Ocean Beach Hotel in Cottesloe, the "swanky" part of Perth with a super beach. Have a lazy day at the beach then get into OBH for a cold, cold Hahn beer or something similar. Fridges full of chilled glasses ensure this is a cold beer. Ignore the TVs and the sport. Just take a seat at the open bar front and enjoy the sunset over the Indian Ocean. Sydney may have its harbour, but it doesn't get the sunset. Enjoy the multitude of colour across the ocean as the sun dips behind the horizon ... then order another beer.

www.obh.com.au/
Ocean Beach Hotel, 140 Marine parade, Cottesloe, WA,
+61 8 9384 2555
Google map: bit.ly/Sux2UY

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Easy Perth Backpackers is a fantastic place to save money and chill for a while in Perth. They have the cheapest rates going for Northbridge and allow you to bring in your own beers/'goon' from the off license.

www.easyperthbackpackers.com.au
46 Francis St, Northbridge, Perth WA
+61 8 922 88 170
Google map: bit.ly/xWrUz2
A few minutes walk from the main train station

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Try Duende Restaurant in Newcastle Street - Fresh ingredients, great atmosphere, and very talented chef make this the best kept secret in the area.

The staff are great, the menu changes with the season, the coffee sets a high standard, and the food is fresh and consistently well prepared.

Try their cakes - they make them on-site (rare for Perth).

Newcastle Street, Perth 6007, Australia
www.duende.com.au/index.php

Google map: tinyurl.com/yhvxole

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A relatively little-known wine region around four hours' drive south of Perth in the south-westernmost corner of Australia. Both the climate and the grape blends are reminiscent of Bordeaux, although the wineries have a strong Aussie accent: friendly, fun and also offering great food. My favourite is Wise Winery on Eagle Bay, which offers sweeping vistas of Geographe Bay from a panoramic dining terrace - the perfect setting for a delicious lunch, accompanied by a glass of 'Half Wit' Chardonnay or their 'Coat Door' Shiraz / Cabernet blend. The sheltered crescent of Meelup Beach is just down the road.

80 Eagle Bay Road
Dunsborough
Western Australia
Phone: +61 618 9756 8627
www.wisewine.com.au/

Google map: tinyurl.com/qbq29d

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Semillon Sauvignon heaven, with a simple roast tomato soup, sitting on a simple bench overlooking the vines, a golden light like chardonnay filtering through the leaves. Bliss.

www.cullenwines.com.au

Google map: tinyurl.com/qpmnz5

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One of the best things about Perth is you’re only ever a train ride from the beach. If you can’t be bothered to make the day trip to the wine regions of the Swan Valley and Margaret River, spend a morning stretching out on this secluded patch of sand, and take a dip in the Indian Ocean. There’s a free shuttle bus that runs between the city and the sea, but it’s only a fifteen minute walk from the train station if you want to soak up the scenery.

Google map: tinyurl.com/qgf5g9

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The Swan Barracks were built in 1896, and this imposing stone structure is one of the oldest buildings in Northbridge. But you won’t find soldiers in the cavernous drill-hall – the historic building has been converted into a bright and breezy hostel, and the modern rooms have a laid-back vibe, with bar fridges and widescreen TVs. A stone’s throw from the bus and train station, and next door to the lively bars and clubs of Northridge, this hostel is a quirky mix of old and new, and even has its own ‘Barracks Bar’, complete with barrel bar stools.

2 - 8 Francis Street, Perth, 6000, Australia
www.theoldswanbarracks.com/

Google map: tinyurl.com/ltnz2q

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In the heart of trendy Northbridge, this gallery is part of the modern Perth Cultural centre, with a Centenary Gallery building housed in an old police station. There’s an exhausting collection of art on show, but the main draw is the ongoing exhibitions of Western Australian art from the 1820s-1960s, and traditional and contemporary Indigenous Art. Entry is free, and the colourful Gallery Shop is a work of art itself, stocked with beautiful books, prints and cool design products.

Perth Cultural Centre, Perth WA 6000
www.artgallery.wa.gov.au/index.asp

Google map: tinyurl.com/qqjtb8

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Catch a ferry along the Swan River to Fremantle, or ‘Freo’ as it’s known to locals, for the oldest market in Western Australia. It’s worth the trip just for the Ferry pilot’s funny anecdotes and pocket history of Perth, as the odd pod of dolphins swims by in the water. The market’s historic Victorian buildings have been restored and now 150 stalls sell an eclectic mix of pottery, prints and fresh food. The rest of Freo is worth checking out for its colonial history – many of the old buildings here were built by convicts - and the excellent microbreweries for a quick pint; ‘Little Creatures’ is worth a look for its ‘tasting room’.

www.freemantlemarkets.com.au

Google map: tinyurl.com/kloz4w

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This sprawling 400 hectares of bushland is only five minutes away from the city centre and is a great place for a bush walk or barbecue. There are guided tours through the botanical gardens, filled with exotic birds and wild flowers, but it’s more fun to make your own trail up to the State War Memorial, for picture-perfect snaps of the Swan River. Climb further up the DNA tower for a 360 degree view of the city, and take a tram back to the bottom is you’re feeling weary.

www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/

Google map: tinyurl.com/l2numl

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Rottnest Island (or 'Rotto' to the locals), is a 30 minute catamaran ride from Fremantle. It's the only place where you can see quokka, which resemble small kangaroos.

Rottnest has fabulous beaches in crystal clear water and is great for a day out or short trip from Perth. No cars are permitted, so cycling is popular.

A hotel and beer garden overlook Thomson's Bay and there are a selection of food outlets and cafes at the Settlement.

You can even stay in the former Aboriginal jail, which is now a hotel.

Ferry from Fremantle to Rottnest (booking ahead is recommended). Return journey approx $60 at time of writing.

Google map: tinyurl.com/kuw36s

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The Mint was one of the places where Australia’s coinage was produced but now it mints mainly commemorative medals and the like – the 2000 Olympics medals for instance – but it stages a ‘Gold Pour’ half a dozen times a day. This is industry as theatre, as a bloke melts down gold (and they do use real gold, unlike other mints that have a similar attraction) and pours into a mould, plunges that into a bucket of cold water and then presents the finished article for the audience to admire – all of this done with an informative and witty patter. It was fascinating and the Mint also has a very upmarket gift shop and tea gardens.

This was, I reckon, the best cuppa I had for the entire nine weeks I was away from home – a fresh pot of Orange Pekoe made with leaf tea not bags, slices of lemon instead of milk, piping hot water for top-up and a plate of excellent scones with raspberry jam and cream - terrific.

On the excellent free tram circuit.
www.perthmint.com.au

Google map: tinyurl.com/m8rk28

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Yes, you heard correctly. Not much like the UK Scarborough beach, imagine laying on the beach watching dolphins about 1/2 mile offshore, the lifeguards having a quick check to make sure they 'were' dolphins. Fantasic, free car parks all they way down the miles of great beaches. Wish I was back there.

Google map: tinyurl.com/pmtpa8

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It's a hostel booking site that I used when I travelled to Perth. They have a quite a good selection and I found them to be cheaper.

www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/australia/perth/

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Read the review of Northbridge below, and could hardly believe my eyes. I'm a fan of WA, so don't agree with all the east coasters that choose to give Perth a good slagging - BUT - and it's a big one - every time I've been there on a weekend evening it has been packed with, for want of a better word, utter w**kers, and if you know WA's lifestyle ethic at all, you know I don't mean workers.

I don't think I've seen so many people itching for a fight since a drunken night in Leeds many years ago - and I was a student with a southern accent, so I was asking for it.

I don't have anything against energetic and enthusiastic young people out to have a good time - but it's not normally the best envrionment for a nice meal.

Much better idea for the end of a rugby tour pub crawl.

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Star Anise is a relaxed fine dining restaurant with chef David Coomer consistently creating exceptional cuisine. Some of it influenced by south-east Asia and all of it outstanding.

The degustation menu is fantastic giving you a little more than a taste of his favourite items on the menu. Ma hor a well known favourite with a slice of pineapple, caramalised duck, seared scallop with a mint, chilli and coriander dressing. Licorice ice cream is another established favourite but if it's not on the menu it's worth a trip back.

The wine list is dominated by Australian wines but there are generally a few international gems as well.

225 Onslow Rd
Shenton Park 6008
Tel: (08) 9381 9811
Fax: (08) 9381 9822
www.staraniserestaurant.com

Google map: tinyurl.com/pt23cg

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If rain stops play I wholly recommend the art gallery. It's not so big, so it doesn't take long to get around but it's air conditioned and quiet. There is always a gallery of indigenous art and the other galleries are rotated often. One really exciting exhibition is the Year 12 Perspectives; the state's best (equivalent) A-Level art pieces which are breathtaking.

It's right by Perth train station, quite close to the museum too (gold coin donation for entry there) and on the Northbridge side - so easy to get dinner afterwards!

www.artgallery.wa.com.au

Google map: tinyurl.com/owslht

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Northbridge is a suburb of Perth which is the place to go for bars and restaurants be they Italian, French, seafood or Asian and everything in between. Catch the free CAT bus from the city and they take you straight there, or you can walk it easily from the city centre too.
On sunday catch a train to Cottesloe and head for the beach and have a few drinks watching the sunset in the Cottesloe Beach Hotel.
Do it!

Cottesloe - catch a rtain from the city
Northbridge - catch the free Blue CAT bus from the city.

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What do you want when you go on holiday? Great scenery, things to do, excellent restaurants... oh hang on, let's throw in some world class adventure sports and free wine, and not just some cheap plonk but some of the high-end stuff, too.

Despite its rather sedate sounding name, Margaret River, three hours drive south of Perth, has all of these.

It's the home of world-class surfing competitions with frighteningly large waves which break against the rugged coastline with awesome power and regularity.

It's the home of Moss Wood, Leeuwin Estates and a hundred other world-class wineries, many of which have cellar door tastings and attached restaurants.

The local produce is so fresh and tasty that most of the restaurants deliver something a little special. Vasse Felix is particularly good for a smart dinner, but most of them are interesting.

Margaret River Cheese Co. (yummy cheddar), Chocolate Factory, Simmo's Ice Cream and Bootleg Brewery are all good stops between wine-tastings.

And that's just inland. The coastline of this area is one of the most beautiful on this side of the continent - or any side of any continent to be frank.

And the coastline offers up plenty of places to stay: north to south you've got Dunsborough, Yallingup, Gracetown and Prevelly/Gnarabup, where you'll often get stunning sea views from your deck, as you sip your day's purchases.

Some of the comments on Perth are pretty critical - but they also miss one of the great advantages: when you've got an area this beautiful, you don't want it to get too over-crowded. Margs gets pretty busy around Christmas, but the rest of the year you can normal find a corner of it - a beach-break, a vineyard, a restaurant - to keep to yourself.

Margaret River is three hours south of Perth. We like staying at Bavu Beach House www.bayubeachhouse.com

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Indian vegetarian restaurant run by volunteers. Good food. You pay what you judge the meal to be worth and the profits go to charities in India.
(NB No alcohol) Mon-Fri. Lunch and evening
Sat. Evening.

Barrack Street Jetty near the bell tower
www.annalakshmi.com.au

Google map: tinyurl.com/o2lopn

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