Perth is a fabulous host city for the Hopman Cup and it’s a city I always enjoy visiting. Here are seven reasons why.
1. The Perth Arena
The Perth Arena is the venue for the Hopman Cup and it is (literally) the coolest venue I’ve watched tennis in due to the under seat air conditioning. If you have a seat in the shade it’s hard to even tell that it’s 37 degrees outside!
Perth Arena is located in the Perth CBD so it is really easy to walk to from the city area, or you can get there via the free CAT buses mentioned below.
The seats are cushioned, most of them (except up in the front rows) have cup holders and there is a reasonable amount of leg room.
Adding the tennis fan comforts, Perth Arena has a retractable roof which opens in eleven minutes and is environmentally friendly by using solar power.
2. Funky cafes, restaurants and bars (when you know how to find them)
I visit Perth every few years and in my humble opinion it gets better and better each time due to the great new places that are always opening (or perhaps I’m just getting better at finding the good places!) Read on for where to find them.
3. Elizabeth Quay – the new waterfront area
This area opened in early 2016. It has lovely views of the city, public art, places to eat/drink and a water park where kids can play and cool off in funky water jets.
View of the sunset from Elizabeth Quay
View of the CBD during sunset from Elizabeth Quay
The Waterpark (image water spurting out from the blue circles!)
4. Areas outside the CBD – Fremantle, Northbridge, Leederville and South Perth
Let’s be honest, the Perth CBD area is pretty quiet over the New Year period so while not watching tennis we prefer to visit areas which are all full of bars, cafes and restaurants.
My favourite area is Fremantle which has historic buildings, galleries, shops, awesome restaurants (including succulent seafood platters) and a park.
Fremantle is easy accessed via train or bus.
Northbridge is on the side of the main train station opposite the city. If you need to catch up on some tennis while relaxing in a bean bag, this is where the Hopman Cup live site is located.
Leederville is only one stop from Perth train station, and two stops from Elizabeth Quay. Oxford Street is a really short walk from the station and is full of restaurants where I’m sure you can choose any kind of food that you choose.
South Perth can be accessed via ferry or bus. It has beautiful views of the city across the water and a long park with walking tracks.
5. Cottesloe Beach
Cottesloe Beach is about 15 minutes from the CBD and is a great place to spend an afternoon or evening. You can enjoy walking along the beach, swimming, picnicing or relaxing in the bars, cafes and restaurants.
Read more on australia.com (where I sourced the image below).
6. Kings Park
Kings Park is a beautiful park right next to the city which you can get to easily on foot, via the free CAT buses, local buses or a short cab fare. It has a great view of the city, by day and by night, and, quite frankly, some of the poshest free BBQs I’ve seen in Australia.
7. Ease of getting around
Free Central Area Transit (CAT) buses run in the CBD, Fremantle and Joondalup. They are air conditioned, run frequently and the bus stops have a real time tracker showing how long until the next bus. A great way to travel.
If travelling further, during weekends, public holidays and school holidays you can buy a Family Day Rider ticket which offers travel on buses, trains and ferries for up to seven people (max 2 adults) all day after 9am for only $12.40.
Read more at TransPerth.wa.gov.au
I also want to mention Rottnest Island and the Swan Valley as fabulous places to visit. Although I haven’t visited either place for a few years due to busy-ness watching tennis they are worthy of a day trip.
Until next time
Grand Slam Gal
Dear GSG: I love your blog even if it is some time between posts – as it is between slams. I jast wanted to note that I lament the Ausie Open’s decision to abandon the long-time logo of Stefan Edberg serving on a gold and blue background for an austere “AO”. The former was elegant, artistic and meaningful; the latter cold and somehow cheap-looking, evoking thoughtlessness and loss to me. My humble opinion, but really now – Australia is full of excellent graphic artists and thoughtful folks. I think the new logo does a disservice to the Open, and Melbourne and Australia in general. It saddens me ever so slightly as I look forward to some fantastic tennis, the favorite of all the pros!
…AUSSIE Open, of course – fat fingers, sorry, mates!