Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A Confident Western Capital
Just a few decades ago, Perth was definitely in
the shadow of east-coast Australia's major cit-
ies, but, fuelled by the energy and economics
of the mining boom, it's now a contemporary
city on the rise. There's an almost tangible
confidence and verve to the city's population,
keen to look westwards for both recreation
and reward. Bali is firmly entrenched as the
state's favourite holiday destination - it's even
emerging as a residential option for FIFO ('fly
in, fly out') mining workers - and the 21st-
century mega economies of China, India and
Indonesia are huge markets for WA's re-
sources and agricultural sectors.
Evidence of the city's impetuous growth in-
cludes newly sprawling suburbs, with over-
sized homes squeezed onto compact plots, and
front gardens punctuated with shiny boats,
flash utes, and other blokey indicators of on-
going injections of mining money. With so
many cars in circulation, transport to these
emerging satellite suburbs can be slow going,
and the need for ongoing investment to keep
Perth's much-admired rail system up to
scratch is another hot topic. A $1-billion light-
rail system to link Perth's northern suburbs to
the CBD is projected to open in 2018. Other
major civic works in progress include Perth's City Link Project and the development of
Elizabeth Quay to
finally
reintroduce the CBD to the river (see boxed text,
Click here
).
Another 'finally' moment is the restoration of many of the heritage buildings along St
George's Terrace in the city's west end that were proudly constructed during much earlier
mining booms. The emergence of new eating and drinking precincts and boutique hotels is
an overdue dynamic in a city blighted sometimes in recent history by showy modern ar-
chitecture.
Best on Film
Rabbit-Proof Fence
(2002) Three Aboriginal
girls trek through the WA desert to be reunited
with their families.
Japanese Story
(2003) A touching film that's
set in the Pilbara and equal parts romance and
thriller.
Gallipoli
(1981) Young men from rural WA en-
list to fight as Anzac soldiers in the ill-fated
Gallipoli campaign.
Mad Bastards
(2010) Shot in the Kimberley
and featuring Indigenous issues and a great
soundtrack.
Best in Print
Cloudstreet
(Tim Winton, 1991) A chronicle of
post-WWII working-class families sharing a
house in Perth.
Sand
(John Kinsella and Robert Drewe, 2010)
Poetry and prose exploring the role of sand in
the Australian psyche.
Tales from Outer Suburbia
(Shaun Tan, 2008)
Beautifully illustrated short stories - for kids -
with quirky reimaginings of Australian subur-
bia.
That Deadman Dance
(Kim Scott, 2011)
Novel exploring the 19th-century interactions
between settlers, whalers and the indigenous
Noongar people of Albany.
