is the oldest public building in the State of Western Australia. Opened in January 1831, just 18 months after settlement, it was built to hold any person convicted of a crime in the settlement and was used until 1886.
After it ceased being used as a gaol it became a Police Lock-up until the late 1890s and then was used as accommodation for the Water Police, and afterwards as a storage facility for Fremantle Ports. When threatened with demolition in the 1920s it was saved and later control went to the State Government before it was deeded to the City of Fremantle.
Deceptively round, the Round House is in fact 12-sided. Designed by the Swan River Colony’s first Civil Engineer, Mr Henry Reveley the building took 6 months to construct, using local limestone. It consists of 8 cells, a residence and central courtyard which allowed all areas of the prison to be observed from a central position.
Opening Times 10:30am – 3:30pm daily
