The Canadian women’s soccer team begins its quest for a FIFA Women’s World Cup title in Perth, Western Australia on July 20, and there should be a fair number of Canadians on hand for the game. With that in mind, here are some ideas from Tourism Western Australia (and from me) about what to see and do in Perth. I was there in May of last year and loved the city.
Also, you can click HERE for a slide show of Western Australia.
CULTURE AND ENTERTAINMENT
FOOD TOUR
Downtown Perth, Australia, on a walking tour with Oh, Hey, W.A. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Take a great food tour with “Oh, Hey, WA.” I had a tremendous time touring the city last year with Adie Chapman, who has a love for her city and an enthusiasm that quickly rubs off on a visitor.
MUSEUM STOP
WA Museum Boola Bardip is a fine museum that helps visitors learn more about this unique state.
CITY LIGHT SHOW
Lightscape Kings Park is a winter light show experience that runs between June 16 – July 30.
ADORABLE ANIMALS
A quokka on Rottnest Island, Western Australia. Tourism Australia Photo
ACTIVITIES FOR SPORTS AND SOCCER FANS
STADIUM EXPERIENCE
Folks in town for the FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP should check out Optus Stadium Rooftop Experience. It’s a great way to see some unique elements of what some say is the world’s most beautiful stadium.
AUSSIE RULES FOOTBALL GAME
Freo Dockers AFL Game Day Rooftop Experience to experience the unique sport of Aussie Rules Football.
FAMILY ACTIVITIES IN PERTH
Caversham Wildlife Park is an international staple and always popular amongst Canadian visitors looking to experience Australia’s wildlife in a family-friendly way.
Check out Cottlesloe Beach. It’s a lovely spot with an excellent restaurant called Indigo Oscar.
PERTH HOTELS AND FOOD
The Melbourne Hotel is an upscale downtown hotel that has nice rooms, and serves a great bowl of muesli at breakfast.
A room at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Perth, Western Australia. JIM BYERS PHOTO
If you’re a fine dining fan, try a dinner at Hearth, the main restaurant at the Ritz Carlton hotel on the city’s booming waterfront. I had a tremendous meal there last year, including octopus and super-tender wagyu beef.
The Volstead Lounge has booths and thick, heavy drapes that conjure up images of a New Orleans bordello, and good food. I sampled a fun a bacon and bourbon pairing at a bar called Varnish on King. At Rechabite Hall, a former temple for tee-totallers, I dined at a ground-floor restaurant/bar called Double Rainbow, enjoying delicious Brussels Sprouts with maple syrup and crispy pork belly.
COOL NEIGHBORHOODS
Football is great, but those in town for the FIFA Women’s World Cup will probably want to do some exploring of Perth. Just under a 30-minute drive from Perth, the historic port city of Fremantle is one of the places to visit in the city. In 2022, TIME named Fremantle – or Freo as the locals call it – one of the world’s 50 best places to travel. The city’s charming narrow streets lined with historic buildings, a seagull-scattered port bobbing with fishing boats, one-off shops, unconventional breweries and quirky buskers echo with the stories of bygone eras. Fremantle Tours takes visitors through Freo, from the oldest building and the subterranean tunnels of World Heritage Listed Fremantle Prison to its newest bars and restaurants. The WA Shipwrecks Museum is regarded as the foremost maritime archaeology museum in the Southern Hemisphere and the nearby WA Maritime Museum holds treasures such as the Australia II, winner of the 1983 America’s Cup and an 89 meter-long submarine you can clamber through. Tucked between the two is Bathers Beach, a secluded sandy stretch loved by locals. A visit to Fremantle wouldn’t be complete without a stay at the Warders Hotel, a small boutique hotel in the old limestone cottages that were once the Fremantle Warders’ homes and dinner at Emily Taylor which blends the rich, colourful and authentic tastes of Asia with the colonial heritage of Fremantle.
OUTSIDE OF TOWN
Kalbarri National Park, Western Australia. JIM BYERS PHOTO
MARGARET RIVER WINE REGION
Just a few hours south of Perth is the Margaret River wine region, which not only has tremendous wine but excellent food, fine resorts, limestone caves, aboriginal-led tours and gorgeous beaches. This is a great place to visit if you’re in Perth for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
REMARKABLE NATURE
Maybe seven hours north of Perth is Kalbarri National Park, an area I truly fell in love with last year. You’ll find deep, gnarly, red rock canyons, towering sea cliffs, spectacular beaches and much more.
USEFUL AUSSIE SLANG FOR SOCCER FANS AND VISITORS
Australians have more slang expressions than any country I know, and it’s important to know a few things if you’re headed to a FIFA Women’s World Cup match. Here are a few expressions to keep in mind:
● Bloody oath – Excited agreement. “Reckon Canada has a chance?”…“Bloody oath”.
● Ripper or Blinder – Fantastic! “Sam Kerr is having a ripper of a game!”
● Sanga – A sausage sandwich or just a sandwich and staple on most pub menus.
● Schnitty – A Chicken schnitzel. A delicious breadcrumbed piece of chicken that is now engrained in Australian culture, and found in pretty much every Aussie pub.
● Schooner or Schooey – A measure of beer in all Aussie states other than South Australia, a schooner or’ schooey’ is 425ml and the most commonly ordered size. Also known as a Cold One, Frothy, Bevvy, Tin Cahills or, Froth Whitlam after the 21st Australian Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam.
● She’ll be right – It’ll be ok. The Aussie belief that whatever is wrong will right itself with time. And the issue in question doesn’t have to be female – “The score’s not looking good”… “She’ll be right mate”.
● Spewing – Really annoyed. Also not to be confused with crook or unwell. “Spewing Sam Kerr’s goal got disallowed.”
● Hotel vs Pub – Up until 1980, pubs were required to provide rooms for rent in order to have a liquor license, so many traveling to Australia will get confused by what we mean by a hotel. Whilst you can stay in some of our pubs, the majority of places called a hotel are actually just a pub!
