Fremantle Markets

The Fremantle Markets opened in 1897 in a brick and limestone hall on the corner of South Terrace, and after decades of decline and a closure they reopened in 1975 and have traded since, now on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Inside are around a hundred and fifty stalls: fresh produce and fish in the original hall, crafts, clothing, records and food in the newer sections, with buskers at the doors. The building is heritage-listed and the market sits at the centre of Fremantle's West End, one of the best-preserved nineteenth-century port streetscapes in Australia, with the Round House of 1831, the convict-built prison and the maritime museum all within walking distance.

What you actually see

• The 1897 hall - the original brick and limestone market building.
• The produce section - fruit, vegetables and fish in the old hall.
• The buskers - performers at the entrances through market days.
• The West End - the preserved port streetscape around the market.

When to go

Fridays to Sundays, when the market trades; it is closed the rest of the week. Saturday is busiest. Mornings have the best produce, afternoons the fuller crowd. Year-round, since it is indoors.

Honest expectations

It only opens three days a week, which catches visitors out. Weekends are crowded and the aisles narrow. Prices for craft goods are tourist-oriented, and parking in Fremantle on market days is difficult.

Nearby

Fremantle Prison and the Round House are a short walk; the ferry to Rottnest leaves nearby.