YOUR F IRST DAY GOES LIKE THIS. . .
[ MORNING ]
While many tourists find themselves on the coast at sunset, Perth’s beaches can be equally rewarding in the morning. Cottesloe, for instance, is one of the city’s more popular stretches of sand and sea and reachable from the city by train. Those who prefer exercising outdoors rather than inside a hotel gym have options galore, from beach runs and swims to teeing off at Sea View Golf Club (seaviewgolfclub.com.au), a picturesque course with ocean views. Members of the public are allowed to play here outside of competition times, though bookings are essential.
Of course, you might want to head to Cottesloe Beach just to partake in that great Australian tradition of going out for breakfast. While Il Lido (illido.com.au) has served comforting Italian cooking for a decade, the seaside cantina has flourished under the direction of new owners Lyndon Waples and Dan Wegener (ex-Print Hall in the CBD). The duck confit waffles (perhaps paired with something from Wegener’s mighty cellar) make a decadent start to the day.
[ NOON ]
Once largely the realm of nonnas and Asian immigrants, the inner-city precinct of Northbridge has come to symbolise the new Perth. While the neighbourhood still boasts plenty of its original inhabitants – the spice and bulk-goods wonderland that is Kakulas Brothers (kakulasbros.com.au), say – the suburb’s old guard is constantly rubbing shoulders with newer arrivals, such as boutique gelateria Chicho Gelato (chichogelato.com) and Perth’s high-water
mark for American fried chicken, Meat Candy (meatcandyperth.com.au).
Northbridge is also ground zero for the city’s arts scene. While the Perth Cultural Centre (mra.wa.gov.au) on James Street Mall remains the traditional home of the arts – this is where you’ll find the Art Gallery of Western Australia (artgallery.wa.gov.au), the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (pica.org.au) and independent theatre The Blue Room (blueroom.org.au) – street artists have turned the area’s roads and laneways into a constantly changing canvas (some works are commissioned, others not so much).
All that walking certainly works up a thirst. Better hydrate at Shadow Wine Bar (shadowwinebar.com.au) and the Southern Italian-themed No Mafia (nomafia.com.au), two of the city’s better wine bars, conveniently located a short walk from each other. Then head back to the other side of the city to catch the sunset at Ku De Ta (kudeta.com) on the Swan River – the first international spin-off of the popular Balinese beach club.
[NIGHT]
When Como The Treasury (comohotels. com) opened its doors in late 2015, observers understandably made a fuss about its grandeur and uncompromising attention to detail. The property is undoubtedly one of the finest places to stay in Australia and it’s possible to construct your own (excellent) roving dinner without leaving the compound.
Start at the beer bar and enoteca at Petition (petitionperth.com). The entire premises are licensed, leaving patrons free to wander from one venue to the next, drink in hand. From there, set sail for Long Chim (longchimperth.com), a paean to the gutsy street food of Bangkok, for snacks and more drinks. (The incendiary Chiang Mai larp, a take-no-prisoners mix of chilli, chicken and pepper, is the stuff of legend – approach with caution.) You could settle in here for the night and be satisfied but the hotel’s best eating is to be found on its rooftop at Wildflower (wildflowerperth.com.au), a polished finediner where native Australian ingredients such as marron, finger lime and emu are the stars of the show. Like the new-look Perth, it’s a little bit traditional, a little bit modern and a whole lot of fun.