A Traveller’s Guide to Perth

Chris Farnell visits Perth, the largest city in WA.

By Chris Farnell

Visiting the largest city in Western Australia, you might be expecting to dive right into the middle of the rat race, but when you get to the city of Perth you’ll find your experience is very different. It’s picked up numerous nicknames over the years, “The Friendly City” is one, “The City of Light” is another- named for the time everyone in the city switched their lights on at once as astronaut John Glenn passed overhead in his first orbit of the Earth. But whatever you call it, the general impressions are the same, Perth is far more friendly and easy going than you’d expect a capital city to be. Maybe it’s because Perth is the world’s most remote capital city, or maybe it’s just that with weather this good it’s hard not to feel like your chilling at the beach. For that matter, maybe it’s all the beaches.

Sunning in the Sand

Perth is surrounded by flawless parkland and sparkling beaches. In fact, the beaches around here are so numerous the city is able to devote an entire beach just to dogs and their owners. If you’re taking man’s best friend along with you, you could do worse than check out Mosman Beach- known as Leighton Dog Beach to the locals.

Cottlesloe is one of the more popular beaches among two-legged visitors, and this is a great place to bring the family. This beach boasts quality snorkelling, surfing and fishing experiences, but it’s also just a great place to build sandcastles and bury Dad up to his neck in sand.

For teens and young adults, Scarborough Beach might be more your scene. This beach is a great spot for surfing and body-boarding, as well as wind and kite surfing. Then, when the sun goes down, it’s the perfect place for a moonlight picnic or a barbecue in one of the large grassed areas and public gazebos.

Shopping

When you’re not catching a wave or working on your tan, you’ll find Perth is an excellent shopping destination. It’s worth trekking up to King Street, where you’ll find some premier retailers. Gucci, Prada and Louis Vuitton all of shops here while Chanel has been rumoured to be trying to find space there.

For something a little more handcrafted, check out the Perth Upmarket, held four times a year at the university’s Winthrop Hall. Here you’ll find artists, designers, gourmets and craftsmen, all tending their wares directly to the customers.

If you fancy venturing beyond the centre of Perth a little way, take a look around Mount Lawley, just five minutes drive to the North of the city centre. If you come out to Lawley you’ll find it has a rich, vintage atmosphere, full of colonial style architecture from the 1900s through to the 1950s. This area is brimming with great shopping, cafes and restaurants.

Across the city the range of food varies from posher, my stylish fare, to cheap and cheerful cafes and public outdoor barbecues. A particularly good place to hunt out good eating spots is along the Swan River. Here you’ll find the Halo Cafe, which has been a finalist in the Golden Plate awards in the casual dining, licensed tourist restaurant and wine list categories. Halo serves up great fresh local seafood, steaks and poultry in a relaxed, contemporary setting.

Alternatively there’s the Crystal Swan, which actually floats down the Swan River as you eat, giving you 360 degree views of the city and serving up a selection of great food and Western Australian beers and wines.

Things to See

There’s far more to this city than just the beaches, shops and restaurants however. With a bit of a look around you can find all sorts of great attractions.

If you’re a fan of wildlife you could do worse than checking out Perth Zoo, home of over 1200 animals spread over more than 160 species. Exhibits include animals you might find on an Australian walkabout, or even more exotic beasts from the African Savannah or the Asian Rainforest. Alternatively, you can check out the Aquarium of Western Australia or AQWA (see what they did there?) where you can come face to face with the creatures of the deep without even getting wet.

If you want a bit of history, pay a visit to Fremantle Prison. Fremantle is Western Australia’s only World Heritage listed building, with roots going back to the very beginnings of the settlement of Australia. It also lays claim to being the largest structure build by convicts in the country. With 140 years continuous service as a penitentiary, and a death row, solitary cells and gallows, this is a place with thousands of stories to tell- and not all of them have happy endings.

For something a bit more cheering, why not take in a movie at Perth’s Ford Fiesta Moonlight Cinema? Here you can see everything from the latest blockbusters to the eternal classics, and all under a fabulous starry night sky.

With plenty to do- and plenty of places to do nothing, you’ll find Perth’s a very friendly city indeed.

Links:

Moonlight Cinema http://www.moonlight.com.au/home.php?location=Perth

Perth Zoo http://www.perthzoo.wa.gov.au/

Perth Upmarket http://www.perthupmarket.com.au/

Freemantle Prison http://www.fremantleprison.com.au/Pages/default.aspx

Issue 8, Australia & New Zealand Outlook