75 minutes and up
One way
Perth or Fremantle
- SeatsInside and on deck
- StartEither city
- BackTrain or cruise
Where is your stop
A Swan River cruise from Fremantle, and the port on foot
Swan River round trip between Perth and Fremantle
★ 4.5 · 553 written reviews
Summary
You can board the Swan River round trip in Fremantle as well as Perth, or take the one-way cruise into Fremantle and spend the afternoon at the prison, the museums and the markets before the train back.
In the port
View 27 stops
The Swan River, jetty to harbour
Select a route, then tap a marker or stop to see its note and open Google Maps.
The working waterfront of the port; the WA Maritime Museum stands on Victoria Quay Road.
Google MapsOpen daily 9.30am to 5pm; standard entry is AUD 15, and the America's Cup yacht Australia II is inside.
Google MapsCompleted on 18 January 1831; its 7 cells and gaoler's quarters ring a courtyard.
Google MapsFree entry with a suggested donation of AUD 5, open daily 9.30am to 5pm, inside the old Commissariat stores.
Google MapsTrading since 1897; open Friday, Saturday, Sunday and public holiday Mondays.
Google MapsBuilt by convicts between 1852 and 1859, and on the World Heritage List since 31 July 2010.
Google MapsThe rail link from the city ends here; City West, McIver and Claisebrook stations connect to the port town.
Google MapsA swimming enclosure is in place at this beach for the 2026-27 season.
Google Maps
Rottnest ferries leave this jetty and follow the river out to the Indian Ocean; the buffet lunch and dinner cruises board at Pier 3.
Google MapsOne-and-a-half hectares of inlet, island and riverside gardens, with trains, buses, ferries and free CAT buses stopping beside the water.
Google MapsOpen 7 days from 10am to 4pm, last entry 3.45pm, with an observation deck on Level 6.
Google MapsTrains on the Mandurah and Yanchep lines stop here, and it sits inside the free travel area for trains.
Google MapsThe Transperth ferry lands here after its 10-minute hop from Elizabeth Quay.
Google MapsVisit Perth suggests the ferry as a cheap way to start a family day at the zoo.
Google Maps
A 400-hectare park above the city; the free Blue CAT bus gets there in five minutes from the CBD.
Google MapsOpened in 1959; the original bridge measured 396.5m, with a longest span of 98m.
Google MapsSet up on Mounts Bay Road in 1879, and by the 1890s the leading brewery in WA.
Google MapsThe little blue boatshed on the Crawley shore that Visit Perth pairs with the city skyline.
Google MapsA riverside reserve where people swim and jump off the jetty, and where dolphins may surface offshore.
Google MapsPelicans and migratory birds land and take off from this sandy point beside Matilda Bay.
Google MapsThe site tour's captain names the yacht club among the sights on the way down to Fremantle.
Google MapsPoint Walter Spit is one of the sights listed for the one-way river cruise.
Google MapsThe cliffs of Blackwall Reach are named among the sights of the one-way river cruise.
Google Maps
The estuary reaches up to this park; above Walyunga the same river is called the Avon.
Google MapsA river town on the upper estuary. In summer the salty wedge from the sea can sit up to 55km upstream.
Google MapsThe East Perth foreshore loop crosses the island and its kangaroo sanctuary.
Google MapsThe river reaches the Indian Ocean here; settlers removed the Fremantle bar in the late 1800s.
Google Maps
Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
A Swan River cruise from Fremantle starts in a port town of convict-built stone and busy quays. This guide covers boarding at the Fremantle end, what to see once you land, the island ferries and the train back.
Editorial team, swanrivercruise.click · Updated November 8, 2026 · 7 min of reading
Quick look
- Board hereThe round trip can be boarded in Perth or Fremantle.
- One wayThe one-way cruise starts from either city, from $32.
- Must seeFremantle Prison, World Heritage listed on 31 July 2010.1
- MuseumsThe WA Maritime Museum opens daily 9.30am to 5pm.2
- Back to PerthTrains link Fremantle with the city stations.3
Starting the cruise at the Fremantle end
Most visitors picture the cruise leaving the city, but you can do it the other way round. Our round trip works from both ends of the river and lasts 2.5 hours in all. Booking a Swan River cruise from Fremantle suits anyone staying in the port: you sail up to the city skyline, turn, and come back to your own doorstep without a train ride at either end. It is also a gentle way to show older relatives the city.
The one-way cruise also runs in both directions; its options last anywhere from 75 minutes to 5.5 hours, with cool air-conditioned seats indoors and open decks outside. It is listed from $32, with 311 reviews averaging 4.5. One way upriver, with the skyline growing ahead of you, is a fine arrival in Perth if you are moving hotels or want an afternoon in the city. Take a seat on the northern side for Kings Park as the city comes close.
Check your confirmation for the exact boarding point in Fremantle, and leave time to walk along the waterfront to find it. Fremantle is easy to reach without a car: the rail line runs out from the city, and Visit Perth lists City West, McIver and Claisebrook among the stations that connect with the port.3 Sundays cost nothing on Transperth trains if you tap on with a SmartRider or a bank card, a neat saving on the way to the boat.4
Plan your visit
Fremantle sights near the water
| Sight | Open | Entry | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| WA Maritime Museum | Daily 9.30am to 5pm | AUD 15 standard | Australia II |
| WA Shipwrecks Museum | Daily 9.30am to 5pm | Free, donation AUD 5 | Coastal wrecks |
| Round House | See signs on site | Ask on site | Oldest building in WA |
| Fremantle Prison | Tours 10:00am to 5:00pm | Tour prices vary | World Heritage |
| Fremantle Markets | Fri to Sun, holiday Mon | Stalls and food | 170+ traders |
Hours and entry as the WA Museum, Fremantle Prison and Fremantle Markets state them; check on the day, as hours change for events.2,12,7,8,16,10,1,9,17
Landing on the waterfront
Coming the other way, the one-way cruise sets you down in the port with the rest of the day free. Look first for the maritime museum, set on Victoria Quay Road.11 Its doors open 9.30am to 5pm every day, and a standard adult ticket is AUD 15.2,12 Inside is the America's Cup winning yacht Australia II, a boat with a very particular place in Western Australian pride.5 Even visitors with no interest in sailing tend to stop at its keel.
The museum building sits right on the harbour, and its windows look over the same water your cruise has just crossed. Allow a couple of hours if boats interest you, less if you want only the yacht and a coffee. From there the old town begins: the West End's stone streets run up from the waterfront, and almost everything worth seeing is within a walk of the quay. Comfortable shoes matter more here than a map.
The harbour has its own wildlife too. The Dolphin Watch catalogue covers dolphins seen in the Fremantle Port Inner Harbour as well as in the river, and River Guardians asks everyone on a vessel to keep 100m from them.13,14 Watch the quiet corners of the harbour while you wait for a ferry, and give any dolphin the space the law asks for. Feeding them is illegal, however tame they seem.15
An afternoon ashore
From the quay to the prison gate
The quay
Step ashore
The one-way cruise starts or ends in Fremantle.
Victoria Quay Road
The yacht
See Australia II at the WA Maritime Museum.5
Arthur Head
The Round House
Completed on 18 January 1831.6
Cliff Street
The shipwrecks
South Terrace
The markets
Open Friday to Sunday and holiday Mondays.9
The Terrace
The prison
Tours run until 5:00pm.10
Arthur Head, the Round House and the shipwrecks
On Arthur Head, above the harbour mouth, the Round House holds the title of the oldest building in Western Australia, according to the state heritage register.16 It was completed on 18 January 1831.6 Inside the walls of white local stone, 7 cells and the gaoler's quarters ring a courtyard with a well.20 The Fremantle Whaling Company later dug a tunnel through Arthur Head beneath it, then known as Gaol Hill.21
The heritage record adds a detail worth telling on the walk: a bell at the top of the Round House steps was rung each night at 9.30 to warn drinkers it was time to leave the public houses.22 Below the hill, Bathers Beach has a swimming enclosure installed for the 2026-27 season, a spot for a dip on a hot afternoon.23 From the top of the steps you see the beach, the harbour mouth and the sea beyond.
A few steps away is the WA Shipwrecks Museum. Entry costs nothing beyond a suggested AUD 5 donation, and the hours run 9.30am to 5pm daily.7,8 It is housed in the old Commissariat buildings, among the earliest sites in the state built with convict labour, and it opened to the public in 1979.24,25 The galleries tell the story of the coast that wrecked so many ships, and of the people who sailed to it. With no ticket to buy, it makes an easy hour between other sights.
Your Fremantle day
Which way should you use the river?
Begin with your bed for the night and the hours you want ashore.
If I'm staying in Fremantle
Board the round trip here
It can be boarded at either end.
If I want an afternoon in Fremantle
Cruise one way, train back
Trains link the port with the city stations.3
If I love history
Go to the prison
It calls itself Australia's most intact convict site.18
If I'm travelling with children
Start at the Maritime Museum
The America's Cup yacht Australia II is inside.5
If I want the island too
Take the Rottnest day
It cruises the river to Fremantle, then goes on to the island.
River trips that touch Fremantle
Cruise in, cruise out or sail on
2.5 hours
Round trip
Board at either end
- GuideLive, in English
- CommentaryThe captain
- CancelFree to 24 hours
9 hours
Rottnest day
River, then island
- River1-hour run to Fremantle
- IslandHire bike
- CancelFree to 2 days
Fremantle Prison
Up the hill from the town centre stands Fremantle Prison. The first ship carrying convicts reached Fremantle Harbour in 1850, and the prison, first called the Convict Establishment, was built by convict labour between 1852 and 1859 from limestone quarried on the site.50,19 Nearly 10 000 convicts passed through the establishment between 1850 and 1868.51 It stayed in use until 1991.52 Walking its yards today, it is hard to believe it held prisoners within living memory.
Its heritage status is the highest there is. The prison is on the World Heritage List as part of the Australian Convict Sites, listed on 31 July 2010, and it calls itself the most intact convict site in Australia.1,18 The tours run from 10:00am through till 5:00pm.10 Choose between them before you go: the programme includes a Convict Prison tour, Behind Bars, True Crime, Tunnels and Torchlight tours.53
Give it most of an afternoon if you want a tour as well as the gatehouse and the exhibitions, and book ahead in school holidays. The prison sits above the town, and on a hot day it pays to go early and keep the cool museums for later. If you have arrived on a one-way cruise, the prison and the Round House together make a full and satisfying afternoon, with the shipwrecks as a bonus if time allows.
Price your river day
What the Fremantle river trips cost for your group
Type in your group size and each river trip shows its total from price.
Side-by-side: 3 options
What the Fremantle river trips cost for your group
Type in your group size and each river trip shows its total from price.
- One-way cruise75 minutes and up · per visitor from $32
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View - Round trip2.5 hours · per visitor from $42
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View - Rottnest day by ferry9 hours · per visitor from $117
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View
Starting prices as on the booking platform, converted at the ECB reference rate. You see the exact price at booking.
Markets, lunch and the rest of the day
Fremantle Markets have traded since 1897, and today more than 170 traders, makers and food stalls fill the Hall and the Yard.43,17 They open on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and public holiday Mondays, with the Yard from 8am and the Hall from 9am.9 Both close at 6pm.54 Time a one-way cruise to land on a market day and you have lunch sorted, with street food from the stalls and fresh produce to take back to the hotel.
If you searched for a Fremantle lunch cruise, know that the buffet lunch cruise makes a return run of 2.5 hours between the city and Fremantle, with the captain talking and a hot buffet served aboard. It turns at the port rather than stopping there. To eat in Fremantle itself, take the one-way cruise down and lunch ashore, then ride the train back.3 You get the river, a meal of your choosing and the town, all for less than a seated lunch cruise.
The rest of the day can be as slow as you like. The streets of the West End, the cafes, the fishing boat harbour and the beach are all within an easy walk of each other. A day that ends in Fremantle rewards visitors who leave the afternoon open: the town is at its best on foot, with no fixed plan. Watch the sun go down over the harbour and the sea before you head back to the station.
Video
Time Walks: the history of Fremantle
Tony Robinson Rewrites History on YouTube · The video stays unloaded until you press play.
The Convict Establishment, as the prison was first known, was built by convict labour between 1852 and 1859 using limestone quarried on the site
Fremantle checklist
Before you land in the port
Rottnest Island and the way back
Fremantle is also the gateway to Rottnest Island. Rottnest Express sails from three locations in Fremantle and central Perth, and it runs a terminal in B Shed in Fremantle.55,56 Rottnest ferries also start at Barrack Street Jetty in the city and run the full length of the lower river out to the Indian Ocean, and Visit Perth puts the city to island run at 90 minutes.26,57 Ferries from Fremantle cut the river out and cross straight to the island.
That makes a ferry from the city a river trip and an island day in one. A day package on this site meets at the Barrack Street Jetty terminal, runs down the river past the city's western suburbs to Fremantle, a 1-hour leg with a guide speaking, and then crosses to the island, where a hire bike waits; the whole day lasts 9 hours. It is listed from $117, with free cancellation up to 2 days ahead. Rottnest Island has 63 beaches to ride between.58
For the trip home after Swan River trips that end in Fremantle, the train is simplest, with no booking needed and a short walk to the platform.3 A Go Anywhere fare covers three hours of travel across the whole network, and on Sundays the whole network costs nothing if you tap a SmartRider or a bank card.59,4 Or close the loop on the water: the round trip and the one-way cruise both start from either end. Either way, keep an eye on the time of the last departure.
FAQ
Brief questions, brief answers.
Can you board a Swan River cruise in Fremantle?
Yes.
The round trip can be boarded in Perth or Fremantle, and the one-way cruise starts from either city.
How long is the cruise from Fremantle to Perth?
From 75 minutes one way.
Options on the one-way listing range between 75 minutes and 5.5 hours.
How do I get back to Perth from Fremantle?
By train.
Trains link Fremantle with City West, McIver and Claisebrook stations.3
When is Fremantle Prison open for tours?
10:00am to 5:00pm.
Tours run from 10:00am through till 5:00pm.10
Is the Shipwrecks Museum free?
Yes, with a suggested donation.
General admission is free; the suggested donation is AUD 5.7
Which days are Fremantle Markets open?
Friday to Sunday, plus holiday Mondays.
The Yard opens from 8am and the Hall from 9am.9
Can I reach Rottnest Island by river from Perth?
Yes, by ferry.
Rottnest ferries leave Barrack Street Jetty and follow the river to the Indian Ocean.26
Sources
- Fremantle Prison (WA Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage) · Heritage Significance ↩
- Western Australian Museum · WA Maritime Museum ↩
- Visit Perth (City of Perth) · Buses and trains ↩
- Transperth (Public Transport Authority of Western Australia) · Transperth Fares ↩
- Western Australian Museum · WA Maritime Museum ↩
- State Heritage Office of Western Australia (inHerit) · Round House and Arthur Head Reserve ↩
- Western Australian Museum · WA Shipwrecks Museum ↩
- Western Australian Museum · WA Shipwrecks Museum ↩
- Fremantle Markets · Fremantle Markets ↩
- Fremantle Prison (WA Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage) · Fremantle Prison ↩
- Western Australian Museum · WA Maritime Museum ↩
- Western Australian Museum · WA Maritime Museum ↩
- River Guardians (DBCA) · Dolphin Watch Perth ↩
- River Guardians (DBCA) · Dolphin Distances ↩
- River Guardians (DBCA) · Dolphin Distances ↩
- State Heritage Office of Western Australia (inHerit) · Round House and Arthur Head Reserve ↩
- Fremantle Markets · Fremantle Markets ↩
- Fremantle Prison (WA Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage) · Heritage Significance ↩
- Fremantle Prison (WA Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage) · A Brief History ↩
- State Heritage Office of Western Australia (inHerit) · Round House and Arthur Head Reserve ↩
- State Heritage Office of Western Australia (inHerit) · Round House and Arthur Head Reserve ↩
- State Heritage Office of Western Australia (inHerit) · Round House and Arthur Head Reserve ↩
- City of Fremantle · City of Fremantle official website ↩
- Western Australian Museum · WA Shipwrecks Museum ↩
- Western Australian Museum · WA Shipwrecks Museum ↩
- Visit Perth (City of Perth) · Explore Perth / Boorloo by boat and ferry ↩
- Visit Perth (City of Perth) · Elizabeth Quay
- Visit Perth (City of Perth) · Elizabeth Quay
- The Bell Tower (Swan Bells Foundation) · The Bell Tower, home of the Swan Bells
- The Bell Tower (Swan Bells Foundation) · The Bell Tower, home of the Swan Bells
- Visit Perth (City of Perth) · Buses and trains
- Visit Perth (City of Perth) · Buses and trains
- Visit Perth (City of Perth) · Explore Perth / Boorloo by boat and ferry
- Visit Perth (City of Perth) · Explore Perth / Boorloo by boat and ferry
- Visit Perth (City of Perth) · Kings Park
- Visit Perth (City of Perth) · Kings Park
- Government of Western Australia · Perth's Narrows Bridge celebrates 50 years
- Government of Western Australia · Perth's Narrows Bridge celebrates 50 years
- State Heritage Office of Western Australia (inHerit) · Old Swan Brewery Precinct
- Visit Perth (City of Perth) · Crawley and Nedlands
- Visit Perth (City of Perth) · Crawley and Nedlands
- Visit Perth (City of Perth) · Crawley and Nedlands
- Fremantle Markets · Fremantle Markets ↩
- Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (WA) · Discover the Swan Canning Riverpark
- Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (WA) · Discover the Swan Canning Riverpark
- Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (WA) · Discover the Swan Canning Riverpark
- Visit Perth (City of Perth) · East Perth
- Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (WA) · Swan-Coastal: Healthy Rivers
- Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (WA) · Discover the Swan Canning Riverpark
- Fremantle Prison (WA Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage) · A Brief History ↩
- Fremantle Prison (WA Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage) · A Brief History ↩
- Fremantle Prison (WA Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage) · A Brief History ↩
- Fremantle Prison (WA Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage) · Fremantle Prison ↩
- Fremantle Markets · Fremantle Markets ↩
- Rottnest Express · Rottnest Express ferry and experiences ↩
- Rottnest Express · Rottnest Express ferry and experiences ↩
- Visit Perth (City of Perth) · Explore Perth / Boorloo by boat and ferry ↩
- Rottnest Express · Rottnest Express ferry and experiences ↩
- Transperth (Public Transport Authority of Western Australia) · Transperth Fares ↩