About Perth's Geography

Perth, the capital of Western Australia is the most isolated capital city in the world with 80% out of the 1.8 million people that populate Western Australia living in and around the city area. Yet another one of Australia s modern cities, Perth is home to a number of hotels all of which offer good facilities, bed and breakfasts, apartments, motels, as well as great architectural landmarks of interest not just to visitors but also to the locals.

The City of Perth is made up of five distinct precincts (The Central Business District, West Perth, East Perth, Northbridge and Riverside) with each one having its own distinctive character and within easy reach of the city s center.

The Central Business District

The shopping areas offer major department stores, fashionable boutiques, a variety of homeware shops and art galleries. The city s jewelry stores feature Kalgoorlie gold, Broome pearls, Argyle diamonds and beautiful Australian opals. Close at had are such attractions as the Bell Tower, the Rottnest Ferries, a great selection of restaurants and fashionable bars. A lot of Perth s major cultural institutions, such as His Majesty s Theatre and the Perth Concert Hall are found in this precinct. The northern portion of the city is marked by the railway track, which divides it from Northbridge s eating region and popular accommodation. There are a lot of beaches a short distance away from Perth s Central Business District.

A lot of these beaches (for example, Cottesloe, Floreat, Leighton, Port, Scarborough, Swanbourne and Trigg Island) are perfect for surfing, although some of these beaches can get rough at times. If you are looking for calmer beaches, you can also head for Como, Crawley or Peppermint Grove.

West Perth

Here you can enjoy the sight of beautifully cultivated gardens, natural bushland, recreational spots and roughly three hundred species of local native plants and over eighty species of birds. Kings Park also boasts of a great view of Perth and of the Swan River, which is simply a must-see when visiting Perth. Hay Street West on the other hand is a business-centered precinct where mining companies and medical specialists are located. Hay Street features charming cafes and bakeries.

The streets running between Murray Street and Kings Park Road is where you can find a number of the best restaurants in Perth, a lot of which are in character houses that retained their original beauty. All of this is in close reach of King s Park.

Formerly made up of light industries and warehouses, East Perth is now a landscaped region of architecturally elegant homes and well-tended public gardens that overlook the Swan River. The bustling inner suburbs of East Perth and Northbridge offer a wide variety of pubs, nightclubs, restaurants, and cafes. An abundance of public art and riverside restaurants has made East Perth a beautiful location for business and pleasure. Here you will find cuisine from practically all the countries in the world represented on the restaurant trail to tickle your gastronomic fancy. Besides all this though, East Perth s greater claim to fame is that it is home to one of Australia s most famous and beloved sporting grounds, the Western Australia Cricket Association s home ground, otherwise known to test cricket lovers around the world as the WACA (pronounced whacker).

East Perth is also host to Queen s Gardens, Gloucester Park (one of the world s trotting and pacing tracks), and more and is set to become a bustling, vibrant community offering a wide range of entertainment and commercial and residential developments. During the 1980 s the Western Australian Government began to rejuvenate and change East Perth and transformed and redeveloped the district to become a fully integrated urban village that is perfect for modern lifestyles and a trend toward inner city living. East Perth is today considered to be one of Australia s finest urban renewal projects and is an example as a model for town planning and environmental rehabilitation, which has led to similar developments nationwide.

Northbridge

Go north out of Sydney’s Central Business District over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and in no time you will find yourself in the upmarket suburb that is Northbridge. Northbridge lies east of the Warringah Freeway and slopes down to Sailors Bay and Long Bay on Middle Harbour. Although Northbridge was not named until as late as the year 1977, it has a colorful history marked by a deluge of immigrants who have transformed it into the multicultural hub of Western Australia. Although Northbridge was only named in 1977, it has a colorful history marked by waves of immigrants who have made it the multicultural hub of Western Australia.

Northbridge is host to Western Australia s major cultural institutions such as the Western Australia Museum, the State Reference Library and the Art Gallery of Western Australia. Smaller innovative are venues found in Northbridge include the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art, the Bakery Gallery and the Blue Room Theater. Annual festivals such as the Chinese New Year Celebrations and the Pride Parade are being held here. Northbridge is also known as the core of Perth s dining and nightlife and boasts a thriving backpacking industry. Stand on the heights here at Northbridge or stroll down the shores of the harbor and you will see fleets of yachts sporting sails of every color imaginable, or dodge and weave among the jet skis, skiffs, ferries and power boats in the sparkling deep blue waters.

This portion of the harbor in fact, is the ideal platform from where you can witness how people live in multi-level homes of various imaginative designs clinging to the sandstone cliffs which rear up from out of the sea, while up on the ridges you will see where they are occupied by more the conventionally designed mansions. This is where the much-admired suspension bridge between Cammeray and Northbridge is located. The suspension bridge was completed by a developer wanting to open up land beyond the Flat Rock Creek Gorge and is regarded as one of Sydney s engineering marvels.

The bridge has ornately crenellated towers, suggestive of a medieval castle more than a gorge crossing into the New World. All in all, Northbridge is the place to go to if you are looking to enjoy a hearty meal of any international cuisine, swap tales with backpackers at a pub, shop for rare, hard-to-find ingredients or just hit the dance floor and dance the night away.