Prison of Fremantle

The prison of Fremantle is located in the town of Fremantle in Australia Occidentale (Australia). It is not today any more in activity but is used as museum memorial.

It is the first building of Australia Occidentale registers with the news Australian National List Heritage. The 60.000 m ² of the site include the prison, the body of guard, the enclosing walls, the individual dwellings, the tunnels and the art of the prisoners (object artistic realized by the prisoners).

History

The prison was built by convicts ( “convicts” ) in the years 1850 with the limestone stones of the mouth of the Swan river. Work began in 1850 and finished in 1857. When the convicts completed the wings of the building they were employed for other work, such as the asylum of Fremantle in 1860, today museum of history.

During the Second world war, the prison was requisitioned by the army Australian and used like military prison of September 1939 in June 1946.

The room of bracket was the only legal place of execution of Australia Occidentale of 1888 to 1984. During this period 43 men and 1 woman were carried out. The last of them is the serial killer Eric Edgar Cooke, who was condemned to hanging in 1964. The punishments in the prison included cellular insulations and scourgings.

The prison was put except service on November 7th, 1991 and was replaced by the prison of Casuarina. This one is located at 30 km in the south of Perth and replaced after 130 years of service the prison of Fremantle. In 1970, a prison for women ( Bandyup Women' S prison ) had already been brought into service at 17 km at the North-East of Perth, to shelter the female prisoners of Fremantle.

Famous " locataires"

Most known of the prisoners is without any doubt the “ bushranger ” Moondyne Joe, of his true name Joseph Bolitho Johns, which carried out many escapes. He is recognized today like the largest artist are escape from the era of the convicts in Australia. Once, he escaped from the prison of Fremantle by boring the wall literally. Whereas he celebrated his second year of freedom he was captured and returned in prison. He was released in 1873 and died on August 13rd, 1900 with the psychiatric asylum of Fremantle. Its name was used like teaches by a coffee of the “Cappuccino Strip” of Fremantle: the Moondyne Joe' S Bar & Coffee .

Other famous characters remained with the prison of Fremantle, such as 62 “Fenians” sent metropolis in 1867. Much was pardoned with the passing of years, but in 1876,6 of them fled to New York on the Catalpa whaler. The Wolfe Tons, a group of Irish music, composed a song in connection with this event, called The Fenian' S Escape . Brendan Woods, a tourist guide of the prison, is the author of The Catalpa , a play recalling the history of this escape.

Today

In 1992, the prison was opened with the public. It exposes and sells the works of art the old ones and current prisoners of Australia Occidentale. In 2005, the prison attracted more than 130.000 visitors per annum.

June 7th, 2005, a network of tunnels was opened with the public, which can circulate there with foot or in boat. These tunnels had been dug with 20 meters under ground by convicts between 1874 and 1898. They were used to supply out of water, coming from a calcareous aquifer, the colonists of Fremantle. The tunnels extend on more than one kilometer length under the prison and its neighborhoods.

The vault of the prison is used today for the ceremonies of marriage. Behind the furnace bridge a fresco is on wood representing the Ten Commands, of which sixth was subtly modified:

Instead of: “You will not kill” (“Thou shalt not kill”)

One can read now:

“You will not make a murder” (“Thou shalt C No murder”)

Hanging being usually practiced at this time, the command “You will not kill” would have seemed slightly hypocritical.

Notorious prisoners

John Boyle O' Reilly, political prisoner Fenian
Moondyne Joe, bushranger
Good Scott, singer of the group AC/DC
Eric Edgar Cooke, serial killer
Brendan Abbott, hold-up man of bank

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