Fremantle (pop. 39,910) is the chief port of Western Australia. It lies at the mouth of the Swan River, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) from Perth. Industry in Fremantle centers on transportation and freight handling. The city also has engineering works, oil industry installations, shipbuilding yards, refrigeration plants, grain stores, and flour mills.
Fremantle also has a thriving tourist industry. It has preserved many of the buildings of its past. Examples from its early days, the convict era, and the late Victorian era of the gold boom years give the city a unique style.
Fremantle is named after Sir Charles Howe Fremantle, who took possession of the western coast of Australia for the United Kingdom in 1829. The city’s harbor, designed by C. Y. O’Connor, opened in 1897.
