Wedding Car Access to The Round House
The historic Fremantle Round House precinct surrounds the original prison built on a prominent limestone outcrop to house convicts when Perth was first settled. The relatively small convict prison is itself rarely used for weddings. The Round House has however become the identity by which several popular wedding locations are known some part of the Round House structure, some related by name because they are adjacent to the old prison.
The Roundhouse prison
The small prison structure which contains eight cells and a meagre gaoler’s residence. It is a fascinating historical structure and says lots about the British colonisation priorities when you consider it was the first significant structure built when Perth was being established as a settlement.
The Round House tunnel
The convict tunnel under Arthur’s Head and the Round House between High Street and Bathers Beach is a popular photographic backdrop. Wedding parties visiting the Round House area for a feature photography session are usually dropped at High Street where there is easy vehicle access and parking for multiple wedding cars and limousines. Occasionally a photographer may request that a bridal car be driven to the limestone wall at the base of the Round House steps.
The Round House lawn
The elevated lawn area to the south of the Round House is a popular wedding ceremony and photography location. With sweeping views of the Indian Ocean across Bathers Beach from the height of the limestone promenade is quite unique in the Fremantle area. Access to the Round House lawn is via either:
- walking up the Round House steps for the carpark
- Walking along Captains Lane which reaches across the top of Arthur’s head to the Round House prison entrance.
The Round House steps
The Round House steps that lead from the carpark on the eastern side of the railway line up to the prison. The steps are frequently used by professional photographers to photograph wedding parties and capture creative perspectives. The limestone wall at the base of the steps is also a popular backdrop used by photographers.
Cliff Street photography area
Some photographers refer to the area as ‘The Round House’, some ‘Cliff Street’, some ‘The Wall’. Most mean park in High Street just off Cliff Street because I want to use the area for a range of photos. See our discussion of the Cliff Street photography precinct for more information.
The Round House Fremantle contact information
A Captains Lane Fremantle
Guest parking at the Round House
Limited parking is available within walking distance to the Round House. I’m sure you are aware that this is a very busy area on most days and parking is usually at a premium. Expect parking to be least available when the University of Notre Dame is active and any day when large numbers of tourists flock to Fremantle.
It is wise to advise guests that the parking zones are ticketed parking and that parking inspectors are vigilant around the area.
Limousine access to the Round House
Whilst classic wedding cars can easily access all three possible set-down locations around the round house, caution is needed when driving larger stretched limousines.
1 Captains Lane
There is insufficient room to turn a stretch limousine around in Mrs Trivett Place were the drop-off needs to be for an entrance along Captains Lane. Larger limousines would need to reverse back down to the Fremantle port access round-about which is difficult and dangerous.
If you need to use this access point for a wedding party (maybe for a person with a disability) then we advise that a suitable chauffeur car of classic wedding car is required. Our Rolls Royce Cloud and Jaguar Mk9 saloon have a suitable boot space for carrying a wheelchair if needed.
2 Round House steps drop-off
Access to the base of the steps through the car park is relatively easy. There is never a problem using this as a set-down location if you are hiring our classic wedding cars.
Larger stretch limousines do not have turning space in the car park (especially when it is busy) and would need to reverse through the car park and tight entry gate into the Fremantle port access round-about. This too is difficult and dangerous.
3 High Street set-down zone
The set-down zone at the railway end of High Street is the safest place for all stretch limousine transfers. There is easy access and turning ability even on the busiest days. The short walk from the set-down location across the railway line to the base of the Round House steps is simply part of the day.
Please note that we will only drop at this location when using our stretch limousines.
Chauffeur information
Generally if you are heading to ‘the Round House’ for a photo session during a wedding afternoon the drop-off point will be the High Street parking area off Cliff Street (in yellow below) unless otherwise requested by the photographer.
If requested to meet in the carpark at the Round House steps, then you will usually be required to park at the base of the steps alongside the limestone wall (shown with blue arrows).
The Captains Lane entrance to the Round House is only advised as a drop-off zone for couples who have booked the Roundhouse lawn for a wedding ceremony and want to walk along Captains Lane for their entrance (shown in red below).
Many brides will prefer an entrance from the steps and may want to be dropped at the base of the steps. Confirm the exact drop-off point when heading to the ceremony. Longer Chrysler and Hummer limousines are not suited to the Captains Lane entrance or the drop-off at the base of the steps (especially if the car park is busy). In both cases the limousines would be required to reverse out from the set-down position into the main street. See limousine access notes for more detail.
Related information on our website
