Fremantle Arts Centre

Fremantle Arts Centre occupies a grand colonial-Gothic building, set in gardens a short walk from the centre of the port city of Fremantle, south of Perth. Built by convict labour in the 1860s as a lunatic asylum, the limestone complex is one of Western Australia's most significant heritage buildings and now serves as a leading contemporary-arts and music venue.

Its past is dramatic. The imposing structure operated for decades as an asylum, later as an American forces' base and a technical school, before falling into disrepair and being saved from demolition. Restored in the 1970s, it reopened as an arts centre, and its long, castellated facade and shady courtyards give it an atmosphere quite apart from a conventional gallery.

The program is broad. Changing exhibitions of contemporary Australian art fill the galleries, while the leafy grounds host a celebrated free summer concert series that draws thousands to picnic on the lawns. Artist residencies, courses, a shop of local craft and a courtyard cafe round out an institution that is as much a community hub as an exhibition space.

Practical notes: the centre is an easy walk from Fremantle's railway station and the town centre, and is free to enter, with charges only for some events. The ground floor and gardens are accessible, though the heritage upper floors have stairs. It pairs naturally with Fremantle's other attractions — the prison, the markets and the historic West End — for a full day exploring the port. The Sunday-afternoon concerts in summer are a particular highlight; bring a rug and arrive early for a spot on the grass. The shaded courtyards, craft shop and artist studios reward a slow visit, and the building's history as an asylum and later a wartime base lends the beautiful limestone structure an undercurrent of melancholy beneath the art and music.