Yahoo News Perth: where to stay, eat and drink
Perth — said to be the world’s sunniest capital city (well, it’s the capital of Western Australia) — has well and truly shaken off its dull image with the unveiling of a new waterfront development last year. Four years in the making and costing an eye-watering AUS$2.2 billion, the man-made Elizabeth Quay (elizabethquay.com.au) has revived the Swan River district with bold artworks, new hotels, a playground, restaurants offering some superb sunset views and a new home for the ferries departing to Rottnest — home of the selfie-loving quokkas. As an added bonus there’s free wi-fi across the quay; follow #quaytips on Twitter for the latest goings-on.
Where to stay
Both the Ritz-Carlton and Doubletree by Hilton are under construction. In the meantime, you can “rough it” at COMO’s 48-room luxury five-star property The Treasury (00 61 8 6168 7888; comohotels.com), opened by Prince Charles and voted second-best hotel in the world by Condé Nast Traveler. With its own beehives and a rooftop restaurant whose menu was designed by an aboriginal elder, this place so lacks pretension “the guests have been known to walk around in their bathrobes”. Doubles from AUS$495 (£303) per night, B&B.
What to eat and drink
The name on every local’s lips is The Reveley (00 61 8 6314 1350; thereveleybar.com.au), a three-tier tower with two top-notch restaurants. The better of the two is on the second floor with a menu of oysters, grilled octopus and a 90-day-aged chateaubriand. Its rooftop bar, Henry’s, is the hottest place for a sundowner thanks to its 180-degree views of the bay and a cocktail list that includes the Banana Bootleggin’ — made with moonshine and cinnamon whisky.
Water-level views of the Swan River are also available at the (wink-wink nod-nod) Lucky Shag Waterfront Bar (00 61 8 9325 3700; luckyshagbar.com.au), which has live acoustic music Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and a DJ on weekends, plus pub-style snacks.
When next to the water, it’s a sin not to partake of some poisson at Halo (00 61 8 9325 4575; halorestaurant.com.au), with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the quay and a menu devoted to seasonal, local seafood. It’s pricey, with starters rising to AUS$26, but worth it when offerings include scallops with Illawarra plums, or oysters with gin-and-tonic-infused compressed cucumbers.
For a heartier on-the-go bite, V-Burger Bar (00 61 8 9225 6448; vburgerbar.com.au) — famed for its teriyaki chicken burger, thick shakes and sweet potato fries — has opened a new outlet here. But be prepared to defend your brunch from the seagulls.
Travellers with a sweet tooth shouldn’t miss Gusto Gelato (gustogelato.com.au), billed “the best gelato outside of Italy” by a local reviewer. Five dollars a scoop seems fair when the flavours are so inventive. Try the Miss Muffet, made with white chocolate and lemon curd, or the seasonal Pud & Pie featuring custard gelato smashed with Christmas pudding and mince pies.
Where to shop
Elizabeth Quay isn’t really geared towards shopping. Boardwalk Souvenirs sells the usual cork hats and koala teddies but it’s better to coincide your visit with the Perth Makers Market (00 61 408 932 661; perthmakersmarket.com.au) over the water, where stallholders scattered across the boardwalk proffer handcrafted items from across Western Australia, such as jewellery, homewares, food and drink.
What to do and see
You could jog around the new 12km running/cycling circuit around Swan River, but we recommend a stroll on the boardwalk to visit the five pieces of modern art commissioned to decorate the quay. The most enigmatic is First Contact, which captures the moment aborigines mistook the boats of the first white men for big white birds.
To learn more about Perth’s aboriginal history, join Nyungar elder Walter McGuire and his wife Meg, who run Go Cultural Tours (gocultural.com.au) and will initiate you with a smoking ceremony on Elizabeth Quay. They also teach you about the Whadjuk people and how the river was created by the Dreamtime rainbow serpent. Tours are Wednesday to Sunday, 10am or 2pm, AUS$55.
Don’t miss the Shard-esque Bell Tower (thebelltower.com.au), which houses the bells from St Martin-in-the-Fields Church in Trafalgar Square — they sounded the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, Captain Cook’s return in 1771 and victory after the Second World War. They were shipped over, restored and housed in this landmark. They chime every half-hour, Monday to Saturday, 10.30am to 2.30pm, with a full demo at noon, Monday and Thursday.
Details: Perth
Emirates (0344 800 2777; emirates.com) flies from Gatwick, from £935 return.
