There is no town in Western Australia which has a richer history and heritage than Fremantle. Established in 1829 it was where the first colonists to what was then called Swan River Colony first landed. However, the history of Fremantle cannot be told in isolation so any story about Fremantle is also a story about Western Australia and if storekeeping was the first occupation to be followed in the new colony, then hotel keeping was the next. Within six months of the colony being founded Fremantle had four hotels so this book traces the history of those early Fremantle hotels and how they, and the hotels that followed, shaped the culture and appearance of Fremantle today. To know the history of those hotels is to know the history of Fremantle.

Part One of the trilogy covered the years 1829 - 1856. Part Two covers the years 1857 - 1890 and Part Three will cover the years 1891 - 1929.

Part One received a High Commendation (runner up) in the 2024 Williams/Lee Steere annual book of the year award run by the Royal Western Australian Historical Society and the judging panel wrote 'Inns and Outs is, we believe, the first in a series of books following the history of Fremantle's hotels, and if they are anything like this first book WA will be fortunate indeed.'

Allen is a lifelong resident of Fremantle, having been born and raised in Beaconsfield. He was a Councillor with the City of Fremantle during the heady days of the America's Cup, serving on the council between 1985 and 1990. Allen has been researching and writing about Fremantle's history for over forty years with a particular focus on Fremantle's hotels. He has won the City of Fremantle's unpublished history award on three occasions and has had a number of essays on Fremantle's history published in Fremantle Studies, the journal of the Fremantle history society.