Cottesloe Beach, Western Australia
I had the joy of visiting Cottesloe Beach on the outskirts of Perth in April for a friend’s wedding. We decided to stay for 4 days and make the most of this sleepy seaside town. A location this close to the Sydney CBD would be crowded with tourists (both travelling through and living there), heaps of restaurants and bars, not enough car parks and regular heavy weekend traffic.
Cottesloe has a much different vibe. Relaxed, one main road that snakes the coast next to the beach. A few take away shops, cafes and upscale bars, with a few simple necessity shops and an old pub (location for the wedding ceremony). We stayed across from the beach and enjoyed walking the boardwalk every day, grabbing coffee and banana bread, or cocktails or fish and chips. Walking around the neighbourhood revealed the most glorious homes, decadence reminiscent of a bygone era, all sweeping verandahs, gazebos and formal gardens.
The water always looked inviting, crystal blue with very little waves (perfect for water wusses like me) but with wedding preparation keeping us busy each day we only got to the water once. It may have also been the numerous tales of shark attacks that kept us apprehensively out of the ocean too!
The ‘Freemantle Doctor’ definitely rolls in each afternoon and unfortunately turned the ocean into a carnivorous-like attack of waves just when we decided to bravely enter the water. If visiting, it’s best to head for a swim in the morning.
And of course Cottesloe is the best spot for the ‘daily sunset watch’, such a treat for us East Coasteners who don’t get to see the sun set over the water…and I’m rarely up for sunrise over the Pacific!
