Fremantle Prison

Who would let their children decide where to visit solely based on the availability of Souvenir Coins? Us, that's who! Fremantle Prison made the cut, and I'm so glad it did. As Western Australia's only World Heritage building, this place is full of history, stories, and for a couple of hours one Tuesday, it was full of the Irish.

We took the Doing Time Tour. Our guide was, as he said, Steve if we thought it was a good tour, or John if we didn't. Steve was excellent. He kept us engaged and amused for 60 minutes with facts and trivia, and he was also sensitive to which facts to disclose, considering we had children with us.

Fremantle Prison was built by convicts in the 1850s, most of whom were Irish, Scottish and English, sent to Australia to serve their time.  A row of cells depicts how the jail appeared through Fremantle's history.

From 1852 to 1860, the cells in Fremantle Prison consisted of a hammock, a pull down table, a stool, and a toilet bucket. From looking at the cells as they moved through history, things really didn't improve much. The prison was eventually closed in 1991 due to it being unsanitary, with prisoners still using buckets as toilets.

Some of the cells have paintings drawn by prisoners. This was our guide Steve's favorite, painted by an aboriginal prisoner.

An Anglican Chapel, whose windows were the only ones without bars in the prison. A Catholic church was built in 1861.

A prisoner hand painted The Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments in the chapel. It took him 2 months, and he was given 2 months off his sentence for a job well done. Bet he wished he spent longer doing the painting!

One of the exercise yards.

I asked the boys if wanted to use the facilities, they declined.

Below is an isolation cell, it was a bit spooky. There are other tours available, and my boys loved this one so much that next time we are doing the Great Escapes Tour.

After the tour we found the gift shop, where we met a very dodgy looking prisoner.

Lo and behold look what the boys have found. Not that one, the ones behind him!

Yes, their precious coins!

On another note: Funny that this prison inspired me to dream, again, about building my own house. Below are now toilets, but once were stables. I think this building would make a lovely house.

This one is even better. Isn't it fabulous? It was the Surgeon's Residence, built in 1856. Maybe it would be best not attached to a prison though.

What a great and educational day we had at the prison, and I have plans to incorporate our visit into lots of follow up learning at home. This week, in fact, can be put down to one huge field trip. Gotta love homeschool!

One last thing, the whole way around the prison I had a song play over and over in my head, I even sung it out loud a couple of times, much to my boys' dismay. Here's the song, and the lyrics are underneath if you want to give it a lash. A poignant reminder of some of the people who built, and were imprisoned in, Fremantle Prison.

Fields Of Athenry

By a lonely prison wall, I heard a young girl calling Michael they have taken you away, For you stole Trevelyan's corn So the young might see the morn, Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay

CHORUS Low lie, The Fields of Athenry where once we watched the small free birds fly Our love was on the wing we had dreams and songs to sing, It's so lonely round the Fields of Athenry

By a lonely prison wall I heard a young man calling 'Nothing matters Mary, when you're free' Against the famine and the crown, I rebelled, they cut me down Now you must raise our child with dignity

CHORUS

By a lonely harbour wall She watched the last star falling As the prison ship sailed out against the sky For she lived in hope and pray For her love in Botany Bay It's so lonely round the Fields of Athenry

CHORUS