Fluffy Towel – Creative travels in style

 

Okay, so Oprah’s not gay or coming to Perth…but she did change her plans on a whim to visit Uluru care of singer and friend Paul Simon. Oprah and her entourage’s itineraries are shrouded in secrecy so you never know the world’s most isolated of cities, Perth may still feature in the limelight. So far Oprahss hammed it up on Hamilton Island and has cuddled a koala, but here’s a few of Fluffy Towel’s weekend suggestions if she does venture west.

Kings Park is Perth’s answer to New York’s Central Park. Start the day with brunch at Fraser’s Restaurant and then walk amongst the gum trees at the Lotterywest Federation Walkway. Find a spot to flop down for a sunny bit and either walk down or grab a taxi to the Old Swan Brewery complex at the foot of King’s Park. The complex houses The Old Brewery Grill, Perth’s premier steakhouse, and Zafferano Restaurant, serving Italian seafood.

 

I’m guessing Oprah approves of a spot of retail therapy and for street fashion visit the arcades and department stores in the Hay Street and Murray Street malls in the city. Then wander up to the west end of Hay Street and take a detour down King Street, where you’ll find 20^th-century architecture and designers like Tiffany & Co, Gucci, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Wheels & Dollbaby, and the edgy Ruth Tarvydas. Stop for coffee or a glass of bubbles around the corner at Tiger, Tiger Coffee Bar.

Head a couple of kilometres west to where the beautiful people flock, and where there’s beauty there’s fancy shops. As the women float along Rokeby Rd, the men will rejoice and indulge in some secret men’s business at Devlin’s Cigars.

Tonight it’s a feast of epic proportions at Perth’s shining star Restaurant Amuse for degustation and then onto Ellington’s Jazz Club.

 

After an early morning dip in the Indian Ocean, savour breakfast in the grand colonial building housing the Indiana Tearooms perched on Cottesloe Beach. Head further west to the port town of Fremantle and the home of the bohemian. Wander the back streets where you will stumble across colonial architecture, quirky shops like the New Edition Bookshop, or former prison, the Round House. Visit the Fremantle Markets and hang out with the buskers on the busy cappuccino strip.

Head over to the buzzing Little Creatures Brewery to partake in one of Australia’s greatest of excuses for daytime drinks…the Sunday Session. Stay on for dinner or escape with fish ‘n chips at the harbour at sunset.

Read here to find out what Oprah’s audience member Michelle Bryan got up to while she was in Perth.

Sidebar:

Transport:

Swan Taxis 13 13 30

Airport Car Hire Perth, 1800 331 008, www.airportrentacar.com.au

Best time to travel:

The warm months from November to March are what Perth is all about.

Stay:

Parmelia Hilton Perth, 14 Mill St, Perth, + 618 9215 2000

Northbridge Hotel 210 Lake St, Northbridge (cnr Brisbane St), +618 9328 5254

Quest Apartments 1800 334 033,

See www.lastminute.com.au for cheap weekend rates on city hotels.

Eat:

Perth:

Fraser’s Restaurant Fraser Ave, West Perth, +618 9481 7100

The Old Brewery Grill 173 Mounts Bay Rd, Perth, +618 9211 8901

Zafferano Restaurant 173 Mounts Bay Rd, Perth, +618 9321 2588

Tiger, Tiger Coffee Bar Murrary Mews, 329 Murray St, Perth, +618 9322 8055

Restaurant Amuse 64 Bronte St, Perth, +618 9325 4900

Fremantle:

Indianna Tearooms 99 Marine Tce, Cottesloe, +618 9385 5005

Little Creatures Brewery Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour, Mews Rd, Fremantle, +619 8430 5555, www.littlecreatures.com.au

Attractions & Activities:

Perth:

Lotterywest Federation Walkway Kings Park, Fraser Ave, West Perth, +618 9480 3600

King St, off Hay St West

Devlin’s Cigars 411 Hay Street, Subiaco, +61 9388 9930

Ellington’s Jazz Club 191 Beaufort St, +618 9228 1088

Fremantle:

Round House, 10 Arthur Head, Fremantle, +618 9336 6897

New Edition Bookshop 82 High St, Fremantle, +618 93325 2383

Capuccino Strip, South Terrace, Fremantle

Online Information:

Western Australian Visitor Centre

Fremantle Visitor Centre

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