What to do in Perth.

[Guest The Pom Queen]

Often I see a few ( in fact I can probably count on one hand ) of our members slating Perth as boring. 

‘To be honest I’ve never lived there but each time I’ve visited I have been sad to leave as there is so much to do and see on the West Coast. I suppose if you don’t like adventure and love big cities then Perth isn’t for you, but I found this article in the Guardian and it shows just how much there is to do in Perth and this doesn’t includes the rest of the West Coast. Thank you Anna Reece for allowing us to share this information

 

It’s among the most geographically isolated cities in the world, and sits on the edge of the Indian Ocean, so it’s only natural that the bright lights of Perth come from the sun and the sky. And that’s what gives Perth its sense of openness, endlessness and possibility.

Drive in any direction out of the city and the diversity of the Western Australian landscape is at your fingertips. Head north to Coral Bay, Exmouth and the Ningaloo Reef and it’s possible to walk from red dirt tracks on to white sand and into turquoise water. Venture south, and it’s the rolling farm land and vineyards of Yallingup and Margaret River, the towering karri and tingle trees of the Valley of the Giants and the rugged beaches of Denmark, Albany and Walpole.

 

Perth itself is transforming and evolving as it experiences the highest population growth in Australia in the past 10 years. Perhaps now it is fully able to herald and celebrate what it has always known it has: hidden treasures.

Beaches

We have a hashtag and we use it with pride #westcoastbestcoast. The coastline is noticeably undeveloped, which makes our sweeping stretches of beach all the more spectacular. Residential apartments have only emerged in the past 15 years and are set back so as not to impose on the sand dunes. Locals choose their beaches carefully: Cottesloe is no doubt a crowd pleaser, but walk a little further south to Mosman beach or north to Swanbourne beach or North Cottesloe and the crowds disappear. Car parks along the clifftops are lightly peppered with converted buses and kombi vans selling coffee and ice-creams, and it’s possible to find a spot on the sand a good 50 metres away from the next beach towel.

 

 

 Cottesloe Beach. Photograph: LouisHiemstra/Getty Images

For those after a little more sport, Mettams Pool is a natural rock pool surrounded by reef that offers a sheltered spot. Here snorkellers can swim through schools of garfish and buffalo bream, spot the red-lipped morwong, as well as brightly coloured tiny reef fish and abalone hiding in the rocky reef top. Dolphins and the occasional seal visit the outer reef.

Beach bites

A favourite haunt for locals is behind the sand dunes of Leighton beach in North Fremantle, 30 minutes’ drive south-west of the city. The Orange Box is a sophisticated kiosk that serves all-day brunches: bacon and egg burgers, french toast, fresh juices and homemade gelato (about A$20/£11 for juice, coffee and a B&E burger). Customers lounge in hammocks, crowd around picnic tables or laze in deckchairs before or after a plunge in the sea.

 

 

 The Orange Box

Next door and another level up – in height, as well as offering – is Bib and Tucker, a bar and restaurant owned by Olympic swimmer Eamon Sullivan. You may have to put shoes on and queue for a table, but the pineapple and burnt orange margaritas (A$18) make up for it. The view runs from the majestic cranes and industrial buzz of Fremantle port all the way up to the Norfolk pines of Cottesloe.

Closer to Perth, Yelo is on a hill overlooking Trigg and Scarborough beaches. It’s great for milkshakes, smoothies (around A$8.50), açaí bowls, homemade lemon meringue pie, and bacon and egg wraps. There’s a long, wooden veranda, communal tables and a panoramic view of the ocean.

Cathedral Square

 

 Elizabeth Quay. Photograph: Alamy

Over the past decade the skyline of Perth has been transformed with new developments stretching from Elizabeth Quay in the city to the beachfront of the northern suburb of Scarborough. While much of Perth’s historic architecture was demolished between the 1960s and 1990s in the race for modernisation, the A$700m Cathedral Square development, completed in 2016, has attempted to return some soul to the city centre. The square is built on the city’s “point zero”, from which all road distances to Perth are measured. It takes in the 19th-century Treasury Buildings and is also home to some of Perth’s best new bars and restaurants (Petition, Long Chim and Wild Flower). The new City of Perth Library – which has a living tree that will grow through the attic space – and Perth Town Hall are also part of the complex, firmly re-establishing the precinct as an accessible public space.

Kings Park

 

 The botanic gardens at Kings Park. Photograph: Alamy

One of the largest inner-city parks in the world, Kings Park is the heart of Perth and of cultural significance to the Noongar people, who had hunting grounds here and used it as a meeting place. Two-thirds of the 400-hectare park is native bushland on Mount Eliza (Mooro Katta), and the botanic gardens are home to 3,000 species of Western Australian flora, including kangaroo paws and banksias. Free guided walks depart daily and there’s a treetop walk over a 52-metre glass-and- steel arched bridge, offering views of the city, the river and even the distant Perth Hills.

Music

 

 

 The Odd Fellow venue in Fremantle.

Perth’s splendid isolation has been most successfully celebrated through its artists and, in particular, its music scene: Tim Minchin, the Triffids, John Butler, the Waifs, Tame Impala, Dave Warner and End of Fashion only scratch the surface of an extraordinary roll call of musicians from Western Australia. There’s a jumble of independent music venues in the city, from the garage feel of Mojos and the Odd Fellow (Fremantle) to the basement of a former fashion house at The Sewing Room and the bare-brick acoustics of electronic music venue The Bird. For jazz lovers, the tiny Ellington Jazz Club hosts Australian musicians and international acts, and one of Perth’s best kept secrets is the Jazz Cellar – famous for its entrance through an old red telephone booth.

Arts

A cultural hub for Western Australia, the Fremantle Arts Centre exhibits visual art from all over the word. In April, though, it will showcase new and emerging Aboriginal artists from this region. Its arts and crafts shop sells prints, ceramics, woodwork and jewellery from local artists, and its outdoor cafe is shaded by bougainvillea trees. From November to April the sprawling back lawns and courtyards of the centre hosts a series of evening and weekend concerts.

 

 

 Exhibition at Form, at the Goods Shed. Photograph: Bewley Shaylor

The Goods Shed in the western Perth suburb of Claremont is home to Form, an independent non-profit arts organisation that puts on exhibitions, installations and workshops – especially supporting local and Aboriginal artists – in a restored railway building that also houses studios and a cafe. The Perth Institute of Contemporary Art (Pica) is the city’s contemporary visual and performance arts venue and is in the middle of the Perth Cultural centre.

Where to eat

There are many seaside fish and chips options but for me it would have to be snapper and chips from Cotts Take Away (A$30 for two), across the road from Cottesloe beach. Freshly battered snapper, hot salty chips, with some pineapple fritters and calamari rings for good measure make for a brilliant dinner eaten on the beach as the sun dips into the Indian Ocean.

 

 Pasta at Francoforte Spaghetti Bar

In the city centre, the lanes around the State Theatre Centre and Northbridge are packed with cafes and restaurants. One of the most affordable is Francoforte Spaghetti Bar, with a menu of classics, along with dishes with a modern Australian twist. Try the kangaroo bolognese (from A$17), eggplant sugo (from A$15) or the carbonara with pig cheek (guanciale, from A$18). The Italian connection continues at the other end of the lane at No Mafia; try the fresh figs and gorgonzola (A$22) and for cocktail lovers the amphora-aged negroni ($15) is highly recommended.

 

 Chico Gelato

On a summer night, Chicho Gelato in Northbridge always has queues, thanks to an ever-changing list of Willy Wonka-esque flavours and twists on childhood favourites. Try salted caramel crack, lavender & honeycomb, or chocolate with banana jam & toasted coconut (A$5 for a scoop).

Fremantle

Crossing the Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan river) and entering the port city of Fremantle feels a bit like entering a Jeffery Smart painting. Giant red cranes line the river mouth, looming over yellow, blue, brown and red shipping containers. The Swan is a river teeming with life: a large pod of dolphins live in it, while black swans nest on bends of the river where the rushes are the thickest. Bicton Baths is a popular spot for river swimming – and has a geothermal hot spring open to the public from 7am until 12.30pm.

 

 

 People jumping into Swan river from Bicton Jetty, Bicton. Photograph: Orien Harvey/Getty Images/Lonely Planet Images

Strange Company is a bar that epitomises Fremantle’s character. It’s halfway down a quiet side street and around the corner from restaurant and bakery Bread In Common. Sit outside with a beer under passion fruit vines to witness the passeggiata (evening stroll) that Italian and Portuguese immigrants introduced to Australia in the 1950s and 60s. The European influence on Fremantle remains – purveyors of Portuguese custard tarts and espressos are plentiful. Try the much-loved Gino’s for coffee, the Attic for cakes or indulge in the dessert bar at La Sosta. Fill a bag with sugar-coated almonds, Turkish delight or baklava at the Kakulas Sisters deli.

Stay

 

 

 Roof terrace at the Alex Hotel

In arty Northbridge, the Alex Hotel is near Perth Cultural Centre, the Western Australian Museum and the Art Gallery of Western Australia. A mix of double and family rooms and dorms means all travellers are catered for, and communal spaces include an espresso bar, roof terrace, wine bar and restaurant. The heavyweight cultural institutions on the doorstep could easily fill a couple of days. After that borrow a (free) bike from the hotel to explore further afield.
• Alex Hotel, 50 James Street, +61 8 6430 4000, alexhotel.com.au. Doubles from A$180 (£100) B&B 

Best time to go

February to March is festival season with Perth Festival and Fringe World. September and October is the wild flower season, when colours sweep across Kings Park, through forests and along coastal plains. The annual migration of humpback and southern right whales from Antarctica to the warm waters of the Kimberly region begins in late August and runs to early December.

• Anna Reece is the head of programming for the Perth Festival

[Sandgroper]

Please ignore everything The Pom Queen has said WA and Perth in particular is dull, dull , dull we do not need any more tourism please stay away, apparently London is good  for a day trip 

[ali]

1 hour ago, Sandgroper said:

Please ignore everything The Pom Queen has said WA and Perth in particular is dull, dull , dull we do not need any more tourism please stay away, apparently London is good  for a day trip 

Yes we're keeping it secret ... nothing to see here ... move along

[Bulya]

Had some interesting times in Perth in the 80’s.  Never to be forgotten..

[Drumbeat]

11 hours ago, ali said:

Yes we're keeping it secret ... nothing to see here ... move along

I agree, it's far too crowded already 

[Klaartje]

We are actually contemplating moving to Perth. Contenders are Adelaide and....drum roll.... Geelong. This article is really selling it I have to say. May make the decision which job to accept a tad easier... or not, just how you look at it!

[Marisawright]

13 hours ago, Klaartje said:

We are actually contemplating moving to Perth. Contenders are Adelaide and....drum roll.... Geelong. This article is really selling it I have to say. May make the decision which job to accept a tad easier... or not, just how you look at it!

It is a hard decision.   Each Australian city is different in character, probably more than you'd expect.   

To give you an example, my niece came to Australia on a WHV, adored Sydney and didn't want to go home (even though she lived with her old auntie and worked in an office, and she didn't party like most WHV'ers).  A few years later, she got a chance of a temp contract in Perth with her employer, went there, hated it.  Got transferred to Brisbane, didn't like that either.  Decided to go back to London!  At the time she was a singleton of nearly 40 and that would have been a factor in her judgment, I'm sure. 

On the other side of the coin, I have friends (with families) who were never comfortable in Sydney, moved to Perth and absolutely love it.  So it's a very personal thing.

My only reservation about moving to Perth is that it's a long way from the rest of Australia.  If you move to Geelong and don't like it, it's not expensive to move to Adelaide or Canberra or even further up north.   It's a short, cheap flight to anywhere else in the East for interviews, and there's lots of options for transporting your belongings once you've landed a job. 

Move to Perth and if you don't like it, you're facing an expensive four-hour flight every time you get an interview, and shipping across the Nullarbor can cost you almost as much as shipping from the UK.  It's just something else to consider.

[Bulya]

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

It is a hard decision.   Each Australian city is different in character, probably more than you'd expect.   

To give you an example, my niece came to Australia on a WHV, adored Sydney and didn't want to go home (even though she lived with her old auntie and worked in an office, and she didn't party like most WHV'ers).  A few years later, she got a chance of a temp contract in Perth with her employer, went there, hated it.  Got transferred to Brisbane, didn't like that either.  Decided to go back to London!  At the time she was a singleton of nearly 40 and that would have been a factor in her judgment, I'm sure. 

On the other side of the coin, I have friends (with families) who were never comfortable in Sydney, moved to Perth and absolutely love it.  So it's a very personal thing.

My only reservation about moving to Perth is that it's a long way from the rest of Australia.  If you move to Geelong and don't like it, it's not expensive to move to Adelaide or Canberra or even further up north.   It's a short, cheap flight to anywhere else in the East for interviews, and there's lots of options for transporting your belongings once you've landed a job. 

Move to Perth and if you don't like it, you're facing an expensive four-hour flight every time you get an interview, and shipping across the Nullarbor can cost you almost as much as shipping from the UK.  It's just something else to consider.

Agree.  Every state and territory differs far more than you’ll find in the U.K yet most migrants don’t get to experience those differences and pick a place that suits.  I joined the military and moved around Australia a bit, a great benefit  

[starlight7]

What to do in Perth?  Go to the airport and catch a plane...hehehe