Dempsey Manning has called Freo home for years. He knows the heritage laneways the coaches cannot fit down, the Fishing Boat Harbour spots that disappear after 10am, and the back-street cafe the locals use when the tourist strip fills up. Your group gets all 11 seats and all of that knowledge to yourselves.
4 to 11 people — whole van exclusively yours
Half-day (3–4 hrs) or full-day (6–8 hrs)
Perth CBD, Fremantle, cruise terminal, Perth Airport
Fixed quote for the whole van — tolls & GST included
Fully customisable — built around your group
Sun Up Charters offers fully private Fremantle tours for groups of 4 to 11 people in Western Australia. Led by local guide Dempsey Manning, tours cover the West End heritage laneways, Fishing Boat Harbour, the Cappuccino Strip, Fremantle Markets, and other Freo highlights. The entire 11-seater van is exclusively yours. Fixed pricing. Half-day and full-day options available. Cruise ship passenger pickups from Fremantle Terminal. Call 0457 953 143.
Fremantle was named Australia’s Top Tourism Town in 2025 — and it is easy to see why. But most visitors see the same version: the souvenir shops on the main strip, the queue at Little Creatures, and a brief walk past the Prison. That is the tourist Fremantle. Dempsey takes your group to a different one.
The heritage laneways in the West End are too narrow for large coaches. They are literally prohibited from entering. Dempsey’s 11-seater van is not. That means your group can wander through the same quiet bluestone lanes that local architects, artists, and cafe owners walk every day — without the crowds and without the schedule.
Add in Dempsey’s knowledge of the Fishing Boat Harbour at its best, the Cappuccino Strip before it fills up, and the Freo Markets on the right day, and you have got a day that feels genuinely local — not a conveyor belt of bus stops dressed up as an experience.
“We don’t just drive through Fremantle. We live here.”
Fremantle’s West End heritage laneways — accessible only to smaller vehicles.
These are the places Dempsey can include in your Fremantle tour. Your itinerary is built around what your group wants — you can include all of these, some of them, or ask for something different entirely.
Freo’s most photographed laneways — quiet, colonial-era bluestone passages lined with small galleries, independent cafes, and heritage buildings dating to the 1890s. Large coaches are prohibited from entering. Your van is not.
Fremantle’s working waterfront. The best time is early — before the tourist boats arrive and the fishing fleet is still bringing in the day’s catch. Dempsey knows the vantage points that most visitors miss entirely.
South Terrace is Fremantle’s famous alfresco cafe and restaurant precinct. Dempsey knows which end gets the morning sun, which tables are worth waiting for, and which place does the best coffee in the area.
Open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, the Fremantle Markets have been running since 1897. Art, produce, craft, and street food under one heritage-listed roof. A Freo institution worth planning your visit around.
A UNESCO World Heritage-listed convict-era site with a genuinely remarkable history. Dempsey can provide context that brings the precinct to life beyond what the signage tells you — or book an official tour to go inside.
The Fishing Boat Harbour waterfront is home to Little Creatures Brewery, The Monk, and several other craft venues. Dempsey knows which ones have space for a group and when to arrive before the queues form.
This itinerary is fully flexible. If your group wants to spend two hours at the Markets instead of 30 minutes at the Prison, that is what happens. Sun Up has no schedule to keep and no other groups waiting on the van. Tell Dempsey what matters most and he will build the day around it.
Both options give your group the entire van exclusively. The right choice depends on how much of Freo you want to cover — and how long you want to linger.
Price
Fixed price for the whole van · GST & tolls included
Price
Fixed price for the whole van · GST & tolls included
All pricing is quoted for the whole van — not per person. Split across 6 to 11 people, a private Sun Up tour often works out the same per head as a shared bus. Call Dempsey on 0457 953 143 for a fixed quote with no obligation.
A shared bus tour shows you Fremantle. A Sun Up private tour lets you experience it. Here is the practical difference.
When your group books with Sun Up, no one else gets on. Not semi-private. Not a “small group” that still has eight strangers in it. Just your people, your pace, and no one else’s agenda to work around.
Fremantle’s West End heritage laneways are prohibited to large coaches. Not inconvenient — prohibited. Sun Up’s 11-seater is small enough to navigate them, which means your group sees a Fremantle most visitors never find.
If your group falls in love with the Cappuccino Strip and wants another hour there, you get another hour. There is no bus schedule to keep, no other groups waiting, and no driver watching the clock from the front seat.
Dempsey knows Freo because he lives here. The timing of Fishing Boat Harbour. The market stalls worth finding. The viewpoints that do not appear on Google Maps. This specificity only comes from genuine local belonging — not from running the same script for a different crowd each morning.
Sun Up Charters picks up groups directly from the Fremantle Passenger Terminal. With limited time in port — typically 6 to 8 hours — a private van tour is the most efficient way to see the real Fremantle. No waiting for a shared bus to fill. No strangers. Just your group and Dempsey.
Cruise ships per season
Hours typical port stop
Sapphire Princess homeport
Book in advance — popular dates fill quickly
Any group of 4 to 11 people can book — but these occasions make a private Freo day out especially memorable.
40th, 50th, 60th — give the guest of honour a day the whole group will talk about for years.
Private van, local guide, cafe strip, craft brewery waterfront. A Freo hen’s day is hard to beat.
Keep the whole family together in one comfortable van with no logistics stress for the organiser.
Impress visiting clients or reward your team with a genuinely memorable Freo experience.
Fremantle pairs beautifully with a Swan Valley wine tour. And if your group needs airport pickups or Margaret River day trips, Sun Up covers those too.
Australia’s second-oldest wine region, 25 min from Perth. Private cellar doors and a guide who knows which places let small groups into the back shed.
11-seater private van for groups of up to 11. Meet-and-greet with real-time flight tracking. Fixed pricing — no surge fees, ever.
A 3-hour drive south — infinitely more comfortable in a private 11-seater. Artisan producers, boutique wineries, and the South West coastline.
Everything you need to know before you book. Still have a question? Call Dempsey on 0457 953 143.
Call Dempsey directly and tell him about your group — how many people, which date, and what you want to get out of the day. He will come back with a fixed quote, no hold music, and no surprises. One conversation is all it takes.
Fixed pricing · Your group only · All tolls & GST included · Cruise terminal pickups available
