WA Maritime Museum

The WA Maritime Museum sits on Victoria Quay in Fremantle and is part of the Western Australian Museum. Its galleries look at the state's relationship with the sea, covering the Indian Ocean, the Swan River, fishing, maritime trade and naval defence, along with sailing, sport and adventure.

The star exhibit is Australia II, the yacht that won the America's Cup in 1983. Also on display is Parry Endeavour, the yacht sailed by Jon Sanders, together with galleries of leisure boats, handcrafted sailing boats and commercial pearl luggers. Special exhibitions change through the year and are priced separately.

Next to the museum, on a wartime slipway, sits HMAS Ovens, an Oberon-class submarine that commemorates Fremantle's role as an allied submarine base during the Second World War. It can only be visited on a guided tour, and there is no disability access or toilet inside the submarine, so it is not suitable for everyone. The rest of the museum is fully accessible, with ramps and lifts, accessible toilets on both levels and two wheelchairs for loan. Most audiovisual displays have captions, although there are no hearing loops.

General admission covers the permanent exhibitions, with a concession rate available and free entry for visitors aged 15 and under. On the second Tuesday of each month, entry is by donation. The museum is open daily from 9.30am to 5pm and closes on Good Friday, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day; on Anzac Day it opens in the afternoon. There is a cafe on site.

The museum is within walking distance of Fremantle station, and bus route 532 runs through central Fremantle every 15 minutes during the day. Drivers can use the paid Wilson car park on Victoria Quay Road, with three ACROD bays outside the entrance. Captain Cook Cruises ferries from Perth stop at the nearby B Shed terminal, which also handles Rottnest Island ferries. The WA Shipwrecks Museum, housed in the 1850s Commissariat buildings on Cliff Street and home to the reconstructed hull of the Batavia, is a short walk away and makes a natural pairing for a half day in Fremantle.