Australians love a bit of competition — from who’s got the best coffee and croissants to which city is the most welcoming and who has the whitest sand. The latest crown up for grabs was Australia’s Best Tourism Town 2025, with Fremantle taking the title at a national awards ceremony just last week. As fate would have it, I was visiting Western Australia that very weekend – so I figured I’d better see what all the fuss was about.
Most of the finalists for Australia’s Top Tourism Town (places with more than 5,000 residents) — Devonport (TAS), Kiama (NSW), Bowen (QLD), Victor Harbor (SA) and Warrnambool (VIC) — are destinations in their own right, a little out of the way from their nearest big city. Fremantle, on the other hand, offers the best of both worlds – it’s just a zippy 30-minute drive from Perth — quicker than my daily commute to work in Sydney — and once you’re there, everything you could want is right on your doorstep.
In the same week that ‘Freo’ was crowned Australia’s top tourism town, it also welcomed a brand-new boutique stay: Garde Hotel. The name nods to the building’s past life as Fremantle’s former police headquarters, and it was the perfect base for 24 hours of exploring.
Of course, I had to start my adventure with a trip to the world-famous Fremantle Markets (one of only two surviving market halls in WA), located right opposite the hotel. With more than 150 stalls, there’s something to eat and marvel at for just about everyone. I recommend coming hungry, as the food is the best part. Graze your way through eggy brioche sambos and fresh borekas (layered filo pastry), then grab some fresh local fruit and a Levi’s hot doughnut for the road.
From here, I continued wandering along South Terrace, affectionately known as Fremantle’s ‘Cappuccino Strip’, which is lined with cafés that offer prime people-watching spots. Gino’s Café was particularly buzzing, and I couldn’t resist peeking into nearby gems like Best Wishes Coffee and Flora and Fauna. Meandering through Freo’s historic laneways, I also stumbled upon quirky little boutiques and vintage gems, like Elizabeth’s Secondhand Bookshop, Common Ground Collective, The Artisan Store, Japanese Flea Market and Little Sister Delicatessen. I’m usually not much of a shopper, but I happily whiled away a few hours exploring these treasures, discovering so many gems made by local Freo creatives.
Being a historic port city, Fremantle’s heart beats along the waterfront, where the Swan River meets the Indian Ocean. I wandered down past the ferris wheel to the foreshore to soak up the salty breeze. Plenty of other visitors had stopped for fish and chips at Cicerello’s, and if you do the same, I’d recommend taking them to Bathers Beach – WA’s first licensed beach area – for a BYO sunset picnic by the water. When it comes to post-picnic drinks, Gage Roads and Little Creatures both have breweries docked on the waterfront – proving that this coastal city punches well above its weight in craft beer and good times.
Alternatively, you can hit up one of Fremantle’s trendy bars or restaurants in the historic centre. I popped into Emily Taylor for no-fuss Asian fare with punchy cocktails, but other hotspots worth a visit include the slick Italian eatery Vin Populi, local favourite Manuka Woodfire Kitchen and the quirky loft-style all-day diner Bread in Common.
Beyond the waterfront and its stellar food scene, Freo packs a punch on the culture front too. The next day, I dove into the creative energy of Fremantle Arts Centre – a Gothic-style building that originally served as the Fremantle Lunatic Asylum and now hosts contemporary art exhibitions. With a bit more time up my sleeve, I’d have gone on an underground tour of Fremantle Prison or lost myself among the treasures at the WA Maritime and Shipwreck Museums.
So, while Fremantle is technically a ‘city’, I’d definitely say it deserves the crown of Australia’s Top Tourism Town 2025. Within an hour of arriving, you could wander its heritage laneways, down a craft beer and explore its iconic Arts Centre. But I’d strongly recommend sticking around for a night so you have more time to uncover the hidden gems that make this ‘town’ one of Australia’s best.