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Culture
Historic sites in and around Perth
These buildings and landscapes tell different stories: Whadjuk Country before and after colonial settlement, civic life, engineering, burial, family homes and emergency services. Their opening hours differ sharply. Several are volunteer-run, some have conservation closures or limited volunteer-supported sessions.
Last fact-checked: 2026-09-25
Then and now
Fremantle Prison gatehouse, 1899 and today
The setting has changed radically, but the entrance can still be read through three strong architectural clues.
Then · 1899 Nixon and Merrilees, The Western Mail; public domain.Now · 2023 Calistemon / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The twin polygonal towersStill frame the entrance like bookends.
The central archRemains the visual and physical route into the complex.
The raised centre and clockStill pull the eye above the long, low flanking buildings.
These buildings and landscapes tell different stories: Whadjuk Country before and after colonial settlement, civic life, engineering, burial, family homes and emergency services. Their opening hours differ sharply. Several are volunteer-run, some have conservation closures or limited volunteer-supported sessions.
Historic sites in and around Perth visitor information
Site
Where
Visitor access to check
East Perth Cemeteries
East Perth
Ticketed Sunday afternoon visits
Old Central Fire Station
Perth CBD
Free Heritage Centre, check current days
Round House
Fremantle
Volunteer opening and daily time signal
Samson House
Fremantle
Closed until further notice
Peninsula Farm
Maylands
Book a weekend house visit; check the current calendar
Fremantle Round House and the tunnel entrance below, February 2023.Photo: -wuppertaler. Wikimedia Commons file, CC BY 4.0. Smaller web sizes supplied by Wikimedia.
Start where you already are
In Fremantle, the Round House is a short heritage stop above Bathers Beach. It was a colonial gaol, and the volunteer guides' time signal is normally re-enacted at 1pm. Samson House is a different, ticketed house at 61 Ellen Street, but the National Trust currently lists it as closed for conservation work. Do not build an itinerary around its older tour timetable.
In central Perth, East Perth Cemeteries is open to booked visitors on Sunday afternoons; it is a place for careful reflection, not an always-open park. Old Central Fire Station has firefighting displays and free Heritage Centre entry, but its public opening days should be checked through DFES before travel.
Take a focused day trip
The No 1 Pump Station at Mundaring Weir explains how the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme began. Book or check the National Trust's Sunday opening and separate your museum visit from a dam-wall walk. Woodbridge tells the Harper family's story by the Swan River, with ticketed Friday and Saturday visits. Both may close for severe heat or other conditions.
Peninsula Farm is a colonial homestead on Wu-rut Woorat in Maylands. Weekend house sessions require tickets; use the current booking calendar for available dates. Cockman House is generally free on seasonal Sundays, but its current page has a winter-closure banner alongside spring hours. Check with the City before going. South Perth Heritage House is a historical society in the former road board building, not a commercial restaurant.
Read the places, not just their dates
The National Trust names Martellup, Minderinjy, Mandoon and Wu-rut Woorat and explains each site's relationship to Whadjuk Nyoongar Country. These are not empty landscapes before the colonial buildings arrived. Start with the site operator's own account and then take time with what the building shows and what it leaves out. Check current hours, tickets, event access and surface conditions at the relevant page before you leave.
World Heritage former prison and guided-tour attraction
