It 's well accepted that the bars preferred by backpackers offer cheap drinks and the chance to meet like-minded future Facebook friends , but Fremantle Prison YHA is offering up a whole new experience . Western Australia 's only World Heritage-listed building has been transformed into a youth hostel where worldly travellers can spend a night behind bars in the cells previously occupied by hardened criminals . Bookings open this week ahead of the opening of the hostel following a renovation of the famous institution 's Women 's Prison which took nine months . Bookings open this week for the Fremantle Prison YHA , a youth hostel in Western Australia 's only World Heritage-listed building . Perfectly manicured lawns have replaced the dirt-covered yard that prisoners would have used for exercise in the former jail . A combination of new and old is found at the Fremantle Prison 's new short-term accommodation . The Fremantle Prison 's Women 's division has been transformed from a place for incarceration to a haven for young travellers . YHA spokeswoman Emily Abbott says the launch of the hostel will be the culmination on five years of planning for a project that almost did n't get off the ground but that it is now ‘ one of the most unique accommodation options in the country ’ . The north-western complex of the prison was built in the 1850s and originally served as the cookhouse , bakehouse and laundry but the closure of Perth Gaol meant a place was needed to keep female prisoners . They were transferred to Fremantle and the wing was secured by an extra wall to keep them in , with varying results . And as Western Australia ’ s criminals increased with the population , the division was further extended until it was rendered redundant by the building of the specialist Bandyup Women 's Prison in 1970 . The entire prison was closed in 1991 and its historic status has since been confirmed and honoured by Unesco , a blessing and a curse as far as the hostel is concerned . Inspection time at the cells will take on a whole new meaning when the Fremantle Prison YHA opens soon . A double bunk fits perfectly in this rather luxurious cell formerly occupied by law-breaking women . Hangings , floggings and some famous escapes once took place in the prison soon to be filled with smiling faces . The Fremantle Prison 's cookhouse before being devoted to women has extensive stainless steel food preparation facilities . ‘ The status as a World Heritage site added many challenges to the development , which was shelved a number of times before finally receiving approval in April 2014 , ' Abbott says . Building approval was officially given the green light the following month . The prison itself was built by convicts between 1851 and 1859 , and was consequently referred to as the Convict Establishment . It remained a prison for 136 years until it closed , with the Women 's Prison part of the property used as education facilities by TAFE School of Art and Design from 1993 to 2009 . Fremantle Prison was built by convicts from 1851-1859 and the majority of original features have been preserved throughout the facility . Reminders of the history of the prison , from past inmates to renowned escapees , are found throughout the halls . A tribute of sorts on the wall honouring Estelle Williams , an escapee who climbed onto the roof and then perimeter wall to get out in 1931 . A recreation of a typical cell that would have been home to a Fremantle inmate around 1855 . The Fremantle Prison 's entire complex serves as a popular and award-winning tourist attraction in its own right . Only a small overhaul was needed - and allowed due to the heritage listing 's restrictions - to turn the prison into short-term accommodation which Abbott says is 'as prison-like as it is comfortable ' . The walls , floors , windows and bars in some case retain the feeling of a place where you could be locked in with the key thrown away , but additional facilities have also been added to bring the hostel in line with its competitors . For those who do n't like the idea of being behind bars , the Victorian-style guards ’ cottages outside the front gates are a more luxurious option . The women once locked away in this wing would have usually ‘ offended the good order ’ of society , with the most common offences including 'vagrancy , loitering in public places , drunkenness , obscenity , soliciting , running a brothel , being idle or having no visible means of support ' .
Fremantle Prison is Western Australia 's only World Heritage-listed building . The former Women 's Prison section has become Fremantle Prison YHA . The youth hostel has been renovated to be 'as prison-like as it is comfortable '