Innholdsfortegnelse for Australian Traveller: Special Edition - Western Australia 2022 i Australian Traveller

MOTHER LOAD The thoroughfares and back streets of Fremantle are lined with splendid historic buildings housing a cavalcade of hidden drinking dens and in-the-know eateries worth going in search of. Places like Mother, which does double duty as a health-focused co-working space, Earthed, during weekdays and a plant-based natural food and wine restaurant by night. See page 44 for more.…

UNA MOMENTO, POR FAVORE Frui Momento means ‘enjoy the moment’. Just under three hours from Perth in the Margaret River region is where you will do just that at one of the most exciting destinations for dining in Australia right now. While the region has had gastronomic credibility for decades, restaurateur Seth James has upped the ante in Wilyabrup with his collab with winemaker Larry Cherubino, creating a venue that is as much about the wine as the food. The space includes a 50-seat restaurant and a raw bar and Champagne lounge where you can get a bump of caviar and glass of bubbles. The venue will have more than 200 wines from the Cherubino vault, as well as a selection of local and international drops. James spent eight years…

AS A CHILD, OUR FAMILY HOLIDAYS WERE ALWAYS TO… The south-west, mainly Bunbury. We stayed at the Bunbury Village caravan park, which was a heap of fun and also Lighthouse Beach Resort (now the Quality Lighthouse Hotel), which was on the beach. Busselton was also a popular spot to visit. One of my earliest holiday memories is visiting Busselton Jetty (1), which happens to be the longest timber jetty in the southern hemisphere. NOW, IF I HAVE TIME FOR A SHORT BREAK BACK IN WA, I HEAD STRAIGHT TO… See my family. If I am only in town for a short spell, my priority is to spend as much time as possible with family and loved ones. As recent times have taught us, with the way the world is, we don’t…

Bart Pigram FOUNDER OF NARLIJIA TOURS IN RUBIBI/BROOME ‘NARLI’ MEANS ‘TRUE, PROPER, authentic’ and ‘jia’ means ‘true authentic for you’. I called the company Narlijia because I don’t focus on the glossy side of the pearling industry in WA. Truth-telling is a major part of reconciliation and I cut deep with some tragic stories that no other operator dares to tell. I have been running tours for seven years and I don’t shy away from anything. It’s a revelation. I want to change the narrative. If I wasn’t so committed to continuing our traditional knowledge and practice I would not be in a position to absorb the true living spirituality of the landscape, its beauty and environmental and cultural significance. It is my responsibility to communicate to others the truth…

THERE’S A MAN ON THE FLOOR, contorting himself at strange angles under a pub table. It would be an alarming sight anywhere else, but on Rottnest Island you get accustomed to people pulling questionable moves in pursuit of that prized holiday souvenir: a quokka selfie. The fuzzy marsupials reign ‘Rotto’, as WA locals fondly refer to it, and yes, their fathomless eyes and cheesy grins are irresistible. But I suspect their spell may also be Machiavellian: perhaps their charms are purposefully deployed to distract from Rottnest’s other natural beauties? Being a seasoned Rotto fan, I’m all but immune to the ways of the quokka. I raise my eyebrows at a seagull, who’s also (fruitlessly) posing inside the glass at the beach-facing Hotel Rottnest. We share a look that says, “Aren’t…

THE GOLDEN OUTBACK makes up a whopping 54 per cent of the state, stretching from the rugged red earth of Burringurrah/Mt Augustus to the powder-white sands of Esperance and the South Coast, and to the modern mining hub of Kalgoorlie in the historic Goldfields. With a landscape comprising rugged river valleys and ancient gorges that swallow the light, the Golden Outback offers rich pickings. And keep the region’s Traditional Owners in mind as you walk in their ancestor’s footsteps on an Indigenous-led tour of rock art believed to be up to 40,000 years old. It’s a landscape that is as dazzling as it is diverse. THREE UNIQUE STAYS Nallan Station There is a range of accommodation choices at Nallan Station, from caravan sites to self-contained cottages, renovated shearers’ quarters and…

THE NOONGAR BOODJAR PEOPLE have called the South West home for thousands of years and their ancient pathways still twist and turn around these sacred lands, which remain ribboned with their songlines. Take the time to care for Boodja (Country) while watching the landscape unfold in the five vastly different sub regions: go birdwatching in a national park, sample wines at any one of the world-class cellar doors, surf waves that curl onto beaches gouged by time, and visit rugged rock formations that have long reigned over these lands. The South West includes the Margaret River Wine Region, Great Southern, Bunbury Geographe and the Southern Forests and Valleys. THREE UNIQUE STAYS Burnside Organic Farm This cosy farm stay is all about immersing yourself in your surroundings and getting a feel…

ORIGINALLY built in the 1970s, this 16-storey hotel started life as an office tower, painted a suitably retro shade of cendre blue. Since then, it’s been through two significant upgrades: the first converted it into a hotel, and the second saw its transformation into the five-star, 240-room InterContinental Perth City Centre. Opening its doors in October 2017, the arrival of the hotel and its two celebrated restaurants marked the luxury brand’s first foray into the Western Australian market. UNIQUELY WEST AUSTRALIAN The building is the perfect example of mid-century modern architecture, cutting an imposing figure on the Perth skyline. Its facade is a tessellation of ‘squircle’-shaped windows, which give a subtle salute to the shipping company that first occupied the building. Their porthole likeness is the only lasting remnant of…

MISERY BEACH Misery Beach was named Australia’s Best Beach by Tourism Australia in its 2022 list of Australia’s Top 20 Beaches. Although the name of the remote stretch of sand hints at its grim history as a whaling station and hideaway for convicts, the secluded beach has been busy rebranding thanks to its turquoise waters, as pretty as sea glass, and powder-white sands. The beach is bookended by dramatic granite outcrops. GREENS POOL Zebra fish, six-spined leatherjackets, mosaic sea stars and silver drummer fish are just some of the marine creatures you might encounter while pin-balling around the large granite boulders that rise out of Greens Pool. This popular swimming spot delivers on both beauty and geographical drama. Located in William Bay National Park, Greens Pool is one of the…

1 Swim with the dolphins A sense of adventure is all you need to bring along to swim with Koombana Bay’s resident bottlenose population, as the DOLPHIN DISCOVERY CENTRE provides everything else: a wetsuit, snorkel and fins. After boarding the boat and heading out to find a pod of dolphins, it’s time to jump in. Float along with them and watch as they playfully flit around you, clicking and squealing as they go. 2 Head to the beach DOG-FRIENDLY, SURFABLE OR CALM AS A MILLPOND, BUNBURY GEOGRAPHE HAS A BEACH FOR EVERYONE. THROW THE BALL INTO THE WAVES FOR YOUR POOCH NORTH OF Wyalup Rocky Point IN BUNBURY, OR GRAB A BODYBOARD AND HIT THE SURF AT Back Beach. YOU’LL FIND CALMER WATERS AT Binningup AND Peppermint Grove BEACHES, PERFECT FOR…

THE CHURNING, FOAMY WATERS surging in and out of the channel at The Gap make for a dramatic force-of-nature show that is easily accessible from this stunning cantilevered lookout gazing towards the Southern Ocean and West Cape Howe. Located within Torndirrup National Park, 10 kilometres south of Albany, a raised pathway hovers above the granite rock protecting vulnerable coastal plants and lichens as it leads to the sleek metal structure that juts out 10 metres from the cliff face. Adding to the vertiginous experience, the grated see-through floor of the platform allows for glimpses of the water below. Standing there, with the summer sun shining or under a canopy of corpulent winter clouds, as coastal winds blow thick with salt and briny spray, the effect of the man-made structure anchored…

OLD AND NEW HAVE BEEN combined to stunning effect in the belly of the resplendent State Buildings, a beloved Perth landmark made up of three connecting heritage buildings that have endured the city’s boom and bust fortunes with quiet resolve for well over a century. Sitting within the expansive Postal Hall, with its soaring ornate domed ceiling and arched doorways, a sleek freestanding rectangle made up of shelves and screens houses Edicole, a bijou bookstore that is big on style. The passion project of founder Brendan Lee, who has a background in finance but a love of books and book stores, and curation director Carolina Holland, the space is “a place to fully immerse yourself in the wonderful world of prose and imagery,” explains Holland. “It’s for those of you…

WHILE THE FACT THAT AUSTRALIA is home to the oldest living culture in the world is a relatively recent discovery for many beyond our shores, the stories and histories and knowledge of this continent’s First Nations peoples have been carried and felt and handed down through generations like sacred totems over 60,000 years. The vast expanse of the WA landscape is home to a united nations of peoples, languages and narratives that are joined together within the outline of the state, as if in a giant patchwork. Conscious exploration and a desire to hear and encounter Indigenous culture firsthand from the people empowered to share it pays rich rewards, with a roster of tours and experiences to delve into, from bush-tucker expeditions to staying on Country with the custodians of…

THE NORTH WEST is huge, close to the size of Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom combined in fact. Broome and surrounds in the Kimberley’s west has some of the most dazzling beaches on the planet. Surreal colours of the azure Indian Ocean are intensified by big, blue skies and the surrounding red earth. The east Kimberley around Kununurra is one of the world’s last wilderness frontiers, an ancient land that’s rugged and rust-coloured, interspersed with surprisingly abundant trees and the mighty Ord River. Further south, the Pilbara might be famous for its iron ore, but for travellers it’s home to the wondrous Karijini National Park, a playground for hikers and waterfall chasers. YOU HAVEN’T DONE THE KIMBERLEY UNTIL… You’ve taken to the skies on a scenic flight or a…

AS I SLIP INTO THE OPEN OCEAN, my heart pounds. I’m searching the depths for a mighty creature. But I’m searching too deep and now, looking along the glassy surface, I see a fin is advancing towards me. I pop my head back under and startle; a wide, open mouth is just metres from me and I swim-scurry aside. The harmless whale shark is eight metres long, and my brain struggles to compute its sheer size and ethereal presence. Rejoining the rest of the swimmers in my group, I fin alongside this muscular, mottled being, while a photographer snaps photos for an identification database. Climbing back on our boat, we’re all euphoric. Every one of us had come to Exmouth on the Coral Coast (1250 kilometres north of Perth) hoping…

THE PRISTINE beauty of the Daintree Rainforest, the world’s oldest tropical rainforest, is the perfect embodiment of the conscious and sustainable future we should all be striving for. One where we cherish and respect the natural world and its abundant wonders because we recognise that it is the right thing to do, for the world we live in now and for the one we hope to pass on to future generations. Join us in the next issue as we make a commitment to doing things better, one guilt-free journey at a time.…

SAMPHIRE ROTTNEST If you’re feeling starved of sky, sea and sunshine, Wadjemup/Rottnest Island’s first beachfront boutique accommodation is the place to escape to. Like the native samphire it’s named after, Samphire Rottnest is found close to the water’s edge on Thomson Bay on the island’s east coast. It’s all about understated elegance at the flip-flop-friendly hotel, which has 80 bright and breezy rooms all designed to celebrate the island’s rugged, relaxed environment. Throw in great cocktails, fantastic food, and a beach club with kick-back configurations of seating and you’ll find even more reasons to rate Rotto. samphirerottnest.com.au DOUBLETREE BY HILTON PERTH WATERFRONT While the 18-storey, 229-room DoubleTree by Hilton Perth Waterfront is right in the thick of it, near Perth’s exciting Elizabeth Quay precinct, it also offers softly lit bedrooms…

“THAT’S THE WRONG DOOR,” someone giggles as a group of strangers push through a set of library shelves ahead of us. My friend Sally and I find ourselves laughing, too, as we follow them beyond the foyer walls. On the other side, black-and-white-clad bartenders sing and shimmy to Runaround Sue as they shake and stir flamboyant cocktails for canoodling couples. Hidden in the basement of Fremantle’s Old Synagogue, L’Chaim– a Hebrew toast that means ‘to life’ – is reminiscent of speakeasy bars of the 1920s and 1930s: think red-velvet semi-circular booths, crystal chandeliers, framed mirrors, tasselled lamps, candlelight, top-shelf liquors and a feature wall tastefully decorated with bound books and retro knick-knacks. I ask the bartender, Dylan, to make me “something artistic to watch” and he obliges. After witnessing careful…

IMAGINE A GO-PRO BEING held in the talons of a majestic sea eagle soaring high above the coastline and you will understand the inspiration behind the Salty Wings brand. Former Claremont locals Jampal Williamson and Michael Goetze started the @saltywings Instagram account in 2016, taking their followers hundreds of feet above the Earth to capture rich landscapes of red dirt, white sands and navy seas. And, just like the sea eagle, the account took off, transcending into an online gallery selling abstract and alluring images taken from above. “When we first started out, eight years ago, drone photography was not common and when friends or followers asked how we got the footage we told them we had trained a sea eagle to take the images for us with a Go-Pro.…

RUNNING YOUR EYE ALONG Leederville’s bubbly cafe strip gives little indication of the layers of history beneath the market umbrellas and al fresco seating. Tall eucalypts wrapped in fairy lights line the centre of Oxford Street – a jovial nod to its fun-loving atmosphere – while independent stores with characterful shop windows and parklets (car parking spaces transformed into upcycled cafe seating) embrace its sides. Street art splashes across building walls: a barracuda mural envelops Kailis Bros Fish Market; a girl’s hot pink mane sweeps down the length of the brick wall outside Bunn Mee cafe; and giant hikers trek alongside the Luna Cinema. Under all that is a history of wetlands and waterbirds covering a tribal landscape known as Boorloo. It was a bountiful hunting, fishing and gathering ground…

THE CORAL COAST HIGHWAY is like the writhing body of a serpent as it makes its way from Cervantes, two hours north of Perth, along 1100 kilometres of coastline to World-Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef. While there is surf, sun and sea on tap on the Coral Coast, this incredible corner of the country is also home to some of Australia’s most iconic attractions. Swimming with Ningaloo’s Big Three – whale sharks, humpback whales and manta rays – is obviously on top of the to-do list. But it’s also considered compulsory to walk through fields blanketed with everlasting wildflowers, watch the light paint the Pinnacles in a buttery hue, hike through ancient gorges and simply tumble off white sandy beaches into those turquoise waters. THREE UNIQUE STAYS Wooramel River Retreat Experience the…