Details:  Our Year 4 students will embark on a full-day historical adventure, visiting two iconic heritage sites: Fremantle Prison and the WA Shipwrecks Museum.

Fremantle Prison – Life as a Convict At Fremantle Prison.  Students will explore what life was like for the nearly 10,000 convicts who were transported to the Swan River Colony from 1850. They’ll walk through original cell blocks, hear gripping tales of infamous escapes, and discover:

• What crimes brought convicts halfway across the world
• How the convicts helped save a struggling colony
• What they ate, wore, and how they were punished
• Famous figures such as Moondyne Joe and the dramatic escape of the Fenians on the Catalpa.

This hands-on tour supports our HASS curriculum by bringing the early history of Western Australia vividly to life.

WA Shipwrecks Museum:  Next, students will journey even further back in time to the 1600s Dutch spice trade era. At the Shipwrecks Museum, they’ll join the expedition of explorer Willem de Vlamingh, who mapped the WA coastline while searching for lost ships and natural treasures. In the “de Vlamingh’s Journey: Exploring the Evidence” program, students will: 

• Handle replica artefacts and navigate through interactive exhibits
• Learn why Dutch traders explored the West Australian coast
• Investigate what happened on these daring voyages
• Examine the effects of early European exploration on the region.

Location: Fremantle Prison & The Shipwrecks Museum

Transport: To be confirmed

Contact:  For further information, please email Abigail Thomas on abigail.thomas@ggs.wa.edu.au