Prison – only visiting

Two weekends ago we were in Fremantle and one of the things we did was to visit the Fremantle prison. The only way to have a good look around is to pay to join a tour – an hour and a half tour. Keeping JJ interested crossed my mind, but I paid for both of us to do it and I’m glad I did as I like finding out this kind of stuff. I did a similar tour around Alcatraz when in San Francisco.

The tour guide knew his stuff that’s for sure and the hour and a half for me went quickly. Probably not quite so quickly for JJ but he coped admirably well and didn’t tell me too many times he was bored.

The above image is the original sized cell that prisoners slept in. Prisoners being convicts in the first instance before it became a prison for non-convicts also.

A day in the life of a prisoner.

Of course the walls have barbed wire at the top of the walls to help prevent escape.

Some of the walls had broken glass instead.

I couldn’t believe that prisoners were inhabitants until 1991. The prison certainly isn’t luxurious and it wouldn’t have been very comfortable.

Before the prisoners had to be moved to another prison because of its closure they were allowed to paint on walls, both inside their cells and outside.

This painting was done by an indigenous inmate, and you can see JJ looking a bit bored!

There was a church inside the prison which the male inmates used to go to fairly regularly, especially when women prisoners were going too. Once they stopped going many of the men stopped too.

One prisoner painted the ten commandments on a church wall. If you’re familiar with your commandments you’ll notice that the sixth one is slightly different.

I would have liked to do a tunnels tour but the youngest you can be is 12 so JJ wouldn’t have been able to come. Perhaps I could have put him in a cell for a couple of hours?