150 Newcastle St Northbridge Western Australia 6000 (08) 9427 8900 http://www.coles.com.au Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00 - 21:00 Sat 8:00 - 17:00 Sun 11:00 - 17:00
SupaIGA Northbridge is a small-sized supermarket located in the outer border of the CBD, perfectly positioned for people living in the northern suburbs on their return home or for tourists staying in the city. It is replacing the former Coles Supermarket, with a few variations in the internal layout, but basically the same structure.
You won't find all the stuff you find in a big supermarket, still their aisles have the basics, plus decent vegetables and meat areas, and a considerable area devoted to packed sandwiches and take-away meals. It is a big convenience store and not a suburban supermarket, but it is one of the cleanest supermarkets I have been lately, and has the bonus of opening every day and having average prices and great specials.
I think the place was planned for certain sort of shoppers, which explains why certain aisles and sections are prioritised over others. In fact, is a popular shopping spot amongst backpackers, students and after-work young professionals, and perfect for emergency shopping on your way home.
The Nature Play Space has a terrible name, but it is a creative place spot on at every level regarding visual and conceptual design, location, and originality. It is not only fun, it is beautifully design, and the floor painting faking a river with little animals is just stupendous. There are many little details, artistic, funny and so very joyful. The earthiness of the seating benches has to be praised; they are truly awesome.
This magic garden
become very popular right after its opening, and it is attracting an
increasing number of parents with their children and school excursions, especially in the
mornings. The sounds coming from the playground, both from the instruments and the laughter of the players, have already become part of the ambience of the Museum Plaza.
It is not just the kids who are drawn into this music garden, and that is a lot to say for a playground. Kudos to the designers and to the Cultural Centre for such an awesome space.
Photo Courtesy of the Perth Cultural Centre Website.
The Urban Orchard is a green area developed after refurbishing the fringe space beside the Art Gallery and Perth Train Station, of which only the sculpture "Before 1978-1980" remains.
I have a mix of feelings about the Orchard. On one hand, it is great having a public edible garden in the heart of the city used as an educational area, with seedbeds containing a mix of seasonal vegetables and herbs, and scheduled free activities for school children and adults to learn and improve their gardening skills. The harvest & planting days, organised at the start of the summer and winter seasons, are perfect for that. It is also great having a wide green space with a seating area in Northbridge for your lunch, ciggie or coffee breaks, to use as a meeting point, or for the Fringe Festival to set their colourful caravans and vans.
So much thought put into the concept and so little into the design, which is not creative at all. The orchard doesn't feel as an orchard, not even earthy, but more like a lawn and concrete seating area similar to the one in Forrest Chase (now being redeveloped). Besides, and practically speaking, the shading is very limited and the place not good for seating during hot or rainy days - it is perfect for the lettuces and the herbs to look at the sky and enjoy the natural elements.
The Wetland [sic] is a fresh water pond located in the Cultural Centre, in the space connecting James St Amphitheatre and the Art Gallery of Western Australia, and created by redeveloping the previous water fountain but still including Stuart Green's beautiful sculpture.
The place recreates one of the swamps that were part of Perth natural environment at the arrival of the first European settlers. The area is very small but it is beautifully done. It has a great layout and a terrific mix of native greenery and wooden and metallic elements, a large colourful seating area, and a wooden deck stage. A bunch of happy frogs, native fish, and insects consider the pond home, as well as many seagulls, which come here to perform their bath rituals or have a swim. The fact that the central focal viewpoint of the Wetland has no human movement, but a stone façade as a background really helps to immerse yourself in this little artificial micro-cosmos. The world is left at your back, and it feels far away from the hectic urban surroundings.
The place is a favourite with quiet lunchers and coffee sippers, small children wanting to spot frogs, school groups, loners, and people attending some of the environmental talks and performances that take place at the central stage.
The Wetland is a beautiful special spot, perfect to relax in the middle of the city.
The soul of the city - this is the Cultural Centre. An under-appreciated free heart, taken for granted, by many Perthites. In a five-minute walk you will have free access to the State Library (the most visited public building in WA), the Art Gallery and PICA, two theatres (The Blue Room and the State Theatre), the Museum of Western Australia, a musical playground, an urban orchard, and a wetlands pond, and some nice sculptures. We should be clapping out of joy!
The central plaza with its colourful steps has become a modern sort of agora for concerts and festivals, and also a favourite among open-air lunchers since the setting of the big screen in the middle of the square, which showcases great shorts all day long. You can watch the shorts, read your magazine or book, or watch humans pass by in their colourful dresses, hairdos, and attitudes.
The only thing lacking for the place to be world class is, a more impacting architecture and sculptures, and, above all, the monetary patronage necessary to bring bigger shows and exhibitions to the city, and to provide better funding for the functioning of these institutions. Hopefully, when the redevelopment project is finished, the place will have a more edgy aura.
The vibrancy of the place is not always evident, as the place has also become a passage way from William St to Beaufort St to the CBD and vice versa, and many of the beautiful spots in the area are passed unnoticed. Still, some of the new developments are attracting an increasing number of people coming to the Cultural Centre to stay, not to pass by.
702 Hay St Piccadilly Arcade, Shop 24-26 Perth Western Australia 6000 (08) 6460 1866 http://www.foneezy.com.au/ Hours: Mon-Sat 9:00 - 18:00 Sun 12:00 - 18:00
Phone Ezy in Picadilly Arcade is the cheapest shop for mobile repairs, and mobile and USB modem unlocking in the CBD. They also sell a few prepaid mobile combos, nothing fancy but modern, convenient and decently priced. They have a small selection of mobile accessories, but it is limited and pricey.
The service has always been OK, matter of fact, but efficient and reliable. I go there mostly for unlocking and repairs, and the guys have always been clear regarding their service, timing and pricing; if they can't do something, they will tell you straight away.If you go a peak
times, you will certainly will be asked to leave your device with them
and return later. The cues are here, and not in other places at 100 or 200 metres, for a reason.
Repairs start from 30$ and unlocks from 20$.
Best time to visit is early hours of the morning, otherwise the cues can be long and the waiting time ditto.
Grill'd Mount Lawley is one of those restaurants that succeeds because does things well and keeps it simple. It offers five things that guarantee success once the hype of a new business wanes out: good food, good sizing, good service, good location, and a nice ambience suitable to all sorts of people.
The location is fantastic, with enclosed and balcony areas, very welcoming and spacious, in the heart of Mt Lawley. Seat there and let the world pass by.
The selection of burgers is very good, with a variety of beef, chicken, lamb and vegetarian patties, plus steak sandwiches and salads. They have gluten-free buns, too. The chicken burgers, well, they are not burgers to me, as to be a burger the meat has to be minced and in a patty. It it has a fillet and not a patty, it is not a burger - simple!
I have tried some of their fancy beef burgers in the past, but now I go directly for the Simple Grill'd without cheese, which is a simple burger delicious in its simplicity, filling but not heavy on your stomach. I love their fries, both in serving sizes, cut, crunchiness, and that mix of rosemary and salt that makes them taste so delicious on their own. The size of the burgers is great, even the smallest one will leave you satisfied, and I eat a lot!
If you have any concerns with the preparation of your food, no problem, seat in front of their assembling area and see how they do it. It is also, how to put it?, entertaining!
The service is very good. I have rarely found a nosey-posey guy/gal, no matter how cool or funky they look. They are a bunch of friendly hard-working chaps, and very accommodating about anything.
The visitors are, uhmmm, mostly men, lots of families during the weekends, and burger lovers in general.
They certainly could improve their plating and sides, but Grill'd serves burgers in its wonderful original rusticity and primitive awesomeness.
