Garden Island is situated 13 kilometres or 20 minutes' drive south of Fremantle. A causeway over four kilometres long links the island to the mainland. Garden Island is the site of a maintenance facility of the Royal Australian Navy. Public access to the island is by private boat and only 80 percent of the island is open to the public. Access is not permitted after dark.
Garden Island has beautiful beaches and bays, and is an ideal place for picnics, swimming, fishing, surfing and sailing. Also, look out for the native Tammar, a small species of wallaby that lives freely on the island.
Captain James Stirling first landed on Garden Island in 1827, and founded the first European settlement in Western Australia. Some remnants of the first settlement can be seen at Cliff Head. The original well is there, and a memorial and lookout has also been constructed.