24 Hours In - Perth

The Sunday Age

Sunday June 22, 2008

Melissa Kent

Perth is shedding its reputation as Australia's sleepy country cousin lying dormant in the west coast sunshine, reports Melissa Kent.

6.30am

As is widely documented, Sandgropers worship the beach. Start your devotions early with the hordes of dawn swimmers at Cottesloe beach, one of Perth's most popular stretches of sand whatever the weather. In summer at this time of day, the Indian Ocean is as still as a millpond - the infamous sea breeze doesn't usually begin blasting the skin from your face until at least 10am. If a bracing swim is not your thing, take a pew at the Indiana Teahouse (now boasting a dash of macabre glamour as the location of Heath Ledger's wake) overlooking the waves. Flick through oft-maligned local paper The West Australian while watching hardier types brave the chill.

Indiana Teahouse, 99 Marine Parade, Cottesloe.

8am

Hop in the car and head south along the Stirling Highway. Take a detour through the riverside suburbs of Mosman Park and Peppermint Grove for a lesson in how to spend vast amounts of cash in obscenely conspicuous ways. The wealth on display in these mining-enriched streets is breathtaking. Sadly, Rose Porteous' temple of tackiness, Prix D'Amour, on Wellington Street has gone, but you can still get a glimpse of the million-dollar views she enjoyed from Memorial Park overlooking the Swan on Bay View Terrace. Other nearby monstrosities include mining heiress Angela Bennett's palatial compound at 43 Saunders Street, for sale for a mere $70 million.

9.30am

Cross the Fremantle Traffic Bridge and head into Freo. Escape the crowds on the increasingly soulless "cappuccino strip" and walk a kilometre or so down South Terrace to South Fremantle for a more laidback vibe. Mosey through the small galleries, fashion boutiques, cafes and Italian delis before stopping for a brunch of ricotta and blueberry pancakes with the locals at Aubergine Gourmet Foods. Continue south through South Freo's side streets where tiny old weatherboard beach shacks (now tastefully renovated with exorbitant price tags) point to the suburb's one-time role as a holiday destination for the working class. Follow the Terrace all the way to South Beach and keep going until you spot the statue of CY O'Connor riding his horse into the breakers. The doomed engineer committed suicide at that very spot in 1902, tormented by the mistaken belief that his Mundaring-to-Kalgoorlie water pipeline had failed.

Aubergine, 231 South Terrace, South Fremantle.

Noon

Time to eat again. Savour the marinated octopus and a Rogers' beer amid the clanking masts and sleek racing boats at Little Creatures, Freo's hippest boutique brewery on Fishing Boat Harbour. This Hofbrauhaus-sized den, run by impossibly funky bar staff was, strangely, once a crocodile zoo and is now part of rejuvenated waterfront whose gentrification began in the mid-'80s, thanks to the America's Cup. Nearby is the legendary fish and chip restaurant Cicerello's and more seafood restaurants than a swarm of seagulls could fight over.

Little Creatures, 40 Mews Road, Fremantle.

2pm

Head back to the city via the Canning Highway. Stop along the way for an over-priced beer on the river in Applecross at the heritage-listed Raffles Hotel, an art deco gem which had the recent misfortune of having a 17-storey luxury apartment complex plonked on top of it.

Raffles Hotel, Canning Hwy, Applecross.

3.30pm

Time for a credit card workout. Hit fashionable King Street in the city where the plush new shops are testament to the locals' boom-time penchant for blowing cash. Here Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Bally sit alongside older tenants such as Varga Girl, Empire Rose and Celestial Tenielle. Chanel, Ralph Lauren, Versace and Tiffanys are all reportedly in the process of opening stores on this street.

5.30pm

Slow down and soak up the sunset overlooking the city skyline at Kings Park, a remarkable stretch of bush wilderness in the middle of the city with spectacular views of the city and river stretching all the way to Melville. For the best views, head to the State War Memorial on Fraser Avenue. Stand with a friend at opposite ends of the famous Whispering Wall, a curved wall at the memorial's entrance, and listen closely when they whisper a secret.

7.30pm

Take the meandering road through the park to Subiaco - "Subi" to the locals - and grab a table at Buddha Bar, an Indian-fusion restaurant with cosy couches and colourful cushions at the bustling intersection of Rokeby Road and Hay Street. Try the masala grilled calamari ($16) or Japanese squid salad ($23).

Buddha Bar, 88 Rokeby Road, Subiaco.

9pm

Finish the day by heading across the road for evening cocktails at the Llama Bar or the shiny Pure Bar on Hay Street, one of the first nightspots in the area to take advantage of the state's new liquor licensing laws which allow for small bars. Sip a Pimp My Bubbly (Pimms, Cointreau, mint and French bubbly, $13) while watching Perth's cashed-up party set try to impress each other or, better yet, why not join them?

Pure Bar, 331 Hay St, Subiaco

© 2008 The Sunday Age

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