I was in jail today!

So today, after much confusion with attempting to buy a train ticket, I found myself heading to Fremantle, a 30 minute trip outside of Perth. I wish the day had been nicer, because Freo has a very nice atmosphere and is supposed to have a lot of great beaches. It was cloudy and rainy today, however, so I contented myself with exploring what the town had to offer.

I am really glad that I went on a weekend, because the Fremantle Markets were open. They reminded me very much of the market we visited in Barcelona; lots of open stands selling pretty much everything all under a big roof (Adelaide has a market very similar to this as well, although it is much bigger). It was a lot of fun to look around and all of the fruit stalls were giving out free samples, which was tasty and awesome. There were lots of art stalls, too, and I found this artist who does great cartoonish paintings of Australian wildlife and has published a children's book. That was my favourite stall.

Afterwards I was getting a bit hungry, so I went down to the boat docks in search of fresh fish, which is one of the things that Fremantle is known for. All along the dock were restaurants proclaiming that they had the Number 1 Fish and Chips!!!, and it was hard to choose because all of their fish selections looked great. I eventually settled on one based on its awesome garbage cans.


I got my fish grilled, which I suppose isn't real fish and chips, but it is also probably (marginally) healthier. It was really fresh and tasted fantastic, which made me happy.


So, being an intellectual person who is interested in intellectual things, I figured that the best way to learn about and experience European history in Australia was to visit a prison. Fremantle has one of the best known, especially because it was used to house dangerous and violent criminals rather than the essentially harmless convicts sent to Australia as punishment for stealing bread and cheese, although it did have some of those, too. The tour was surprisingly fun and incredibly interesting. We not only toured the facilities but learned about escape attempts, famous riots, and superstitions about hauntings there. Apparently the only reason that the prison is open as a tourist attraction is because in the 1980s, there was a riot where the roof was set on fire. Tons of money was spent to fix it, and then the prison shut down in 1991 when a newer facility was built elsewhere. To help make up for the cost, they opened it to tourists. Before they moved the prisoners out, they had some of them paint murals on the walls for the tourists. This one was done by an Aboriginal prisoner; it was his idea of freedom. I like the fact that it depicts the Australian bush.

I was also amused by the 'Exit' signs.

Seriously, though, this place was scary. We saw cells, including the solitary confinement areas, and the gallows. There were even floggings here until the 1940s as punishment. The rooms were tiny and there was only one small window in each one; you couldn't even see the walkway from your room. There was also no real plumbing, only buckets. The prison was built in the early 1800s by the prisoners themselves, and I guess it would have been too much money to install newfangled things like real toilets.


In the early 1800s, when the prison was first built, the cells were incredibly tiny. A commission into the prison in 1890 resulted in them expanding the rooms, so the wall you see to the right was knocked out, increasing the size from 4' x 7' to a whopping 4' x 14'!! That's almost as big as our dorm rooms in Graham-Greenlee, which apparently also houses dangerous convicts. The similarities are striking!

After prison I was getting hungry again, so I went to Little Creatures, a brewery recommended by pretty much everybody who had ever been to Fremantle ever (three people I had spoken to at Flinders). The atmosphere was fantastic; it was well lit, which is a huge plus in my book, especially when it comes to breweries, and while I was waiting for my table they made me wear a sparkly green hat so they could find me again. I had a small glass of their beer with my dinner (open faced sandwich with avocado and portobello mushroom on grilled bread), and it was one of the best I have ever had. I haven't really had much beer, though, so who knows how good it really was. I enjoyed it, that's all that mattered! Also, I just realised that I really like describing my food to you through my blog. I can't help it; you must know every detail.

After Little Creatures I pretty much rolled around Fremantle until I happened upon the train station, and it was an uneventful train ride back to Perth. So much for going to Australia and coming back all buff and tan. Right now I am pasty and so full of food I may burst. It's just such a pleasant change after the peanut butter and jelly and bland cafeteria stuff at the Hall to have real food!!!

So there are some great natural formations in the areas surrounding Perth that can be seen on a day trip. I only have the time and budget for one. I can't decide between wave rock (the first picture) or the Pinnacles (the second). I am leaning toward the Pinnacles, because they just look so *weird*, plus you get to go sand surfing, but wave rock also looks awesome and you get to visit a cave as well. Hmmm. Anyone have any suggestions?