Fremantle
Fremantle is situated at the mouth of the Swan River and about 20km from Perth; it is the sea-port to WA. Fremantle is a lively city with 7 day shopping and a fantastic array of food, fun and entertainment for all ages. It is home to some of Western Australia's most beautiful heritage buildings, great beaches, delicious seafood, and the renowned Cappuccino Coffee Strip. ‘Freo’ has character - It has the spectacular WA Maritime Museum, E Shed markets, Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour and the historic Fremantle Markets, which are all worth a visit.
Esplanade Hotel
Corner Marine Terrace & Essex St
Fremantle
Telephone: 94324000
The Esplanade Hotel is situated in the heart of Fremantle, within walking distance of most of the attractions. Parking for the hotel is limited, although there is the occasional Acrod bay in nearby carparks and a multi-level carpark in the next street, I would recommend using the valet service. For a small charge you have no worries. There is an accessible drop off point at the entrance to the hotel.
The hotel has the Promenade Lounge Bar and the Atrium Garden Restaurant off the foyer and both are wheelchair accessible. To the rear of the restaurant is a roomy unisex disabled toilet with rails and friendly fittings. I found all the hotel staff to be exceptionally helpful.
The disabled room was at the back of the hotel, but you still get a view of the swimming pool and surrounding luscious gardens, although the small balcony was inaccessible. The entrance and hallway of the room are a little tight, but the room is plenty roomy enough.
The bathroom has adequate room for the wheelchair, wall mounted rails, shower seat and a hand-held shower.
The hotels handy location, facilities and accommodating staff make it a great choice when visiting Fremantle.
Directly across the road is The Esplanade Park with its tall pine trees. The park is the venue for many events and festivals. There is only a footpath around the perimeter, but the lawn is mostly hard enough for wheelchair access, if not a little bumpy. There is a centrally located accessible outdoors café and unisex disabled toilets at either end of the park. At the west end, next to the loo, is a carpark with two Acrod bays.
Just over the adjacent railway line, which has easy crossings, is the Fishing Boat Harbour where an assortment of restaurants line the water. Within a small area there is everything from McDonalds to fish & chips and Japanese food to the Little Creatures Brewery lining the picturesque harbour that is filled with seafaring craft of every description. Accessibility around the place is relatively good. A great place to watch the sunset.
Follow the level footpath running parallel to the railway line north for about one kilometer and you will find yourself at the south side of the harbour, where you will find the Maritime Museum. The museum has a large carpark with two Acrod bays and a good ramp to the entrance, where wheelchairs enter to the right of the revolving door. Inside is a café and gift shop. Accessibility in the museum is excellent and you can view famous craft such as Australia 2 from the Americas Cup or Jon Sanders little yacht that circumnavigated the globe to many historical displays. The museum is set on two floors, but three viewing levels where you are see the craft from every angle – below, level and above. The two floors are accessed by lift and the middle viewing tier by a centrally located separate little lift that requires attendant assistance. There was plenty of helpful staff around. There are roomy unisex disabled toilets on both floors with wall rails and friendly fittings. Well worth a visit.
Across the carpark is the E Shed Markets, where you will find a wide array of accessible stalls selling everything from souvenirs to unimaginable trinkets and coffee. There are a couple of Acrod parking bays and several access ramps up to the markets. There are signposts for disabled facilities at both ends of the markets, but in fact there is only one at the city or east end. The toilet is roomy with wall rails and friendly fittings.
Nearer to the Esplanade Hotel and the central shopping precinct are the Fremantle Markets. This lovely historic building houses another wide array of market stalls selling bits and pieces of everything, including fresh produce. As the building is old it is quite congested and not every stall is accessible, but it is worth a look. There is no disabled toilet.
It should be noted that the historic Fremantle architecture means that some shops and restaurants are not accessible. There is a public disabled unisex toilet behind the town hall, which is centrally located in the shopping precinct.