Helen dropped us off at the train station to Fremantle. There are 2 Maritime museums. The first one exhibits Australian Sailing ships and the development of WA. The other museum shows several Dutch wrecks stranded on the Australian coast before turning north to Batavia. The main objective was to see the wreck of the Batavia. It is impressive museum and lots of stuff to read. Afterwards we wandered into town and visited the Fremantle market.

We were joined by an another ex Shell couple and drove to a New Year’s eve celebration nearby. The venue was in an old limestone quarry converted into an open air concert hall. A band was playing eighties and nineties hits till a bit after midnight. People were sitting on the rock terraces with drinks and snacks watching and listening to the band while many of the audience danced around the band enclosing them more and more.

On New Year Helen and Peter drive us to the Fremantle prison (1859-1991). The prison is an old building from the colonial time. The limestone/marl blocks are cut out of the hill on which it stands. Some 1000 convicts specially exported from the Uk lived here and were conscripted to build many of the buildings in the free colony of Perth. Peter got us tickets for the hour tour of the facility. Besides the many cells it had 2 chapels so you could ask for redemption from the Almighty for stelling bread or upsetting a politician.

Before sunset we walked the dog on the beach and Rudy found out the waves were pretty strong so he had to hold on to his glasses while tumbling over in the wave.