The 30th anniversary of the closure of Fremantle Prison as Western Australia’s maximum security facility has been celebrated by the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage.
Minister for Heritage, David Templeman said that, on the anniversary (8 November), visitors were offered a rare opportunity to explore the award-winning tourist attraction — the only built World Heritage site in the State they could enter free of charge.
Mr Templeman said the event, Fremantle Prison: 30 Years Unlocked, honoured the decommissioning of the prison and its conservation.
He said the prison, built by convicts between 1852 and 1859, ceased operations in November 1991 and reopened as an attraction two months later in January 1992.
The Minister said in the 30 years since, the prison had undergone significant conservation projects to protect its architectural and social history.
Mr Templeman said as part of these works, a $700,000 contract had been awarded to a Perth-based Aboriginal company, paving the way for local jobs, supply and trade contracts.
“Since 1991, a number of structural conservation, repairs and upgrades have been undertaken at the prison, which has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, become an award-winning tourist attraction and hosted numerous concerts,” he said.
“Fremantle Prison is such a significant historical site to share with the world and these celebrations provided an opportunity for Western Australians to visit and rediscover the stories that these buildings hold, as shared by many staff and former inmates over the past 30 years,” Mr Templeman said.
