WHAT'S HOT

Busselton Jetty wins big at WA Tourism Awards

A number of WA tourism businesses were acknowledged for excellence at the 2019 Perth Airport WA Tourism Awards – held on Saturday night (November 9) at Crown Perth. Busselton Jetty in WA's Margaret River region was one of the big winners, taking out the prestigious Sir David Brand Award for Tourism, and gold in the Major Tourist Attraction and Ecotourism categories. Other gold medallists on the night included:

• Tourist Attractions - Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures
• Major Festivals & Events – Field of Light: Avenue of Honour
• Qantas Award for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Tourism – Go Cultural Aboriginal Tours and Experiences
• Cultural Tourism - Fremantle Prison
• Adventure Tourism - Skydive Geronimo Rottnest
• Luxury Accommodation – Pullman Bunker Bay
• New Tourism Business – Discovery Rottnest Island
• Excellence in Food Tourism – Two Feet and a Heartbeat

The gold medallists will go on to represent WA at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards, being held in Canberra on March 6, 2020. For more details read the feature below, and see the full list of winners here. 

Perth's Ritz-Carlton Hotel opening

One of Australia's most anticipated new hotels, the Ritz-Carlton, will open its doors at Perth's Elizabeth Quay on November 15. The new luxury hotel will offer 205 rooms, including 18 generously appointed suites and the 277 square metre Ritz-Carlton Suite featuring an outdoor balcony. The signature restaurant Hearth, led by acclaimed WA chef Jed Gerrard, will showcase produce from WA's premier farmers, fisherman, artisans and winemakers; embracing the traditional skill of cooking over fire to deliver a seasonal menu. Songbird, the rooftop bar, will serve up cocktails and small dishes alongside stunning views of the city and Swan River. Wellness is a focus of the Ritz-Carlton Spa, which features four treatment rooms, saunas, fitness centre, a private yoga studio, his and hers outdoor heated vitality pools and a heated outdoor infinity pool overlooking the Perth CDB and Swan River. The hotel will also offer meeting and events spaces – including the Elizabeth Quay Ballroom.

Perth scores NRL Nines in Australian first

An exciting festival-style tournament of rugby league has been secured for Perth in February 2020. The two-day National Rugby League (NRL) Nines (the Nines) tournament will be held at HBF Park on Friday, February 14 and Saturday, February 15, 2020. It will be the first time the Nines will be played in Australia, with all 16 of the men's and four of the women's NRL clubs coming to Perth for the tournament. The clubs will have their top stars on show, including one of the top six players and 12 of the top 30 players (as determined by the salary cap), including players from 2019 NRL grand finalist teams, the Sydney Roosters and Canberra Raiders. Top players from NRLW Premiers, the Brisbane Broncos, will also come to Perth to compete. The Nines are played before the start of the NRL season in a fast-paced format with fewer players on the field, giving the stars more room to show off their skills. Two-day passes for the NRL Nines are on sale now.

Northbridge welcomes The Rechabite

One of the founding buildings along the William Street strip in Perth's cultural hub of Northbridge, the Rechabite Hall, has been given a new lease of life. Once a vibrant dance hall, The Rechabite is a new entertainment and dining venue spanning three storeys, and housing multiple bars, restaurant and rooftop space offering views over Northbridge and the city. Double Rainbow is the venue's bar and kitchen, led by head chef Jesse Blake, formerly from Petition Kitchen. At the basement level is the underground bar Goodwill Club – and a 25 metre cage lift will take patrons from the basement to the rooftop. The fit-out includes the stunning original staircase, with Perth property developer Adrian Fini ensuring the heritage elements of the building are maintained. To celebrate the opening, circus-style show Boom Boom in the House of Casa Blah Blah – created specifically for the new venue - will be playing at The Rechabite until December 21.

Perth Festival's City of Lights

Perth Festival will welcome a brand-new precinct for the 2020 event – the City of Lights. Inspired by the moment in 1962 when Perth residents left on their lights and shone torches into the sky to light up the night for US astronaut John Glenn as he orbited Earth – the new precinct will take in the whole of the iconic Perth Concert Hall. The venue will become an Indigenous ceremonial dance ground and an international Kabarett Haus, as well as its traditional role as the home of fine music. With the entire first week of the program dedicated to performances by Australia's First Nations, the City of Lights will open with the world-premiere season of Bungul in the Perth Concert Hall - an extraordinary performance by Yolnu dancers, songmen, and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. The Chevron Lighthouse will be the ultimate destination for contemporary music – with live acts such as Indigenous hip-hop artists Briggs' Bad Apples House Party, and Spinifex Gum featuring Marliya – an ensemble of Aboriginal and Torres Strait teenage singers with the Cat Empire's Felix Riebl and Ollie McGill. It'll also feature pop-up bars, food-vendors and free live performances. Other highlight performances include Thirteen Ways to Look at Birds with Australian Music Legend Paul Kelly, performing at the Perth Concert Hall, as well as international acts Rufus Wainwright and Amanda Palmer. The 2020 Perth Festival will kick off from February 7 to March 1, with tickets now on sale.

LIFESTYLE AND CULTURE

Perth named friendliest city in Australia

Perth has recently been named the friendliest city in Australia by global travel authority Big Seven Travel. Taking out the number one spot in The 25 Friendliest Cities and Towns in Australia, Big Seven Travel described the city as a 'wonderfully vibrant and social place to be.'

AGWA's Brutalist building exhibition

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Art Gallery of WA's (AGWA) 1979 Brutalist building, the major exhibition Perth Brutal: Dreaming in Concrete – open till February 17, 2020 - looks at the history of the iconic building's development and construction. Located in the Perth Cultural Centre, the building is a striking example of late Brutalist architecture. In addition, a special exhibition That Seventies Feeling…the Late Modern – open from December 7 to March 9, 2020 – will showcase some of the Gallery's best works from the decade.

Ice Cream Factory serving up summer

Popular Perth outdoor pop-up venue The Ice Cream Factory will be returning to Northbridge this summer from December 13 to New Year's Day. Bringing the summer festival vibes, the 2019 line-up will include a sizzling list of national and international acts including Girl Talk, Peking Duk, Example, The Jungle Giants and Thundamentals. With six stages, 11 bars, multiple dance floors, a silent disco, VIP decks, sun lounges, activations and custom rooftops – this year's event will also feature an 11 metre high zip line across the dance floor.

FOOD AND WINE

Ultimate ride to wine and dine

Based in the Margaret River region in WA's South West, Margaret River Mountain Bike Tours has partnered with one of the region's top wineries – Leeuwin Estate – to offer the Ultimate Ride to Wine and Dine tour. Guests can choose from either Giant dual suspension mountain bikes, or Giant electric bikes, to ride along scenic rural trails through forest and farmland suitable for all riding abilities, discovering the local history, flora and fauna. After a two-hour ride, guests then arrive at Leeuwin Estate for a personal tour of the winery, followed by wine tasting with paired canapés, and a two-course lunch with a glass of wine. Tours start from $399 per person and run for approximately six hours.

Opening of Little Stables

One of Perth CBD's popular venues, The Stables Bar, has recently added to their offering with the opening of Little Stables. Serving up breakfast, lunch and dinner – the 'grab and go' style bar offers coffee and pastries for breakfast; and sandwiches, rolls and salads for lunch. Dinner is served in the basement bar, with a menu that heroes premium quality rotisserie chicken and a creative cocktail list.

TOURS, ACCOMMODATION AND ATTRACTIONS

Abrolhos Islands WA's newest national park

The Houtman Abrolhos Island, located approximately 60 kilometres off the coast of Geraldton in WA's Coral Coast region, has recently been granted National Park status. The Abrolhos Islands are a unique marine environment of 122 coral cays (or islands), clustered into three main groups - Wallabi, Easter and Pelsaert Group. The islands extend from north to south across 100 kilometres of the Indian Ocean, and are home to the famed Western Rock Lobster, Nobby Sea Birds, Tammar Wallabies and Australian Sea Lions. Several boat charter operators offer day tours to the islands, along with live-aboard options for those with more time. Scenic flights are also available from Geraldton and Kalbarri, which offer land-based activities on the islands such as guided nature walks and snorkeling.

New SeaLink Rottnest Island service

SeaLink WA is expanding its services by introducing another boat to take visitors to Perth's island playground – Rottnest. The additional vessel will offer a new daily departure from Barrack Street Jetty at Elizabeth Quay, starting from November 14. Named Quokka II, the 31.7 metre vessel has capacity for up to 300 people, and features open-air and all-weather lounges.

Perth's new waterslides

Perth's newest waterslide attraction – the Outback Splash – is set to open on November 20, with a new six-storey waterslide tower. Located 30 minutes from Perth CBD, the outdoor attraction will also feature two raft slides, an enclosed golden speed slide and WA's fastest body slide, where riders plunge downward at speeds of up to 75 kilometres per hour; plus a burger bar and large shaded outdoor seated areas. Tickets and season passes can now be purchased online or at the ticket office on arrival.

Cruise to Esperance's Pink Lake

Visitors to Esperance in WA's Golden Outback region will have a unique opportunity to see the insta-famous pink Lake Hillier up close on a cruise to Middle Island with Esperance Island Cruises. Departing on January 11, 2020, the company only operate one cruise per year to Middle Island – where Lake Hillier is located. Throughout the year, scenic flights over the lake are available with Goldfields Air Services, or visitors can charter a boat to the island. Entirely natural, research shows that Lake Hillier's vibrant pink colour comes from 10 species of salt-loving bacteria and several species of algae that are almost all pink, red or salmon-coloured. Guests on the cruise will be able to marvel at the phenomenon from the lake's viewing platform. The 60-foot vessel is limited to 40 passengers, and the full day tour costs $320 per person, which includes lunch and refreshments. Bookings can be made through the website.

Discover gold and pearls on a new Perth tour

Two of Perth city's popular attractions – The Perth Mint and Willie Creek Pearls – have teamed up to create tour offerings that showcase two of WA's prized treasures, gold and pearls. The two-hour Treasures of WA and five-hour Deluxe Discoveries tours include a visit to Willie Creek's Elizabeth Quay showroom to discover the history of pearling in Broome, join a pearl master class and harvest a pearl; followed by a visit to the Mint in East Perth to experience the allure of pure gold, learn how prospectors contracted 'gold fever' in their pursuit of the elusive gold nuggets, and why these rare finds ultimately shaped the State. Tours are now available, and can be booked online. 

New South West walking tour

Luxury walk specialist, Walk into Luxury, will launch a new seven-day small group walk combining the Cape to Cape and Bibbulmun Track – taking in the best of WA's South West region. The tour includes a four-day Cape to Cape walk; a three-day South Coast walk; accommodation at Smiths Beach Resort; transfers from Perth to Albany; Albany to Margaret River and back to Perth; as well as food, wine and guides. Availability is from March to June; and September to November 2020. In addition, the touring company will be partnering with Perth's newest luxury hotel, The Ritz-Carlton, to offer hotel guests luxury walking experiences.

Carnarvon's Gwoonwardu Mai reopens

The Gwoonwardu Mia Aboriginal Cultural Centre, located in the town of Carnarvon in WA's Coral Coast region, has officially reopened this month. Celebrating the five Aboriginal language groups in the Gascoyne region, visitors to the Centre can experience the region's Aboriginal history, art, heritage and culture. Gwoonwardu Mia includes a café, gallery shop, an Emerging Art Centre facility, outdoor performance space, ethnobotanical gardens and grounds based on the region's plants and how they are used by local Aboriginal people, and a permanent multi-award winning interpretive exhibition – Burlganyja Wanggaya (Old People Talking), which tells the stories of the Gascoyne's Aboriginal people in their own words and language.