lies the second, the coded system of Metro-2 of Moscow subway, which is equipped with everything you need, from food storage to the nuclear button.

According to some sources, the total length of Metro-2 reaches over 150 kilometers.

The Museum was opened on Sportivnaya metro station on November 6, 1967. It features the most interesting models of trains and stations.

Coffee Ring

The first scheme of Moscow Metro looked like a bunch of separate lines. Listen to a myth about Joseph Stalin and the main brown line of Moscow Metro.

Zodiac Metro

According to some astrologers, each of the 12 stops of the Moscow Ring Line corresponds to a particular sign of the zodiac and divides the city into astrological sector.

Astrologers believe that being in a particular zadiac sector of Moscow for a long time, you attract certain energy and events into your life.

Paleontological finds 

Red marble walls of some of the Metro stations hide in themselves petrified inhabitants of ancient seas. Try and find some!

• Every day each car in  Moscow metro passes  more than 600 km, which is the distance from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
• Moscow subway system is the  5th in the intensity  of use (after the subways of Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai).
• The interval in the movement of trains in rush hour is  90 seconds .

What you get:

• + A friend in Moscow.
• + Private & customized Moscow tour.
• + An exciting pastime, not just boring history lessons.
• + An authentic experience of local life.
• + Flexibility during the walking tour: changes can be made at any time to suit individual preferences.
• + Amazing deals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the very best cafes & restaurants. Discounts on weekdays (Mon-Fri).
• + A photo session amongst spectacular Moscow scenery that can be treasured for a lifetime.
• + Good value for souvenirs, taxis, and hotels.
• + Expert advice on what to do, where to go, and how to make the most of your time in Moscow.

Write your review

• Preplanned tours
• Daytrips out of Moscow
• Themed tours
• Customized tours
• St. Petersburg

Moscow Metro

The Moscow Metro Tour is included in most guided tours’ itineraries. Opened in 1935, under Stalin’s regime, the metro was not only meant to solve transport problems, but also was hailed as “a people’s palace”. Every station you will see during your Moscow metro tour looks like a palace room. There are bright paintings, mosaics, stained glass, bronze statues… Our Moscow metro tour includes the most impressive stations best architects and designers worked at - Ploshchad Revolutsii, Mayakovskaya, Komsomolskaya, Kievskaya, Novoslobodskaya and some others.

What is the kremlin in russia?

The guide will not only help you navigate the metro, but will also provide you with fascinating background tales for the images you see and a history of each station.

And there some stories to be told during the Moscow metro tour! The deepest station - Park Pobedy - is 84 metres under the ground with the world longest escalator of 140 meters. Parts of the so-called Metro-2, a secret strategic system of underground tunnels, was used for its construction.

During the Second World War the metro itself became a strategic asset: it was turned into the city's biggest bomb-shelter and one of the stations even became a library. 217 children were born here in 1941-1942! The metro is the most effective means of transport in the capital.

There are almost 200 stations 196 at the moment and trains run every 90 seconds! The guide of your Moscow metro tour can explain to you how to buy tickets and find your way if you plan to get around by yourself.