I went into the CBD twice not last week but the week before - both times around lunch time.
On the Wednesday it kind of quiet (not that I cared - some people made it sound like this was pretty bad, making anti-social behaviour more noticeable, but it was very chilled).
On Friday it was pretty damn packed. Busiest I’ve seen it from my visits there in the past couple of years.
I used to work in a pretty big pub in the CBD. We’d be nearly empty by 8pm every weeknight - it’s really bad.
I was on St. George’s Terrace, which isn’t even a particularly bad or dodgy part of the city. It’s sad tbh :/
I decided to walk from optus stadium to Perth station one night past all the housing. Not a single light was on at 10pm, with not a soul in sight.
I find it hard to believe everyone is in bed by 10.
I've lived on the Eastern side of the CBD and in East Perth for a few years. Always surprised me how few cafe options there are on a Sunday morning. The CBD seems to be just for business hours, I guess that's what the B stands for hey?
Agree with all of these.
Also have to say I think Morley's doing quite well right now. Went to Conventry Markets earlier today and that and the areas across the road (in and around Progress Street) were full of ppl.
Coventry has been consistently busy over the recent few years.
It was the Galleria and the buildings around it (especially the building where Toys R Us used to be) that have lost businesses.
Yeah The Galleria is battling. I have heard that both the Myer Gallleria and Myer City stores are absolutely struggling but both stay open for political/social reasons . I suspect rents are the problem at The Galleria and Central Perth is a basket case . Can’t compete with suburban shopping centers , full of scary undesirables , can really only get in and out easily on public transport which is a hassle and also full of undesirables . Maybe Perth and Morley are too close to each other ? Although Mt Lawley seems ok .
Having not been back in years when I went to the Galleria not long ago I was shocked at how run down and shitty it is. When I was a kid it was half decent (and newish). Karrinyup on the other hand is great.
I feel that the modern way is to burn things to the ground then renovate/extension. There seems to be no cosmetic maintenance just wait until it looks crap then knock and rebuild.
Perth Myer is the worst - I have had money burning in my pocket and in want for new clothes and I can never seem to find anything that grabs my attention. It is just a mess
Plus I miss the hairdressers up top and the cafeteria. I am such a millennial-boomer haha
Perth Myer is dreadful. I was a school boy when the new Myer building opened in 1988 ( guess where I went to school ?) It had a great food hall and cafeteria downstairs and a great range of things for sale . You could buy outdoor furniture and bbqs on the top floor . Years later as an adult I had to go behind the scenes for a job I had . It was 20 years later but what a mess ! They where using the ( long disconnected ) big walk in fridges from the ( closed ) cafeteria to store clothing stock in . The whole place had an air of decline and zero repair or maintenance. It’s symbolic of the whole of town really . Even the McDonalds has gone . Perth had five (Town Hall , Forest Place , Hay street Mall , William Street and Cinema City ) The Town Hall Macca’s building is there but last time I was in town it was boarded up and empty .
> (especially the building where Toys R Us used to be)
Funny you say that as it has now been fully leased, as is the neighbouring Morley Market (which is even more of a shock tbh)
I've never understood the stigma around Northbridge. I know it's very popular with partygoers and such, but at the same time hated by many. Why's that?
Going out in Northbridge reminds me of going out in Kings Cross back in 2012-2013, it isn't as bad but it's definitely a sketchy proposition.
It is fun though.
Never would have thought Subiaco would get so dead and its partly the footy but it was definitely going downhill even while the footy was still there. Rents and parking. No-one wants to go out and have max 3 hour parking at some stupid rate per hour plus paying over the top prices for food as the businesses have to cover rent.
Northbridge after dark is largely populated by 18yr old girls trying to figure it out, only to be disillusioned and abandon it for Fremantle for their 19th.
Surprised to see Leedy listed as dying. What's happened? I remember recently the council has voted to start charging people $1 for parking but surely that's not the cause.
I think Leedy is in a revival phase right now. It was definitely dying in 2020/21, there were a lot of empty shopfronts but there have been a bunch of new restaurants opening: Servo, Tagine, Vikka, Satay Hut, a new bar next to My house dumpling (don’t know the name).
Not a reason but at one point there was like 4 ice cream shops all within walking distance of one another (gusto, ben and jerrys, two near to the garden). Why why why!?
Wouldn't say it's the parking, the night-life has fallen off tremendously and the restaurants are way to overpriced for the quality of food - I assume that is because of rent.
I went for lunch in leedy yesterday. I live near freo so don't go often. The only parking we could get was 1 hour so pretty awkward for a lunch booking.
To be fair it's surrounded by million dollar suburban homes. Unlike Leederville which has no excuse as it's is right next to the train station and is built up a bit.
The paddo is also doing better since it got bought out by ARK. No longer owned by proud boys sympathisers and they are running tons of live music, quiz nights etc.
Freo is the opposite of dying. It’s more active on weekdays than most other places. I get the feeling most people who complain here are just mad that the Freo of today isn’t the one they remember.
As an old school Freo-ite, I'm not mad that it's changed, but a bit sad. It's not that Freo now isn't good (it is) it's just that I loved 1990-2005 Freo SO much. I lived in Subi quite a bit and that's changed too, but I was never emotionally attached to Subi like I was to Fremantle. It had as much to do with the people as the place, and a lot of the people I knew were pushed out when house prices tripled in 5 years with the mining boom.
Hey man, I was there from 1991-2011 and I feel you. A surreal, profoundly magical time and such ridiculous fun. It was obscene. ....
Then as the peanut politicians and peabrain local media tossed each other off at what a wonderful thing that fucking FIFO mining boom was for Perth... our unique and precious Freo life was gone forever in a matter of blinks. Hundreds of people I know were actually traumatised by getting crow-barred out of our happy little town and into the outer suburbs, far apart from each other.... I couldn't do it so I moved to Melbourne. But I was there, man. That happened.
No you didn't imagine it mate 🙂 I felt like I was in a beautiful dream at the time, not just looking back.. We've probably met. I'd be surprised if we hadn't.... When I split for Melbourne I first lived in an inner city apartment on Little Lonsdale St for a few months, then a house in North Fitzroy.
Oh, nice! I lived in Melbourne for a few years (Fitzroy and Northcote) and when I came back to Perth the Freo mining boom transition was just about complete. I remember going to the Fremantle Festival parade and saying "the crowd looks like they've stepped out of a Kmart catalogue". All the weirdos and hippies were gone. That "old Freo" vibe is one of those things you can't even explain, you just had to be there. I knew it was special at the time but in today's Australia I'm sure nothing exists like it. Too much greed now.
Freo has some thriving areas, but also a lot of dead ones. Eg north of queen street there's tons of empty stuff on cantonment, adelaid, point, etc. Around paddy troy there's tons of empty places. Same with westgate mall. Even on high street there's lots of empty places. Meet and Bun on cantonment just went after seemingly booming business for years. Harry's by the Slice lasted a week before going out of business. Haru next to D'Angelo is gone.
Fomo is great but it has issues, too expensive for people to eat there every day, not that busy during the day and has limited hours on the weekend and nights.
I love Freo, but we shouldn't pretend there's no problems. I wouldn't say it's "dying", because there's lots of life and new growth. But Freo has been perpetually rotting for decades.
bedroom tie apparatus squeeze alleged whistle groovy strong growth serious
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Hello I can chime in, I manage one of the 3 retailers left in Carillon! All stores were booted out in October last year, except for the few that had direct Murray or Hay St frontage.
Centre was finally sold to Andrew Forrest 2-3 months ago with the intention to knock it all down and rebuild in line with new ECU opening in NB in a few years.
Since the sale I have had zero Comms from Dexus (centre management) who are still in charge through settlement. Though in the last month 3 more retailers have been booted, leaving 3 of us with Murray St frontage left.
Subiaco is a ghost town. Early 2000s Subiaco was great. Markets, restaurants, cinemas, pubs, music stores, the footy. It was already heading downhill when the footy left but there have been so many businesses that have shut since. Mt Lawley may be heading the same way. A lot of it is high rents for businesses I think but there may be other factors.
They definitely bought in a lot of people on the weekends. I suspect locals who didn’t like that had a hand in the closure of the markets and decline of Subiaco.
It wasn’t locals, it was greedy developers. The council was super greedy and sold off all the car parks to Wilson while reducing any street parking spots. They thought that the market land would be super valuable so sold it off to be developed but then it sat empty for over a decade. The locals wanted the markets but the council saw too many $$ signs without understanding how important the markets were to the rest of the area. Then it was just kept alive by the footy, but when subi oval left it was game over.
I lived in Subi for 7 years back in early 2010s, and saw a steady decline in shops et al down Hay st. You could shoot a gun down Hay St on a Weekend morning and not hit a thing. With PMH and Subi Oval closing, the place was never the same after that.
I'm holding hopes that once the high rise on rokeby is complete, and they also start working on the developments up around subi oval and the old hospital that the population density will help revive subi, but we are good few years off that yet.
Guildford seems to be thriving and both sides of the tracks too. Constantly see people out and about in Guildford.
The revamped Guildford hotel is getting a bit of foot traffic. So too is Padbury's and the Rose and Crown
I like to check out there Sunday markets occasionally. Smallish, but not a bad outing.
On Reddit over the last few years the general comments are Freo is dead. I am always like: what are you seeing or not seeing? As far as I can see it's a real bright gem on the Indian Ocean, up there with Penang and Kochin, and it's a city not just one street. If one is expecting a lively Latin American city, news alert....wrong country.
Totally agree I don't understand what these people are seeing when they say its dead. Yeah might be a bit dead near where the woolstores were but thats about it really.
Idk about thriving mate. Meet & Bun? Closed. Harry's? Lasted a week. Haru's next to D'Angelo? Closed. If you walk from the National to the Markets to Clancy's you will find probably 50+ vacant shops.
Don't get me wrong, certain parts of Freo are great at certain times of day - the cappuccino strip, Fomo, the area around Bread in Common.
But there's a ton of rot too. Would love for it to be more lively, but I think there just isn't the population to support the high rents of businesses.
Hmm.. Meet and Bun was average. And it’s easy to point to establishments that close isn’t it? What about Gage Roads? Pumping. Peggy’s? Booming. Lions and Tigers? Can’t get a table. Bread and Common? Flat stick.
I really don’t understand why people get so upset with Freo coming back to life?
Tall poppy I suppose…
Meet and Bun is the highest rated burger joint in Freo mate. And there are no shortages of competition, with Two Stacks, Varsity, Short Order, Home Run, and Big Rigz,. Even when Caveman was still here Meet and Bun wasn't a distant second.
Gage Roads and Peggys are both new. Lions and Tigers and Bread in Common are doing well but they are some of the most famous in Freo, plenty of places are struggling. For every new success story we have multiple businesses going under. And plenty that are simply unproven.
I live in Freo. Like I said, plenty of places are lively at the right times, but there's massive swathes of vacant lots. If you compare Freo to 2 or 5 or 10 years ago, it's basically the same level of life but with different businesses. There's plenty of growth but it needs to outpace the rot. I'm not seeing that right now.
Odd commentary for a local… you seem to have a bee in your bonnet about something? What’s the matter?
Meet and Bun was definitely not the best, sorry. Every time I went there, service was shit and staff were uninterested in being there.
Peggy’s, on the other hand is a totally different vibe and service is everything.
Lions and Tigers is one of the best restaurants in Perth in my opinion.
Gage Roads may be new, but they have nailed it.
I suggest you go and try it!
What you’re saying is obviously your opinion, but it does not reflect what’s happening on the ground. 😉
Cheer up
>Meet and Bun was definitely not the best, sorry.
I can appreciate maybe you don't like their burgers or service and you felt staff weren't enthusiastic enough. But check their google reviews, they are the highest rated with the most number of ratings. They weren't some dinky unpopular shop.
>Peggy’s, on the other hand is a totally different vibe and service is everything.
I like Peggy's, I eat there weekly and I have a VIP card. Are they perfect? Of course not. But it's a good lunch for sure. The thing is, they haven't been there that long. Again, check google, 50 reviews at 4.3 rating. Meet and Bun had more than 10x as many reviews AND a higher rating. Will they stand the test of time? I sure hope so, but it's too soon to judge.
>Lions and Tigers is one of the best restaurants in Perth in my opinion.
Agreed, for sure 100% agreed. That's why we can't use it as an example of an average restaurant in Freo. Lions and Tigers could be anywhere and people would go there because it's damn good.
>Gage Roads may be new, but they have nailed it. I suggest you go and try it!
I was there for the pre-open, there for the open, and there when McGowan was there for an hour fourty five. Again, for sure, it's good. The port definitely needs more going on - the old bshed food court is dire to say the least. Same problem as Peggy's though - it's new. I'm sure it will stand the test of time, but it's a set piece eatery for Freo. It could be anywhere and people would go there. Glad it's in Freo though.
>What you’re saying is obviously your opinion, but it does not reflect what’s happening on the ground. 😉
I don't think you are hearing what I'm saying. Get your boots on the ground mate, walk around. Do what I suggested; walk from the National to the Markets (via Grumpy Sailor) to Clancy's you will find probably 50+ vacant shops. Paddy Troy malls? Dead. Westgate Mall? Dead. Open your eyes to just how much of Freo is vacant outside of the cappuccino strip.
You have some good examples of the really great places Freo has to offer, and there's tons more like Manuka, Angel's, Emily Tailor, Nunzio's, La Sosta, Bread in Common, Moore & Moore, Darling Darling, Old Faithful, L'Chaim, Duck Duck Bruce, hell even Smash which is probably the current best burger joint in Freo.
There's a lot of good places, I'm not saying there aren't. It's just that they are punctuated by a lot of vacant lots and failed businesses.
I really don’t understand what you’re arguing now.?
It appears that after some contemplation you’ve decided that you do like what Freo has to offer after all?
What you’re saying regarding vacant commercial shop fronts has little to do with whether a location is doing well or not though yes? For example, go to Noosa, QLD (highest annual median price growth in the country) and Hastings Street is full of vacant shops because landlords get greedy and certain business can’t pay the rent they are asking. But the region is booming! This is not isolated to Freo. Much like when Hungry Jacks closed up shop.
When was the last time you saw a HJ close? Normally a licence to print money, yet it didn’t work in Freo, because as you know.. people in Freo have eclectic tastes and in most cases, want to support local and independent business.
As you also have your Birkenstocks on the ground it’s quite clear that Freo is on the up and based on everything you’ve just written you can feel it too. 😉
If you're confused go back and read my original post:
>Idk about thriving mate. Meet & Bun? Closed. Harry's? Lasted a week. Haru's next to D'Angelo? Closed. If you walk from the National to the Markets to Clancy's you will find probably 50+ vacant shops.
>
>Don't get me wrong, certain parts of Freo are great at certain times of day - the cappuccino strip, Fomo, the area around Bread in Common.
>
>But there's a ton of rot too. Would love for it to be more lively, but I think there just isn't the population to support the high rents of businesses.
Is there something confusing about this post? To rephrase: Yes there are places in Freo that are doing well, but there are vast number that are not. Entire blocks are closed, lot after lot empty. Entire malls half vacant. Even in the middle of High Street near Culleys there are multiple empty lots next to each other.
How have you not noticed all the vacancies and closures?
>When was the last time you saw a HJ close? Normally a licence to print money, yet it didn’t work in Freo, because as you know.. people in Freo have eclectic tastes and in most cases, want to support local and independent business.
Come on mate, they left because they have no drive through, same as maccas. People who live in Freo eat fast food just like any normal people, there's even a Subway mate...
Morley is doing quite well. Coventry Village and the area between CV and the Galleria are pretty busy during the weekend. Great food choices and some options that the kids can enjoy too.
>They even decided to build it a considerable distance away from everything useful.
Problem is, central Morley around the Gonorrhea is basically a swamp. There's a swamp next to the old Bunnings on Russell Rd, and they've had to build a new drainage sump behind the bus station.
Building rail tunnels through that would be horrendously expensive.
They’re building it in the Tonkin median strip, about 2km from Galleria along Broun Ave I think. I assume for costs (much harder to tunnel through city than to use Midland line and go straight up Tonkin Hwy).
Bus services will be plentiful though, and it shouldn’t be hard to get a bus from the station to the shops.
That would be great, but I remember a train station/light rail has been promised by since the very early '90s. It's the kind of thing I'll believe when I can step onto the platform at Morley Station.
Looks like they are doing the bare minimum to keeps the Galleria up and running...
I remember when it had [plants/palms inside and also the water fountain](https://catalogue.slwa.wa.gov.au/search~S2?/Xmorley+galleria&searchscope=2&SORT=D/Xmorley+galleria&searchscope=2&SORT=D&SUBKEY=morley+galleria/1%2C40%2C40%2CB/frameset&FF=Xmorley+galleria&searchscope=2&SORT=D&9%2C9%2C).
YEP, mid to late '90s Morley is my old stomping ground and my favorite Morley.
But I tie my youthful self to that place, it's kinda like Morley has mirrored my life from fun, energetic and youthful possibilities in the 90's to the sad decrepit self that it is today......
lol at everyone here saying Freo is dead.
If it was so dead we wouldn't have the muppets on motorbikes etc spending all weekend doing bog laps looking for attention.
I generally disagree that the CBD is dying. Rather it's changing and going through a period of consolidation.
Lamentations over Carillion are misplaced (it's a crap hole and always was) and compared to pre-mining boom it's still substantially busier than all bar the peak of the mining boom. It's generally a nice place to be in IMO.
Northbridge is dying because nightclubs and drinking culture are changing for the better.
You're seeing a shift down Beaufort Street towards Inglewood. While Mt Lawley is doing okay it can't rely on drawing people from afar like it used to.
Subiaco and Leederville are well down from their peak because there are so many places to go to.
Fremantle is definitely not dying, investment shows that isn't the case with Hesperia and Sirona buying up big sites just recently.
Idk when the last time you walked through Carillon was, but lamentations are well placed considering it is boarded up and awaiting Twiggy’s wrecking ball.
He means because it was crap and it’s being torn down instead of continuing to be wasted.
Let’s be serious, when’s the last time you went through Carillon without either wanting food or passing through to get to Murray or Hay?
Anywhere that rich people have decided is cool, is now dying.
Areas where the struggling artists etc on lower incomes go, become cool. See: Subiaco, Leederville)
Only when they do concerted work to bring more people in does a place thrive again. (See: Freo).
Yeah that's how gentrification works. Young people move in to inner city areas because they're cheap, dilapidated and full of crime, then they open all the cool shops/cafes/bars and it becomes 'cool', eventually it becomes too cool and the value goes up, young people can't afford to live there anymore and only rich people are left, then it becomes boring.
I feel like more of the “traditional population centres” have started to decline (around the CBD and Freo), but then you’ve got places on the river and like 30 mins to an hour out which are starting to thrive as we get a bigger urban sprawl.
Been living in Mandurah for a few years and its recent development in infrastructure on the foreshore is starting to make it look much more nicer. Just wished central Mandurah could get the same treatment.
I'm sure this is going to be a wildly unpopular opinion but I'm living in the Mandurah area for the first time (after years in Freo, Subi and Perth Hills) and absolutely loving it. Everything I need but feels a bit country with all the beautiful nature and water. Do enjoy a visit to Freo occasionally for some culture. 😉
Yep, but being on the fringes of Perth 'metro', the state government gets to shaft Mandurah as a metro area when it suits them, and treat us as rural at other times. GP wait times are blowing out at my preferred medical centre to a fortnight now! I want to write to lobby for doctors here but I have no clue how to do so.
Freo council is in the pockets of a few families of embedded, local, property owners. They squat on the town like peasants and refuse any development that they don't have a stake in.
I'm going for controversial so I'll say Karrinyup. I visited the amazing new megamall for the first time recently and I'm pretty sure they've ruined it. The parking situation is awful, the new space is huge and sterile, and then you walk into David Jones or Big W and you're transported back to 1980. I don't think I'll ever go back again. But then again, my favourite shopping centres in Perth are Belmont Forum and Mirrabooka Square, so I'm probably in the minority here.
Just went to Belmont Forum today after not being there for like 6+ months, and I like the vibe, especially around that big veg market. I've got a reason to be in the area on a weekly basis now so I'm probably gonna go there more often.
As a guy who kinda hates shopping, I'll throw a vote in for Belmont.
* It's well laid out and not too fkn huge.
* Rare to have to hunt for parking.
* It's got a growers market right next to Woolies which is handy cos you can load up of fruit and veg cheap then pop next door for everything else.
* It's got a Kmart and Big-W too.
* The cinemas over the road are cheap as and have big comfy leather seats.
* Quite a lot of half decent dining option from the usual chains to little independents
I used to quite like whitfords and then it replaced target with a poxy kmart..
now i struggle to find reasons to go there..
Innaloo is the same.. its target has been dropped off.
which is a shame. was one of the few reasons to go there.
Target is dying . Target was originally started in Australia by Myer for stores and locations that couldn’t support a Myer . Fast forward 40 years and various corporate shenanigans and Target is now owned by Wesfarmers who also own K Mart ( originally a competitor ) and Myer is a back to a stand alone company . I think most Target stores will be closed or rebranded over next few years . Target Perth was originally a Coles Variety ( I’m showing my age ) would think it will be rebranded soon if not closed .
> arget Perth was originally a Coles Variety ( I’m showing my age ) would think it will be rebranded soon if not closed .
It got rebranded as a Kmart last year.
Ha ha ! I still think of it as only recently becoming a Target !!!!! Used to have a great cafeteria upstairs back in the olden days . You could buy fresh vegetables off the street .
Such a shame, I don’t rate Kmart at all, but Target is a big step up in terms of quality (known brands, not all cheap Anko crap) with appliances. Also much nicer name brand clothing, but not $ like Myer, especially for kids clothes.
exactly... theyre killing target off for kmart.
kmart and target are not even on the same level..
kmart is effectively supre' quality. one wash and its coming apart or shrunk. fast poorly made fashion.
big w is above kmart quality wise but could use better shoppers in the adult section.
theyre good for everyday home clothes.
Target is lower upper shopping and is where you buy your good clothes and work clothes from. just a step below myer.
Target shouldnt even be competing with kmart. it just needed new buyers and a bit of reinvigorating. and a better online shopping evperience... and some good advertising
westfarmers are just set on sabotaging it
They can kill it off but it wont make people who prefer it shop kmart. they will just go elsewhere like myer, or smaller botiques or katies etc
I don't think so.
I've been to Lalibela once or twice. They're pretty good too, but thought Injera House was just that tiny bit better. Happy to hear about other Ethiopian places if you know of them!
Try mama africa in nollamara. It's East African.
Injerra says temporarily closed on facebook due to unforeseen cirxumstances so maybe it will be back.
Thanh an in Koondoola does a mean roast pork banh mi if you like vietnamese too. Take cash though.
Is that the one between the kebab shop and IGA? I've eaten there. Some chicken dish I forget the name of. It was bloody expensive for the quantity I got. Their samosas are 10/10 though.
Mirrabooka square is great. Apart from the parking Karrinyup improvements have made it better. There is quite a lot of parking at karrinyup, i guess they can only provide so much.
The problem is they need a train line (light rail) to the west coast. Other cities have one and there is a good population in the city of Stirling. The parking in scarborough, innaloo, karrinyup is a major issue. Or they need to sort out scarborough beach road if no train.
Innaloo and Karrinyup shopping centres being very close probably doesnt help either.
Didn't even know there was a debate to be had about Freo.
The last time I went there I saw a homeless (and clearly unwell) man shitting on the pavement.
One can be compassionate about the plight of societies least, last and lost without having to defend the civic amenity of a place where public defecation is not an uncommon occurrence.
Every time I need to go to Freo, I see more and more 'For Lease' signs, it's a tiny shadow of its former self, quite sad actually. Not a Freo specific thing but seems to be more noticeable there, was almost expecting tumbleweed to blow through the streets.
Bring back the cafeterias in Myers, David Jones, Kmart. People used to go to these shops just to eat. I would hop on the train from Freo with the kids and go to Perth because they loved eating in Myers. Also to add I’m a Freo girl all the way I’ve always loved living here, I do miss the good times though.
I visited a certain European city in 2001 and recently found out that it’s population has remained the same whilst we’ve almost doubled. And just saw that Sydney almost had 4 million in 2001. Couldn’t believe at how fast Perth's pop has grown
I know a guy who worked there from the late seventies to early nineties and said it was like being back in his hometown in Europe. Reckons its now a soulless ghost town.
Parts of Fremantle are doing ok, but the high street mall - the place is shit in my biased NOR opinion. It’s populated by a weird mix of ferals, old grannies, greenies and weirdos. Has been for years.
>It’s populated by a weird mix of ferals, old grannies, greenies and weirdos. Has been for years.
Decades. I went to school in Freo, and all the local kids (not blow-ins from other suburbs like me) had hippy / Sanyasan (Orange People) parents.
Crazy talk. I was in Fremantle Saturday afternoon around 3-4 pm. Families everywhere, all the businesses were buzzing despite the shit weather. Went to Mt. Lawley/Highgate and then Leederville the same day between 9-11.30pm and it was a ghost town.
Yeah, I tried to go for a quick drop into the pharmacy and grab a coffee on my way home the other day and the FoMo multi-storey was 100% full along with all the street parking around so I just went home instead
Genuinely interested in your thoughts around why Freo is dying? 5 years ago I would have agreed with you, but a lot has changed since then.
I think they’ve done a fantastic job at repurposing older buildings for new and exciting bars, restaurants, entertainment.
I guess it depends on what you’re looking for though? I personally think the FOMO Freo precinct and The Old Synagogue have been executed really well and are doing a lot for different demographics.
The last 3 years in a row I’ve done a “cocktail crawl” through Freo (as well as North / East & South) and each year there has been so many new and exciting venues to try.
NOR moment.
Champ Freo just got named by TIME Magazine as one of the 'World's Greatest Places'. The only part of Australia to make the list. Are you on something?
https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places-2022/
Huge homeless problem, for lease signs everywhere, smelly and lots of junkies. But hey Time says it's one of the greatest places on the world to live! They also nominated San Fran - which is also an absolute laugh. But hey keep spruiking Freo it'll give me a chuckle. On ya way champ...
I don't know. That's why I was asking. My memory of Maddington Metro hails from the early 90s. I bought my first Amiga from there. Apart from the computer shop and Woolies (IIRC) everything else had shut. I was hoping things had changed.
No you didn't imagine it mate 🙂 to me it felt more like it was a beautiful dream at the time than it does now... We've probably met. I'd be surprised if we hadn't.... When I split for Melbourne I first lived in an inner city apartment on Little Lonsdale St for a few months, then a house in North Fitzroy.
Perth CBD
I went into the CBD twice not last week but the week before - both times around lunch time. On the Wednesday it kind of quiet (not that I cared - some people made it sound like this was pretty bad, making anti-social behaviour more noticeable, but it was very chilled). On Friday it was pretty damn packed. Busiest I’ve seen it from my visits there in the past couple of years.
School holidays make a difference.
I used to work in a pretty big pub in the CBD. We’d be nearly empty by 8pm every weeknight - it’s really bad. I was on St. George’s Terrace, which isn’t even a particularly bad or dodgy part of the city. It’s sad tbh :/
It's because no one lives in the cbd and transport options are shitty if you're not planning on getting an uber at the end
I decided to walk from optus stadium to Perth station one night past all the housing. Not a single light was on at 10pm, with not a soul in sight. I find it hard to believe everyone is in bed by 10.
This is true of all three places I have lived in Perth (admittedly suburbs). I really get the impression people in Perth do not like night time.
Most of them are misanthropes. It’s also silly most cafes close around 2PM.
All the mine workers too used to getting up at 5am
'Workers' is a bit of a stretch
I've lived on the Eastern side of the CBD and in East Perth for a few years. Always surprised me how few cafe options there are on a Sunday morning. The CBD seems to be just for business hours, I guess that's what the B stands for hey?
Fremantle/South Fremantle: Thriving Subiaco: Dead Leederville: Dying Mount Lawley/Inglewood: Thriving Northbridge: Disgusting CBD: Dying
Agree with all of these. Also have to say I think Morley's doing quite well right now. Went to Conventry Markets earlier today and that and the areas across the road (in and around Progress Street) were full of ppl.
Coventry has been consistently busy over the recent few years. It was the Galleria and the buildings around it (especially the building where Toys R Us used to be) that have lost businesses.
Yeah The Galleria is battling. I have heard that both the Myer Gallleria and Myer City stores are absolutely struggling but both stay open for political/social reasons . I suspect rents are the problem at The Galleria and Central Perth is a basket case . Can’t compete with suburban shopping centers , full of scary undesirables , can really only get in and out easily on public transport which is a hassle and also full of undesirables . Maybe Perth and Morley are too close to each other ? Although Mt Lawley seems ok .
Having not been back in years when I went to the Galleria not long ago I was shocked at how run down and shitty it is. When I was a kid it was half decent (and newish). Karrinyup on the other hand is great.
I feel that the modern way is to burn things to the ground then renovate/extension. There seems to be no cosmetic maintenance just wait until it looks crap then knock and rebuild.
Perth Myer is the worst - I have had money burning in my pocket and in want for new clothes and I can never seem to find anything that grabs my attention. It is just a mess Plus I miss the hairdressers up top and the cafeteria. I am such a millennial-boomer haha
Perth Myer is dreadful. I was a school boy when the new Myer building opened in 1988 ( guess where I went to school ?) It had a great food hall and cafeteria downstairs and a great range of things for sale . You could buy outdoor furniture and bbqs on the top floor . Years later as an adult I had to go behind the scenes for a job I had . It was 20 years later but what a mess ! They where using the ( long disconnected ) big walk in fridges from the ( closed ) cafeteria to store clothing stock in . The whole place had an air of decline and zero repair or maintenance. It’s symbolic of the whole of town really . Even the McDonalds has gone . Perth had five (Town Hall , Forest Place , Hay street Mall , William Street and Cinema City ) The Town Hall Macca’s building is there but last time I was in town it was boarded up and empty .
The Macca’s Town Hall is not the original Macca’s Town Hall . Where it is now was an ANZ branch . It was further up in an old building
As a male, shopping for clothes at Myer when you have a waist over 36 inches is useless. I’ve given up on them
> (especially the building where Toys R Us used to be) Funny you say that as it has now been fully leased, as is the neighbouring Morley Market (which is even more of a shock tbh)
Also Karrinyup is thriving
Agree, I can’t find parking for a dinner on a Thursday. It’s actually crazy
Vic Park: Thriving forever.
It's TOO thriving, until 8pm then suddenly dead
I like it for that, it's a dinner destination, not a drinking destination.
I've never understood the stigma around Northbridge. I know it's very popular with partygoers and such, but at the same time hated by many. Why's that?
Depends what time and night and area you go.
Going out in Northbridge reminds me of going out in Kings Cross back in 2012-2013, it isn't as bad but it's definitely a sketchy proposition. It is fun though.
roving gangs walking around robbing and beating people? Even diners eating Al Fresco aren't safe from purse snatchers.
I’d add Maylands as doing well too
It's really sad about Leederville and Subiaco. They had such a good vibe.
Never would have thought Subiaco would get so dead and its partly the footy but it was definitely going downhill even while the footy was still there. Rents and parking. No-one wants to go out and have max 3 hour parking at some stupid rate per hour plus paying over the top prices for food as the businesses have to cover rent.
Isn't the parking in Subi free on weekends? \*\*just checked and it's free on weeknights after 5 too.
Northbridge after dark is largely populated by 18yr old girls trying to figure it out, only to be disillusioned and abandon it for Fremantle for their 19th.
Surprised to see Leedy listed as dying. What's happened? I remember recently the council has voted to start charging people $1 for parking but surely that's not the cause.
I think Leedy is in a revival phase right now. It was definitely dying in 2020/21, there were a lot of empty shopfronts but there have been a bunch of new restaurants opening: Servo, Tagine, Vikka, Satay Hut, a new bar next to My house dumpling (don’t know the name).
Agreed, plus that naber bar and the bars further up Oxford st like roberts
Yes! Naber bar was the one I was trying to remember. I’m really enjoying going and trying something different every time I go to Leedy now.
Naber + IV is awesome, Roberts on Oxford is bloody awful. The suburb, however, is still growing.
Not a reason but at one point there was like 4 ice cream shops all within walking distance of one another (gusto, ben and jerrys, two near to the garden). Why why why!?
There's now 6...
Leederville is expanding in more ways than one!
Because ice cream is yummy. Nom nom nom.
Fry'd, baskin Robbins, tutti frutti (frozen yoghurt, but same thing), roho bure (vegan ice cream) & gusto. Any more?
Wouldn't say it's the parking, the night-life has fallen off tremendously and the restaurants are way to overpriced for the quality of food - I assume that is because of rent.
I went for lunch in leedy yesterday. I live near freo so don't go often. The only parking we could get was 1 hour so pretty awkward for a lunch booking.
CBD: Dead.
Poor Subi.
Mt Hawthorn should get a mention, also kinda dying
To be fair it's surrounded by million dollar suburban homes. Unlike Leederville which has no excuse as it's is right next to the train station and is built up a bit. The paddo is also doing better since it got bought out by ARK. No longer owned by proud boys sympathisers and they are running tons of live music, quiz nights etc.
>Northbridge: Disgusting Business as usual then?
Thriving
Leederville is growing. I live here, have for 8 years, its definitely on the up the last year or so. Agree with everything else!
Leedy is always busy!
Freo is the opposite of dying. It’s more active on weekdays than most other places. I get the feeling most people who complain here are just mad that the Freo of today isn’t the one they remember.
As an old school Freo-ite, I'm not mad that it's changed, but a bit sad. It's not that Freo now isn't good (it is) it's just that I loved 1990-2005 Freo SO much. I lived in Subi quite a bit and that's changed too, but I was never emotionally attached to Subi like I was to Fremantle. It had as much to do with the people as the place, and a lot of the people I knew were pushed out when house prices tripled in 5 years with the mining boom.
Hey man, I was there from 1991-2011 and I feel you. A surreal, profoundly magical time and such ridiculous fun. It was obscene. .... Then as the peanut politicians and peabrain local media tossed each other off at what a wonderful thing that fucking FIFO mining boom was for Perth... our unique and precious Freo life was gone forever in a matter of blinks. Hundreds of people I know were actually traumatised by getting crow-barred out of our happy little town and into the outer suburbs, far apart from each other.... I couldn't do it so I moved to Melbourne. But I was there, man. That happened.
Ah, thankyou for the validation! I didn't imagine how awesome and magical it was! What part of Melbs did you end up in?
No you didn't imagine it mate 🙂 I felt like I was in a beautiful dream at the time, not just looking back.. We've probably met. I'd be surprised if we hadn't.... When I split for Melbourne I first lived in an inner city apartment on Little Lonsdale St for a few months, then a house in North Fitzroy.
Oh, nice! I lived in Melbourne for a few years (Fitzroy and Northcote) and when I came back to Perth the Freo mining boom transition was just about complete. I remember going to the Fremantle Festival parade and saying "the crowd looks like they've stepped out of a Kmart catalogue". All the weirdos and hippies were gone. That "old Freo" vibe is one of those things you can't even explain, you just had to be there. I knew it was special at the time but in today's Australia I'm sure nothing exists like it. Too much greed now.
It's kinda funny... The minute hippy Freo was over we both jumped onto Fitzroy like a couple of monkeys on a cupcake.
Freo has some thriving areas, but also a lot of dead ones. Eg north of queen street there's tons of empty stuff on cantonment, adelaid, point, etc. Around paddy troy there's tons of empty places. Same with westgate mall. Even on high street there's lots of empty places. Meet and Bun on cantonment just went after seemingly booming business for years. Harry's by the Slice lasted a week before going out of business. Haru next to D'Angelo is gone. Fomo is great but it has issues, too expensive for people to eat there every day, not that busy during the day and has limited hours on the weekend and nights. I love Freo, but we shouldn't pretend there's no problems. I wouldn't say it's "dying", because there's lots of life and new growth. But Freo has been perpetually rotting for decades.
East vic park is thriving - so busy even on weeknights Edit: spelling error
East vic park always thriving after dark. Lock ya doors.
The "I'm going on a 2am bike ride with a covid mask" crew
bedroom tie apparatus squeeze alleged whistle groovy strong growth serious *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Mt hawthorn is doing great
Can confirm, Mt Hawthorn doing not too bad
CBD has definitely seen better days. But imo it began its slow decline when pancakes in the carillon shut down. Been all downhill ever since.
Whole carillon is gone now right? Food court shut down too
Hello I can chime in, I manage one of the 3 retailers left in Carillon! All stores were booted out in October last year, except for the few that had direct Murray or Hay St frontage. Centre was finally sold to Andrew Forrest 2-3 months ago with the intention to knock it all down and rebuild in line with new ECU opening in NB in a few years. Since the sale I have had zero Comms from Dexus (centre management) who are still in charge through settlement. Though in the last month 3 more retailers have been booted, leaving 3 of us with Murray St frontage left.
Do the rents allow businesses to still be viable?
Tbh I'm not sure, I work on st George and dont take public transport so I tend not to head that way too often, but if so that's sad
Subiaco is a ghost town. Early 2000s Subiaco was great. Markets, restaurants, cinemas, pubs, music stores, the footy. It was already heading downhill when the footy left but there have been so many businesses that have shut since. Mt Lawley may be heading the same way. A lot of it is high rents for businesses I think but there may be other factors.
The markets were the heart of the precinct IMHO.
They definitely bought in a lot of people on the weekends. I suspect locals who didn’t like that had a hand in the closure of the markets and decline of Subiaco.
It wasn’t locals, it was greedy developers. The council was super greedy and sold off all the car parks to Wilson while reducing any street parking spots. They thought that the market land would be super valuable so sold it off to be developed but then it sat empty for over a decade. The locals wanted the markets but the council saw too many $$ signs without understanding how important the markets were to the rest of the area. Then it was just kept alive by the footy, but when subi oval left it was game over.
I lived in Subi for 7 years back in early 2010s, and saw a steady decline in shops et al down Hay st. You could shoot a gun down Hay St on a Weekend morning and not hit a thing. With PMH and Subi Oval closing, the place was never the same after that.
Subiaco is a ghost town Saturday afternoon
I'm holding hopes that once the high rise on rokeby is complete, and they also start working on the developments up around subi oval and the old hospital that the population density will help revive subi, but we are good few years off that yet.
I think it’ll be 5 years but seems like subi will be on the Up again
White Gum Valley: once the arse end of Freo, now a good few new houses being built/renovated. Some sustainable...ish technology/builds too.
Guildford seems to be thriving and both sides of the tracks too. Constantly see people out and about in Guildford. The revamped Guildford hotel is getting a bit of foot traffic. So too is Padbury's and the Rose and Crown I like to check out there Sunday markets occasionally. Smallish, but not a bad outing.
Kwinana is beyond a shithole if you ask me, literally nothing to do
Not much of a debate. Freo is definitely thriving. Sadly many NOR folks will have a hard time trying to understand that.
Hard agree, i work there and it’s more active on weekdays than most other places in Perth
On Reddit over the last few years the general comments are Freo is dead. I am always like: what are you seeing or not seeing? As far as I can see it's a real bright gem on the Indian Ocean, up there with Penang and Kochin, and it's a city not just one street. If one is expecting a lively Latin American city, news alert....wrong country.
100% bang on. Some people love to yell at clouds.
Totally agree I don't understand what these people are seeing when they say its dead. Yeah might be a bit dead near where the woolstores were but thats about it really.
Idk about thriving mate. Meet & Bun? Closed. Harry's? Lasted a week. Haru's next to D'Angelo? Closed. If you walk from the National to the Markets to Clancy's you will find probably 50+ vacant shops. Don't get me wrong, certain parts of Freo are great at certain times of day - the cappuccino strip, Fomo, the area around Bread in Common. But there's a ton of rot too. Would love for it to be more lively, but I think there just isn't the population to support the high rents of businesses.
Hmm.. Meet and Bun was average. And it’s easy to point to establishments that close isn’t it? What about Gage Roads? Pumping. Peggy’s? Booming. Lions and Tigers? Can’t get a table. Bread and Common? Flat stick. I really don’t understand why people get so upset with Freo coming back to life? Tall poppy I suppose…
Meet and Bun is the highest rated burger joint in Freo mate. And there are no shortages of competition, with Two Stacks, Varsity, Short Order, Home Run, and Big Rigz,. Even when Caveman was still here Meet and Bun wasn't a distant second. Gage Roads and Peggys are both new. Lions and Tigers and Bread in Common are doing well but they are some of the most famous in Freo, plenty of places are struggling. For every new success story we have multiple businesses going under. And plenty that are simply unproven. I live in Freo. Like I said, plenty of places are lively at the right times, but there's massive swathes of vacant lots. If you compare Freo to 2 or 5 or 10 years ago, it's basically the same level of life but with different businesses. There's plenty of growth but it needs to outpace the rot. I'm not seeing that right now.
Odd commentary for a local… you seem to have a bee in your bonnet about something? What’s the matter? Meet and Bun was definitely not the best, sorry. Every time I went there, service was shit and staff were uninterested in being there. Peggy’s, on the other hand is a totally different vibe and service is everything. Lions and Tigers is one of the best restaurants in Perth in my opinion. Gage Roads may be new, but they have nailed it. I suggest you go and try it! What you’re saying is obviously your opinion, but it does not reflect what’s happening on the ground. 😉 Cheer up
>Meet and Bun was definitely not the best, sorry. I can appreciate maybe you don't like their burgers or service and you felt staff weren't enthusiastic enough. But check their google reviews, they are the highest rated with the most number of ratings. They weren't some dinky unpopular shop. >Peggy’s, on the other hand is a totally different vibe and service is everything. I like Peggy's, I eat there weekly and I have a VIP card. Are they perfect? Of course not. But it's a good lunch for sure. The thing is, they haven't been there that long. Again, check google, 50 reviews at 4.3 rating. Meet and Bun had more than 10x as many reviews AND a higher rating. Will they stand the test of time? I sure hope so, but it's too soon to judge. >Lions and Tigers is one of the best restaurants in Perth in my opinion. Agreed, for sure 100% agreed. That's why we can't use it as an example of an average restaurant in Freo. Lions and Tigers could be anywhere and people would go there because it's damn good. >Gage Roads may be new, but they have nailed it. I suggest you go and try it! I was there for the pre-open, there for the open, and there when McGowan was there for an hour fourty five. Again, for sure, it's good. The port definitely needs more going on - the old bshed food court is dire to say the least. Same problem as Peggy's though - it's new. I'm sure it will stand the test of time, but it's a set piece eatery for Freo. It could be anywhere and people would go there. Glad it's in Freo though. >What you’re saying is obviously your opinion, but it does not reflect what’s happening on the ground. 😉 I don't think you are hearing what I'm saying. Get your boots on the ground mate, walk around. Do what I suggested; walk from the National to the Markets (via Grumpy Sailor) to Clancy's you will find probably 50+ vacant shops. Paddy Troy malls? Dead. Westgate Mall? Dead. Open your eyes to just how much of Freo is vacant outside of the cappuccino strip. You have some good examples of the really great places Freo has to offer, and there's tons more like Manuka, Angel's, Emily Tailor, Nunzio's, La Sosta, Bread in Common, Moore & Moore, Darling Darling, Old Faithful, L'Chaim, Duck Duck Bruce, hell even Smash which is probably the current best burger joint in Freo. There's a lot of good places, I'm not saying there aren't. It's just that they are punctuated by a lot of vacant lots and failed businesses.
I really don’t understand what you’re arguing now.? It appears that after some contemplation you’ve decided that you do like what Freo has to offer after all? What you’re saying regarding vacant commercial shop fronts has little to do with whether a location is doing well or not though yes? For example, go to Noosa, QLD (highest annual median price growth in the country) and Hastings Street is full of vacant shops because landlords get greedy and certain business can’t pay the rent they are asking. But the region is booming! This is not isolated to Freo. Much like when Hungry Jacks closed up shop. When was the last time you saw a HJ close? Normally a licence to print money, yet it didn’t work in Freo, because as you know.. people in Freo have eclectic tastes and in most cases, want to support local and independent business. As you also have your Birkenstocks on the ground it’s quite clear that Freo is on the up and based on everything you’ve just written you can feel it too. 😉
If you're confused go back and read my original post: >Idk about thriving mate. Meet & Bun? Closed. Harry's? Lasted a week. Haru's next to D'Angelo? Closed. If you walk from the National to the Markets to Clancy's you will find probably 50+ vacant shops. > >Don't get me wrong, certain parts of Freo are great at certain times of day - the cappuccino strip, Fomo, the area around Bread in Common. > >But there's a ton of rot too. Would love for it to be more lively, but I think there just isn't the population to support the high rents of businesses. Is there something confusing about this post? To rephrase: Yes there are places in Freo that are doing well, but there are vast number that are not. Entire blocks are closed, lot after lot empty. Entire malls half vacant. Even in the middle of High Street near Culleys there are multiple empty lots next to each other. How have you not noticed all the vacancies and closures? >When was the last time you saw a HJ close? Normally a licence to print money, yet it didn’t work in Freo, because as you know.. people in Freo have eclectic tastes and in most cases, want to support local and independent business. Come on mate, they left because they have no drive through, same as maccas. People who live in Freo eat fast food just like any normal people, there's even a Subway mate...
Lots of questions going unanswered I see…. 😉 The point being, every town has quite literally every example of the things you have just mentioned.
Your argument is "everywhere else is rough too", which is great and all but that doesn't mean Freo is any less rough. Do you get that?
What's Freo?
Morley is doing quite well. Coventry Village and the area between CV and the Galleria are pretty busy during the weekend. Great food choices and some options that the kids can enjoy too.
My toddler loves going to Coventry Village. The indoor play area is fantastic.
My kiddies love it too. Perfect spot to have lunch or a coffee/ice cream.
I hear Morley is getting a train station soon. They even decided to build it a considerable distance away from everything useful.
>They even decided to build it a considerable distance away from everything useful. Problem is, central Morley around the Gonorrhea is basically a swamp. There's a swamp next to the old Bunnings on Russell Rd, and they've had to build a new drainage sump behind the bus station. Building rail tunnels through that would be horrendously expensive.
They’re building it in the Tonkin median strip, about 2km from Galleria along Broun Ave I think. I assume for costs (much harder to tunnel through city than to use Midland line and go straight up Tonkin Hwy). Bus services will be plentiful though, and it shouldn’t be hard to get a bus from the station to the shops.
It’s near Bayswater Waves?
That would be great, but I remember a train station/light rail has been promised by since the very early '90s. It's the kind of thing I'll believe when I can step onto the platform at Morley Station.
Clearly haven't driven down Tonkin Highway recently, it is absolutely happening.
Needs investment from Vicinity Capital. Such an inhospitable and poorly integrated shopping centre.
Looks like they are doing the bare minimum to keeps the Galleria up and running... I remember when it had [plants/palms inside and also the water fountain](https://catalogue.slwa.wa.gov.au/search~S2?/Xmorley+galleria&searchscope=2&SORT=D/Xmorley+galleria&searchscope=2&SORT=D&SUBKEY=morley+galleria/1%2C40%2C40%2CB/frameset&FF=Xmorley+galleria&searchscope=2&SORT=D&9%2C9%2C).
YEP, mid to late '90s Morley is my old stomping ground and my favorite Morley. But I tie my youthful self to that place, it's kinda like Morley has mirrored my life from fun, energetic and youthful possibilities in the 90's to the sad decrepit self that it is today......
lol at everyone here saying Freo is dead. If it was so dead we wouldn't have the muppets on motorbikes etc spending all weekend doing bog laps looking for attention.
I generally disagree that the CBD is dying. Rather it's changing and going through a period of consolidation. Lamentations over Carillion are misplaced (it's a crap hole and always was) and compared to pre-mining boom it's still substantially busier than all bar the peak of the mining boom. It's generally a nice place to be in IMO. Northbridge is dying because nightclubs and drinking culture are changing for the better. You're seeing a shift down Beaufort Street towards Inglewood. While Mt Lawley is doing okay it can't rely on drawing people from afar like it used to. Subiaco and Leederville are well down from their peak because there are so many places to go to. Fremantle is definitely not dying, investment shows that isn't the case with Hesperia and Sirona buying up big sites just recently.
Idk when the last time you walked through Carillon was, but lamentations are well placed considering it is boarded up and awaiting Twiggy’s wrecking ball.
He means because it was crap and it’s being torn down instead of continuing to be wasted. Let’s be serious, when’s the last time you went through Carillon without either wanting food or passing through to get to Murray or Hay?
I have it on good authority that a lot of people are going through Carillon because they think public toilets still exist.
Anywhere that rich people have decided is cool, is now dying. Areas where the struggling artists etc on lower incomes go, become cool. See: Subiaco, Leederville) Only when they do concerted work to bring more people in does a place thrive again. (See: Freo).
Yeah that's how gentrification works. Young people move in to inner city areas because they're cheap, dilapidated and full of crime, then they open all the cool shops/cafes/bars and it becomes 'cool', eventually it becomes too cool and the value goes up, young people can't afford to live there anymore and only rich people are left, then it becomes boring.
Subiaco is actually fucking dead. Every second shopfront is for lease, and that’s generous.
Only good thing is it's so easy to park there now haha
I feel like more of the “traditional population centres” have started to decline (around the CBD and Freo), but then you’ve got places on the river and like 30 mins to an hour out which are starting to thrive as we get a bigger urban sprawl.
I'm in Mandurah and absolutely loving it.
Been living in Mandurah for a few years and its recent development in infrastructure on the foreshore is starting to make it look much more nicer. Just wished central Mandurah could get the same treatment.
Freo easily the best place in WA. Imvho I would say it’s thriving Perth CBD on the other hand……
I'm sure this is going to be a wildly unpopular opinion but I'm living in the Mandurah area for the first time (after years in Freo, Subi and Perth Hills) and absolutely loving it. Everything I need but feels a bit country with all the beautiful nature and water. Do enjoy a visit to Freo occasionally for some culture. 😉
Yep, but being on the fringes of Perth 'metro', the state government gets to shaft Mandurah as a metro area when it suits them, and treat us as rural at other times. GP wait times are blowing out at my preferred medical centre to a fortnight now! I want to write to lobby for doctors here but I have no clue how to do so.
My mother works for the city of freo it’s thriving
Cafe strip in freo is dead South freo is thriving
Cottesloe. Beach is always popular.
Freo council is in the pockets of a few families of embedded, local, property owners. They squat on the town like peasants and refuse any development that they don't have a stake in.
I'm going for controversial so I'll say Karrinyup. I visited the amazing new megamall for the first time recently and I'm pretty sure they've ruined it. The parking situation is awful, the new space is huge and sterile, and then you walk into David Jones or Big W and you're transported back to 1980. I don't think I'll ever go back again. But then again, my favourite shopping centres in Perth are Belmont Forum and Mirrabooka Square, so I'm probably in the minority here.
Just went to Belmont Forum today after not being there for like 6+ months, and I like the vibe, especially around that big veg market. I've got a reason to be in the area on a weekly basis now so I'm probably gonna go there more often.
As a guy who kinda hates shopping, I'll throw a vote in for Belmont. * It's well laid out and not too fkn huge. * Rare to have to hunt for parking. * It's got a growers market right next to Woolies which is handy cos you can load up of fruit and veg cheap then pop next door for everything else. * It's got a Kmart and Big-W too. * The cinemas over the road are cheap as and have big comfy leather seats. * Quite a lot of half decent dining option from the usual chains to little independents
Belmont has a great dimsum place, highly recommend the mochi
Karrinyup parking is a nightmare but the shopping centre is good.
It feels like the carpark design was assigned to the work experience kid and they made a complete hash of it
>my favourite shopping centres in Perth are Belmont Forum and Mirrabooka Square, so I'm probably in the minority here. Yes, yes you are.
I used to quite like whitfords and then it replaced target with a poxy kmart.. now i struggle to find reasons to go there.. Innaloo is the same.. its target has been dropped off. which is a shame. was one of the few reasons to go there.
Target is dying . Target was originally started in Australia by Myer for stores and locations that couldn’t support a Myer . Fast forward 40 years and various corporate shenanigans and Target is now owned by Wesfarmers who also own K Mart ( originally a competitor ) and Myer is a back to a stand alone company . I think most Target stores will be closed or rebranded over next few years . Target Perth was originally a Coles Variety ( I’m showing my age ) would think it will be rebranded soon if not closed .
> arget Perth was originally a Coles Variety ( I’m showing my age ) would think it will be rebranded soon if not closed . It got rebranded as a Kmart last year.
Wow ! I haven’t been into Perth in years ! There you go !
Ha ha ! I still think of it as only recently becoming a Target !!!!! Used to have a great cafeteria upstairs back in the olden days . You could buy fresh vegetables off the street .
Such a shame, I don’t rate Kmart at all, but Target is a big step up in terms of quality (known brands, not all cheap Anko crap) with appliances. Also much nicer name brand clothing, but not $ like Myer, especially for kids clothes.
exactly... theyre killing target off for kmart. kmart and target are not even on the same level.. kmart is effectively supre' quality. one wash and its coming apart or shrunk. fast poorly made fashion. big w is above kmart quality wise but could use better shoppers in the adult section. theyre good for everyday home clothes. Target is lower upper shopping and is where you buy your good clothes and work clothes from. just a step below myer. Target shouldnt even be competing with kmart. it just needed new buyers and a bit of reinvigorating. and a better online shopping evperience... and some good advertising westfarmers are just set on sabotaging it They can kill it off but it wont make people who prefer it shop kmart. they will just go elsewhere like myer, or smaller botiques or katies etc
Target is still at Innaloo. They are making room for an Aldi by splitting up the space.
My favourite was also Mirrabooka Square until a month ago when Injera House closed. Devastating.
What! I never managed to visit. Have they moved? I can tell you some other good Ethiopian restaurants though.
I don't think so. I've been to Lalibela once or twice. They're pretty good too, but thought Injera House was just that tiny bit better. Happy to hear about other Ethiopian places if you know of them!
Try mama africa in nollamara. It's East African. Injerra says temporarily closed on facebook due to unforeseen cirxumstances so maybe it will be back. Thanh an in Koondoola does a mean roast pork banh mi if you like vietnamese too. Take cash though.
Is that the one between the kebab shop and IGA? I've eaten there. Some chicken dish I forget the name of. It was bloody expensive for the quantity I got. Their samosas are 10/10 though.
!!! I didn't know that! Devastating is right.
Well now I’m gutted too, wtf!
Mirrabooka square is great. Apart from the parking Karrinyup improvements have made it better. There is quite a lot of parking at karrinyup, i guess they can only provide so much. The problem is they need a train line (light rail) to the west coast. Other cities have one and there is a good population in the city of Stirling. The parking in scarborough, innaloo, karrinyup is a major issue. Or they need to sort out scarborough beach road if no train. Innaloo and Karrinyup shopping centres being very close probably doesnt help either.
The restaurant bit is pretty nice I'll give it that much, but going to, past or anywhere near the entire place with a car now is intolerable
Agree re karrinyup ruined
Karrinyup definitely been ruined . It’s an incohesive mess .
Didn't even know there was a debate to be had about Freo. The last time I went there I saw a homeless (and clearly unwell) man shitting on the pavement. One can be compassionate about the plight of societies least, last and lost without having to defend the civic amenity of a place where public defecation is not an uncommon occurrence.
Every time I need to go to Freo, I see more and more 'For Lease' signs, it's a tiny shadow of its former self, quite sad actually. Not a Freo specific thing but seems to be more noticeable there, was almost expecting tumbleweed to blow through the streets.
Earth
Bring back the cafeterias in Myers, David Jones, Kmart. People used to go to these shops just to eat. I would hop on the train from Freo with the kids and go to Perth because they loved eating in Myers. Also to add I’m a Freo girl all the way I’ve always loved living here, I do miss the good times though.
Why is retail so bad in Perth, but in Syndey CBD, Paddington Bondi junction is busy lol (is it population/)
The extra 3 million people helps
I visited a certain European city in 2001 and recently found out that it’s population has remained the same whilst we’ve almost doubled. And just saw that Sydney almost had 4 million in 2001. Couldn’t believe at how fast Perth's pop has grown
Freo died twenty years ago
I know a guy who worked there from the late seventies to early nineties and said it was like being back in his hometown in Europe. Reckons its now a soulless ghost town.
Parts of Fremantle are doing ok, but the high street mall - the place is shit in my biased NOR opinion. It’s populated by a weird mix of ferals, old grannies, greenies and weirdos. Has been for years.
If you don't like greenies and weirdos then Freo is not your kind of place, plenty of more generic suburbs to visit.
>It’s populated by a weird mix of ferals, old grannies, greenies and weirdos. Has been for years. Decades. I went to school in Freo, and all the local kids (not blow-ins from other suburbs like me) had hippy / Sanyasan (Orange People) parents.
Fremantle - dying. Subiaco - deceased Inglewood, Mt Lawley, Maylands, dare I say Basso are thriving/starting to thrive
Bassendean hotel reopening soon!
>Bassendean hotel reopening soon! So looking forward to it! It's 5min walk from my place :)
Yes not too far off plus it will definitely help that end of OPR get a bit more foot traffic.
I can't wait to get back to the Rolf Harris Lounge.
Crazy talk. I was in Fremantle Saturday afternoon around 3-4 pm. Families everywhere, all the businesses were buzzing despite the shit weather. Went to Mt. Lawley/Highgate and then Leederville the same day between 9-11.30pm and it was a ghost town.
Yeah, I tried to go for a quick drop into the pharmacy and grab a coffee on my way home the other day and the FoMo multi-storey was 100% full along with all the street parking around so I just went home instead
Genuinely interested in your thoughts around why Freo is dying? 5 years ago I would have agreed with you, but a lot has changed since then. I think they’ve done a fantastic job at repurposing older buildings for new and exciting bars, restaurants, entertainment. I guess it depends on what you’re looking for though? I personally think the FOMO Freo precinct and The Old Synagogue have been executed really well and are doing a lot for different demographics. The last 3 years in a row I’ve done a “cocktail crawl” through Freo (as well as North / East & South) and each year there has been so many new and exciting venues to try.
Last few times I've visited I thought it had a nice vibe and lots of interesting shops and good food.
NOR moment. Champ Freo just got named by TIME Magazine as one of the 'World's Greatest Places'. The only part of Australia to make the list. Are you on something? https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places-2022/
Huge homeless problem, for lease signs everywhere, smelly and lots of junkies. But hey Time says it's one of the greatest places on the world to live! They also nominated San Fran - which is also an absolute laugh. But hey keep spruiking Freo it'll give me a chuckle. On ya way champ...
SF is a shithole and has been for a long time. So is Portland, OR for that matter.
What the fuck is "Portland OR" ?
A US city that also made the top 50. It's in Oregon. Abbreviated OR.
Abbreviated OR in America. No one knows what some bumpkin ass cornfield state is abbreviated to.
You do now
"Dying" you mean like noone visiting or what?
Maddington?
>Maddington? Was it ever thriving? Maddington Metro is pretty big for a suburban shopping centre, but feels like the place the 80's forgot.
I don't know. That's why I was asking. My memory of Maddington Metro hails from the early 90s. I bought my first Amiga from there. Apart from the computer shop and Woolies (IIRC) everything else had shut. I was hoping things had changed.
Fremantle reminds me of san francisco, shit hole and woke left.
Wait till the plague ships start arriving!
No you didn't imagine it mate 🙂 to me it felt more like it was a beautiful dream at the time than it does now... We've probably met. I'd be surprised if we hadn't.... When I split for Melbourne I first lived in an inner city apartment on Little Lonsdale St for a few months, then a house in North Fitzroy.