My Stay at Fremantle Prison YHA Hostel Review

The Fremantle Prison YHA hostel is the new entry in the Western Australia YHA’s family. This YHA hostel opened to the public in March 2015 and is located in the World Heritage-listed Fremantle Prison building, which became a top-notch budget accommodation for solo traveller and families alike.

In July this year, I enjoyed staying at the YHA Fremantle hostel for a few days. Here is my experience about how it feels being locked up in Fremantle’s jail! 🙂

My experience at the YHA Fremantle Hostel

I booked one of the Fremantle Women’s prison cells that have been refurbished into single and twins hostel rooms while maintaining the basic heritage shape.

Sleeping in this small hostel room with original windows and double doors felt like being locked up in a real prison cell. At first, I felt a bit claustrophobic, the room was small, and the windows were blocked, but the good air ventilation system made it easy for me to get used to the room features.

Outside all-female prison cells, detailed portrays of the former prisoner hang on the wall. So I could read about the woman who had been living there 150 years, before my visit! I remember hearing someone walking down the ward at night. The echoing steps felt like those of a guard…spooky! 🙂

If you want to experience the thrill of sleeping in a real prison cell, that’s the type of room to stay at Fremantle Prison YHA hostel.

Fremantle Prison YHA hostel rooms

Besides the first prison cell-like rooms, this YHA hostel has large and spacious dorms with 6-8 beds. There are ensuite rooms on the back area of the prison to suit families and couples for 140 dollars/night.

Moreover, three more warder cottages on the YHA hostel’s front area have been recently restored to host 25 more guests. Altogether the hostel can accommodate around 170 people.

Fremantle Prison YHA hostel Facilities

The Fremantle prison building’s refurbishing works were carried out in a very accurate way, and the result is astounding. They managed to create a modern structure with large communal and recreational areas without sacrificing the building’s comfort and important heritage traits.

Cooking at Fremantle Prison YHA

There is nothing more rewarding than staying in a new hostel with brand-new facilities. The large kitchen is equipped with lots of refrigerators, modern cooking platforms, new cutlery and pots, plenty of storage shelves and a very spacious dining room with large tables and banks, as well as a giant TV screen on the wall.

Relaxing at Fremantle Prison YHA

A very comfortable lounge room is on the ground floor of the main building, and it was the perfect place for me to sit in there while using the free-wi-fi and to work at my computer.

Of course, you can also watch TV, grab a book from the library, sit on the couch and relax.

Old photos and boards from the Fremantle prison history hang on all walls. It was interesting to learn about the Female Fremantle Prison’s curious facts, with escapes, convicts, and the first execution to death of a female prisoner.

YHA Fremantle Hostel – Outdoor Facilities

The Fremantle Prison YHA building encompasses a green communal area both on the front area close to the kitchen and on the back area, where you can spend some time to chill out on the comfortable hammocks or sit at the picnic tables or play ping-pong. The whole area is entirely day and night too.

Verdict about my Stay at the Fremantle Prison YHA Hostel

For sure, it is a unique experience to stay in Fremantle close to Bathers Bay and only 10 minutes walk to Fremantle train station. I used the train connection to travel from Fremantle to Perth daily; it’s very convenient as trains ride every 15 minutes and it only takes 25 minutes to go to Perth. The train stops at Cottesloe Beach and Subiaco and more new villages along the way.

I stayed at the hostel in July (winter), which is low season for Fremantle Perth, so there weren’t many people around. From November, it starts getting busy with the upcoming summer months, so I would book online to make sure you can experience this unique YHA hostel in Fremantle.

I enjoyed my stay and loved the peacefulness of the place.

I am going to add this Fremantle Hostel to my list of Best YHA of Australia.

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