Perth has grown up in the past decade. A focus on – and investment in – design has threaded excitement through the city in a surge of hotels, restaurants and creativity. Art galleries and high-end design stores have moved to the city centre and the city museum has re-emerged as Boola Bardip, with an expanded and interactive offering.

On the coast, the iconic Cottesloe and Fremantle have grown into themselves with savvy and established operators bringing us tasty experiences without taking away what we love about these beachside locations.

As we explore Perth to Fremantle, the Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupé offers a smooth, intuitive ride with its interactive display and seamless navigation, alongside its compact SUV curved design.

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Start your journey on the Swan River, where a decades-old infill has been dug out to return the river to the city, creating new waterfront precinct, Elizabeth Quay. Book your stay at Australia’s Ritz Carlton-branded hotel designed by Cottee Parker. While you’re here be sure to visit Club Lounge or enjoy a dinner at Hearth and post-dinner drink at Songbird.  

If time is on your side, take a two-minute walk to Barrack Street Jetty, where you can set sail for a half-day or full-day trip to Perth’s holiday mecca, Rottnest Island (a 40-minute boat ride away). Or, take a three-minute walk around to Elizabeth Quay Jetty, where you can board a ferry to South Perth.

If culture is more on your agenda, take a short drive to the classic St Georges Cathedral precinct. Here, you will find the State Buildings, designed by award-winning architect Kerry Hill, with some of the city’s top dining experiences – Petition, POST, Wildflower and what was David Thompson’s first Thai restaurant in Australia, Long Chim. The building, also home to COMO The Treasury, is a must-see in itself and is next door to the Kerry Hill-designed library. Just a few steps away is Art Collective WA, home to some of city’s best local artists.

Head to the urban centre

Another excellent starting point is Alex Hotel, where you’ll find Perth’s contemporary arts venue PICA, as well as the Art Gallery of Western Australia a short stroll away. Continue less than 100m on foot to Boola Bardip, the reinvigorated Perth museum, which features grassroots creatives and curiosities, First Nations art and culture and interactive displays of rocks, dinosaurs and more. You can also catch a show at the nearby Kerry Hill-designed State Theatre, or something more edgy at The Blue Room Theatre.

If you’re looking for a quick bite, some of the best Chinese eating experiences are found here – Good Fortune Roast Duck House, Hong Kong BBQ House, Dragon Palace for yum cha and Authentic Bites Dumpling House for the best soup dumplings in the city.

Find your coastal calling

For a daytrip to the city fringe, set your Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupé navigation to Cottesloe Beach, connect your bluetooth for some chilled tunes and relax into a 20-minute drive to Perth’s most iconic beach. Take a dip in the ocean before having breakfast at The Shorehouse. The hot tip from locals is to order the togarashi spiced scrambled eggs; however, the house-smoked salmon with fried eggs, dill cream, compressed cucumber and caviar on rye is also a winner. For lunch, il Lido never disappoints.

For your next stop, take a smooth ride down the coast to Fremantle. Here, you’ll see a mix of old school beach houses and new contemporary designs, but close to the Curtin Avenue roundabout, try to spot one of Perth’s famous brutalist Iwan Iwanoff houses.

Get the Freo feel

Fremantle is one of the best-preserved Victorian-era cities in Australia. Drive into the West End, where the Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupé’s manoeuvrability through one-way streets is impressive.

It’s here that Fremantle’s romantic side is revealed in classic buildings and facades. Darling Darling, Bread in Common, Strange Company and Nieuw Ruin are hidden in these buildings, waiting to be discovered. A must-stop is also Fremantle Arts Centre, one of the city’s premier arts and entertainment venues.

Slide back into your GLE for a short drive to South Freo and take a seat out front at Madalena’s Boteco and Bar for a quick bite to eat before visiting one of Freo’s iconic lighthouses (South Mole or North Mole). While you’re there, enjoy your view and look back over the water to the masts of the iconic Fremantle Sailing Club.

The Shorehouse kindly supplied a meal to our contributors for the purposes of writing this article.

By Anna Flanders