| 1829 | Capt C.H. Fremantle claimed the west coast of Australia for the British crown. First settlers landed. |
| 1831 | Round House built for use as gaol; first school opened. |
| 1833 | First town plan of Fremantle by Surveyor-General J.S.Roe. |
| 1837 | Two whaling companies operating at Bathers Bay. Construction of small breakwater and tunnel under Round House for transport of goods. |
| 1848 | Fremantle Town Trust established (Capt. Daniel Scott, Chairman). |
| 1850 | First convicts arrived aboard Scindian (June). |
| 1851 | Construction of Fremantle Prison began. Fremantle Literary Institute established. |
| 1861 | Construction of Fremantle Lunatic Asylum began; building completed 1865. |
| 1866 | Convict labour used to build first bridge over river at Fremantle. |
| 1868 | Last convicts arrived aboard Hougoumont. |
| 1871 | Municipal Corporations Act passed; Fremantle Town Council established (W.S.Pearse, Chairman). |
| 1876 | Six Fenian prisoners escaped aboard American whaler Catalpa. |
| 1879 | Reserve land (now Fremantle Park) vested in Fremantle Town Council. |
| 1881 | Perth – Fremantle railway opened. |
| 1883 | Fremantle Municipal Council established (Barrington Wood, Mayor). Central Fremantle streets lit by gaslamps. |
| 1887 | Fremantle Town Hall opened 22 June. Telephone exchange opened in building the following year. |
| 1895 | North Fremantle gazetted as separate municipality. Fremantle Oval first used for football. Fremantle Hospital established. |
| 1897 | Fremantle Harbour opened with arrival of SS Sultan. Four new hotels opened. High Street (to Adelaide Street) paved with wooden blocks. East Fremantle gazetted as separate municipality. |
| 1898 | Fremantle Markets built; Mills & Ware opened. |
| 1902 | Death of C.Y.O’Connor; Princess May School opened. |
| 1906 | Fremantle Tramways opened. Sea baths built near Long Jetty. |
| 1907 | Fremantle Railway Station opened adjacent to Fremantle Harbour. Beginning of South Beach development as holiday destination. |
| 1914-18 | Troops embark from Fremantle for WWI. Port used for naval and military purposes. |
| 1919 | Bloody Sunday 4 May; lumper Tom Edwards fatally wounded by the butt of a rifle in waterfront industrial dispute. Spanish Flu epidemic. |
| 1922 | Uglieland fairground opened opposite railway station (later, Pioneer Park site); ran till 1936 raising funds for welfare. |
| 1928 | Fremantle War Memorial on Monument Hill unveiled Armistice Day, 11 November. |
| 1929 | Centenary of Fremantle’s foundation. Fremantle proclaimed a city 3 June; Frank Gibson first mayor. |
| 1932 | Hazel Orme Kindergarten opened: one of first in WA, served as model for future Kindergarten Union preschools. |
| 1939 | New traffic bridge opened. Beginning of Fremantle’s involvement as naval port in WWII. |
| 1948 | O’Connor Industrial area established. Beginning of postwar immigration programmes bringing migrant ships to Fremantle. |
| 1949 | Opening of Evan Davies Civic Library in former Fremantle Literary Institute building in South Tce (first wholly rate-supported library in WA). |
| 1952 | Closure of Fremantle tram service. |
| 1958 | Last students from Fremantle Boys’ and Princess May Girls’ Schools transferred to new John Curtin High School. |
| 1961 | North Fremantle re-joined Fremantle City Council |
| 1964 | Fremantle Port Authority Building, Fremantle Passenger Terminal and North Fremantle Grain Silos all completed. New rail bridge (upriver from original bridge) opened. |
| 1967 | Esme Fletcher Day Nursery opened; also South Fremantle High School. |
| 1969 | Encounter Bay (first container ship at Fremantle) arrived 28 March; official opening of first container berth 29 March. |
| 1971 | Former Fremantle Boys School building re-opened as Perth Institute of Film and Television (PIFT) |
| 1972 | Former Fremantle Lunatic Asylum building restored; re-opened as Fremantle Arts Centre, 13 October. Fremantle Society founded. |
| 1974 | Stirling Traffic bridge opened 17 May. |
| 1976 | Stan Reilly Frail Aged Lodge opened; Fremantle Arts Centre Press founded. |
| 1977 | Nunzio Gumina introduced al fresco dining at Papa Luigi’s coffee shop in SouthTerrace, the start of development of the Cappuccino Strip. |
| 1979 | Perth – Fremantle railway line closed 1 Sept.; re-opened 29 July 1983. |
| 1984 | Work commenced on Challenger Harbour in preparation for the America’s Cup. |
| 1986-87 | Fremantle hosted world championship sailing events: World 12 Metre Championships, America’s Cup Defence Series, Tall Ships Race. Fremantle Town Hall restored and refurbished. |
| 1989 | Film and Television Institute (FTI) opened in former PIFT premises, originally Fremantle Boys School. |
| 1991 | Closure of Richmond Raceway at East Fremantle; re-developed as residential sites. Fremantle Prison de-commissioned; building re-opened 1992 as cultural tourism site. |
| 1993 | Endeavour (historic barque replica) built in Fremantle, launched on 16 April. |
| 1995 | Fremantle Football Club (The Dockers) played first game. |
| 1996 | Replica of Endeavour left Fremantle 16th October |
| 1997 | Fremantle Hospital, Fremantle Port Authority and Victoria Pavilion celebrated their centenaries. Replica of Dufken – Keel laid by Crown prince Willem Alexander of Netherlands 11th January |
| 2000 | Booyeembara Park established on former Montreal Open Space site; designed and named to honour Aboriginal heritage. |
| 2001 | The Whalers tunnel was renovated and reopened to the public. Monument Hill listed on West Australian Heritage Register. |
| 2002 | West Australian Maritime Museum on Victoria Quay opens. Woodside Maternity Hospital closes. |
| 2003 | Old Papa’s on South Terrace closes. |
| 2004 | Watson’s Butchers on High Street closes after 75 years. Fremantle Primary School Centenary. |
| 2005 | Fremantle Prison placed on new National Heritage List. John Curtin Statue in King’s Square unveiled. |
| 2006 | Roma Restaurant closes after 52 years. Duyfken leaves Fremantle. |
| 2007 | Royal George Hotel in East Fremantle handed over to the National Trust. Fire gutted National Hotel, which has been sold & will be restored. First ‘Cracker Night’ held on Australia Day at Fishing Boat Harbour. |
| 2008 | Ban on smoking for outdoor dining areas. |
| 2009 | City of Fremantle became first Carbon Neutral local government authority in WA. |
| 2010 | Fremantle Prison granted World Heritage Listing. |