In Perth, Australia

If you’ve read my previous blogs you’ll already know I used to live in Melbourne, Australia….(if you’ve missed that part of my travels then please go to the “About” section to familiarise yourself).

Despite having worked and lived in Australia there are parts I hadn’t visited, so earlier this year (before COVID took over) I took the 19 hour flight back down-under. I wanted to share some of my food and location findings with you in case you ever find yourself in that part of the world and this could help you, or you want to share your own experiences.

I absolutely love exploring new places, so chose to go to somewhere I had never been, Perth, Western Australia (WA).

The hotel I booked was a 15 minute Uber ride from the airport and in a great location in terms of the city centre, it was bang in the middle of it. I had ummed and ahhed on whether to book somewhere by the beach but decided on this place in the city. I felt I could access all the places I wanted to from there with ease, either on foot or the train.

I arrived at my “trendy” new 5 star hotel, QT Perth.  The staff looked stylish in their uniforms. The interiors modern and funky plus a rooftop bar with views of the city on the 18th floor. The reception is to the left as you enter the lobby area then to the right there is a lovely cafe/bar which serves all your favourite tea and coffee combinations.

The hotel is great for all kinds of travellers, whether you’re solo, with friends, couples or on a business trip. The WiFi (very important to so many people nowadays) worked seamlessly and fast in the room and also around the hotel. As I was working whilst on my travels it was important for me to have easy access to WiFi.

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My room was gorgeous and had all I needed and more. Here’s a photograph below for you to get an idea. The free-standing bath a gorgeous and functional feature as well as the waterfall shower. Toiletries are the luxurious Kevin Murphy products which smell gorgeous. The other feature I love in a hotel room is a decent Bluetooth speaker so I can play my music to my hearts content….(maybe over-sharing with that info but it’s out there now!).

After my first nights rest I thought I would have breakfast at the much raved about hotel restaurant, Santini Bar & Grill. 

It may just look like toast and smashed avocado but it’s actually the tastiest “posh” toast and smashed avo I’ve had. It cost $16 AUD (approx £9 GBP) but tasty nonetheless so a thumbs up for Santini.

Tummy filled it was time to start my WA adventures. I walked to the train station (literally a 5 minute walk) and took the train to Fremantle (approx 40 mins) in order to get a boat. The boat would take me over to Rottnest Island to visit the Quokkas. The journey on the Rottnest Express took around 25 mins and cost approx $60 AUD.

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Let’s talk about the Quokka’s. Have you ever seen one? Have you even heard of them? They are a short-tailed scrub wallaby, about the size of a domestic cat. The actress Margot Robbie famously took a selfie with a Quokka. Here are both of our shots.

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….not the selfie I’d hoped for with the little fella but a good day trip. The Quokka’s weren’t actually as cute as I thought they would be (but perhaps they thought the same about me).

Rottnest Island itself has some beautiful beach coves. You can either walk around the island or take the bus or even hire a push bike. Depending on how much exploring you want to do you can be on Rottnest for a couple of hours or a full day. The boats back and forth are fairly frequent but you must book.

On my second day in Perth I had to go to the beach. I had heard so much about the beaches in WA and how they claim to have some of the most beautiful coasts. So on day 2, I ventured to Cottesloe, but first…..breakfast.

I found a lovely little place called John Street Cafe which set me up for the day. I sat outside to enjoy my delicious brekki….and then only had about 100 metres walk from their to the main beach. Highly recommend this “relaxed and breezy” cafe. I had the yoghurt, museli and berries, washed down with a fresh watermelon juice.

Cottesloe beach is regarded as the best and most stunning beach in Perth by some. I loved it. There were more people around than usual because of an art exhibition “sculptures by the sea” which was pretty cool but I’d have preferred it quieter and more chill.

Day 3, I started the day at Petition Kitchen in Perth CBD. My brunch consisted of torched salmon, avocado, minted peas and broad beans and green stuff, which was delicious. The venue itself is stunning. It’s a old state building so it’s quite grand with high ceilings, clean lines and a buzzy atmosphere – I loved it. Literally every day I was loving it in Perth’s eateries.

Due to the forecast being pretty lousy…. a cloudy 24 degrees I thought I’d just take a train out to North Fremantle to have a wander. A 45 minute train later I found myself stood on another beautiful beach; Leighton Beach was just what I needed. I must say it was one of the most peaceful and relaxing moments of my life. I just felt like I needed some timeout. Time to just be with me and my thoughts away from the worlds stresses.

Later in the afternoon I took a look around Elizabeth Quay which is still being developed with lots of apartments and places to eat. New Ritz-Carlton is huge and spectacular. I took a look inside the hotel and it was indeed stunning, like all Ritz-Carlton hotels I have visited. The lobby was spacious and airy and the communal areas beautifully clean and stylish. Great views of the city scape from here too.

After answering work messages at 2am I couldn’t wait for daylight to arrive so I could get back to the beach and explore more food places. 

Day 4, I jumped on the train just after 8am to head back to North Fremantle as it had been one of my favourite location. Plus I’d researched best places for breakfast and found Bib & Tucker. It did not disappoint! I think this might be the most delicious breakfast I had the whole trip. A tasty egg white omelette with kale, broccolini, zucchini, rocket and lemon 👌🏽 Oh and a Bazinger to drink; ginger, lime, pear, apple, carrot and pineapple juice.

I must try and recreate this at home. Absolutely delicious. If only I had these beach views all the time too.

After a little chill and digest at Leighton Beach I headed back into the city to watch the “big” A-League fixture Perth Glory v Melbourne City.

Not going to lie, the game was poor… not sure if it was because the standard was so bad or that we are just used to such a high level in the English Premier League? After my friend and I had enough of the game we went to a pub not far from the stadium called The Brisbane Hotel and met some friends who live in Oz but originally from the UK. I enjoyed a few aperol spritz before heading back to my hotel hours after I had expected…ready to plan tomorrow’s breakfast.

As seems to be a bit of a theme… day 5 started with another researched and recommended breakfast spot. I headed to South Fremantle (or “Freo” if you’re a local, which I was feeling like) with a friend for breakfast at Port City Roasters. It had been recommended by a couple of folk at the pub the day before so I wanted to check it out.

The menu in all honesty was pretty limited and had a weird twist to each dish which wasn’t entirely to my liking personally… so I ended up ordering smashed peas and avocado on seeded sourdough with some kind of dukkah and curry type drizzle… it was ok… I’d say a 6/10 for me but don’t let that put you off if you wanted to check it out yourself.

After breakfast I took a little walk around Fremantle High Street. It was strangely captivating but in a weird way, it’s as if you get transported to Hansel and Gretel Germany type thing. 

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The weather was the best it had been at 33 degrees so I had to take the opportunity to head back to the beach to try and get a tan. If you hadn’t already realised I loooove the beach!

On my penultimate day decided to go for breakfast at Flora and Fauna…honestly, I was underwhelmed. It was always going to be difficult to keep topping the breakfast/brunches I had been researching all week. It wasn’t bad but it just wasn’t somewhere I’d go back to. I ordered their famous banana bread with peanut butter (and non edible flower). It was very nice but just not my kinda place. The location was in more of a backpacker type area, so if that’s your flavour you may enjoy it more than I did.

Overall my time in Perth was interesting. The beaches really were stunning but the city itself is probably a bit too sleepy for me. Most places close at 5pm so there’s little to do after that. In terms of getting around, transport wise was easy, clean, efficient and inexpensive. The breakfast and brunch offerings were plentiful but you have to do your research or you could end up disappointed.

My final morning in Perth – went to back to Petition Kitchen as my previous experience there was so good, plus I didn’t want to venture too far with a flight to Adelaide to catch! I ordered scrambled egg on toast with a small yoghurt with fruit and granola 😁😳 must say it was bigger than I was expecting (that’s what she said😉). Everything was delicious and brought my time in Perth to a delectable end.

It was time to holler my Uber and head to the airport for my trip to Adelaide. Another city another time zone….which I will save for another blog.

Overall I really enjoyed Perth, I found it relaxing. I got time to learn about the location and also more self learning and practicing mindfulness. I would recommend you go there (when it’s safe to do so and we are allowed to travel freely again of course). The beaches were breathtaking and worth going to. I think looking back Cottesloe was probably the most beautiful but Leighton beach more relaxing.

If you are reading this and you have been to Perth please share your experiences in the comments sections on the various social platforms and here! Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Also please let me know if you’ve been to any of the places mentioned, I would love to hear about your findings.

Thanks for the kind messages and the growing community we have going on AC Shoots The Breeze. Always grateful.

Choose Life
AC