I've lived in Perth for 11 years and if you'd asked me whether I knew the city pretty well, I would've said yes.

Apparently what I actually know is my house, my workplace, the CBD, three shopping centres, the beach and the roads connecting all of those things.

On Saturday I had nothing planned, got on the Midland line and decided I'd get off somewhere I normally just watch go past through the window.

Ended up at Bassendean.

No itinerary, no restaurant recommendation saved on my phone, nothing I particularly needed to do there.

I walked along Old Perth Road, got a coffee, wandered through some residential streets, eventually headed down towards the river and sat there for a while. I probably covered a few kilometres in total.

None of it was some hidden tourist attraction. That's actually what I liked about it.

It felt weirdly like visiting another town even though I was still in the same metro area and could've been home again pretty quickly.

On the train back I realised there are dozens of stations I've passed hundreds of times without ever once having a reason to get off.

Perth is so spread out that I think it's very easy to live here for years while only actually experiencing a tiny collection of corridors through it.

So I'm thinking of doing this once a month now. Pick a station I've never used, get off, walk around for a couple of hours and see what's there before looking anything up.

Worst case I discover a servo and some houses.

Best case I finally learn what all those suburb names on the train announcements actually look like.

WA's environmental watchdog has quietly released for public comment a plan for a mega gas-fired power plant on the same day the state government trumpeted an ambitious plan to almost double renewable energy generation in the next five years.

Why the hell is a male support worker responsible for showering and changing a non-verbal vulnerable female?

I’ve worked in community services for years and never seen that occur. As a female I’m given females to look after. What a disgusting human being, but also whoever allowed that to happen needs to be fired too.

It says 'Swing On Tasmania 2024' and appears to be a stubby holder that would have a sentimental connection to the owner considering there's a picture with what I assume is him and his mates on it. I found it in an Uber that I caught around Edgewater. It had an empty can of Single Fin in it. I saw it and thought to myself that perhaps I should try to reunite this bloke with his property. Does anybody recognise this holder and/or the pixelated men in the picture?

Welcome to the Perth Book Club!

Book Club will be held at 10am every Tuesday.

What is this?

This is a place to share what you are reading or perhaps look for suggestions for new material. Have a favourite author you want to talk about? Looking forward to an upcoming release? All are welcome here.

These threads are posted every Tuesday and various times (depending on when I'm free).

Book Swap

Are you looking to buy/sell/swap/give some books? Please feel free to list them here in this thread. Do you see something you want that someone is offering? Send them a Private Message so that you can organise the details.

Do Audiobooks count?

Absolutely! This isn't a place for purity of written material, this is a place to share.

What about manga/comics/visual novels?

More than welcome here. If it's something you're reading/listening to and you want to talk about it, you're home.

Spoilers

It should go without saying that no one wants a book spoiled. Please put anything that could be a spoiler inside a spoiler tag. If you aren't sure if it is a spoiler or not, act like it is.

I was dropping my child to school this morning when my toddler started spewing in her car seat. I quickly pulled across someone's driveway, there was nowhere else safe to park, yanked her out and let her spew down the drain.

The homeowner came out, and I thought she was going to go off at me for parking across her driveway, so I apologised, but she said that's okay, she was just coming out to check if I was okay. She brought out a spew bucket and an electrolyte icy pole for my daughter.

I have no family in Australia at all, and my partner is FIFO, so when I am alone with three young kids, these situations can be so stressful when there is no grandparent or sibling to call for backup.

But she was so nice and kind and held my screaming baby while I sorted the toddler.

I told my husband when I got home and spoke to him, and he did a street view to find the house, as I didnt even think to check her house number, and he arranged for a a hamper to be delivered to say thanks.

She said she has grandkids that she sees regularly, so if this is your mum, you are so lucky! She is a gem and such a lovely, kind lady.

And she saved me from a mental breakdown haha.

I know it’s a long shot but I want to give it a try, I’m looking for an old copy of The West Australian newspaper from date March 21, 2026. It had an article that had my wife’s name on it and I wanted to keep it as a momento.

I had a copy saved in my house and yesterday, when I finally bought a frame to save that cutting, I couldn’t find the page anymore! I know from memory that I had kept it really safe somewhere but I suspect I might have kept it so safe that even I can’t get to it now! :,(

So I’m looking for The West Australian from March 21st this year. If you have a collection of newspapers or know somewhere they are stored, I’ll be grateful if I could get it.

Thank you! 🙏🏻

I was out on a lunch time walk today and found two dogs that I knew to be from a specific house on my street. I love those dogs but they were large and energetic and I had no way of restraining them. I managed to get them back to their house and keep them at the front door but there was no one home, the side gate was open and there was a lock that prevented me from closing it... not that I think I would have been able to get them into the yard anyway.

Luckily after about 20 minutes someone came home but I was running up against time pressure and getting ready to call the local council (and leave a note on the door so they would know where their dogs were).

I'm glad to have helped and they are cute dogs, i would just rather have been able to call someone straight away to let them know than to worry if they were going to be out all day.

Hello! I'm struggling with female related issues and whilst I have a fantastic relationship with my current male GP, I feel my female related concerns might not be being understood. Does anyone know any good female GPs in roughly the Rockingham to Cockburn area? ( Sorry if this sounds strange, I'm autistic and don't really know how or where to ask for help ).

Another day, another Perth council in turmoil.

I'll pick Mirrabooka

Been spending a fair bit of time at different parks around Perth lately and something's been bugging me.

We have some genuinely fantastic public spaces. Playgrounds, free BBQs, picnic areas, dog exercise areas, the works.

But why is a proper drinking water refill station still such an afterthought?

At too many parks you're either hunting around for a tap, trying to angle a bottle under one of those tiny bubblers that barely clears the drain, or giving up and buying water somewhere.

And yes, obviously you should bring water with you. I do. That's not really the point.

We're heading into another Perth summer where an afternoon can easily hit 40 degrees. People go for walks, exercise, take their kids out, spend hours at the foreshore. Not everyone has the ability to just duck into a shop and buy something when they run out.

I'm not suggesting every patch of grass needs a fancy stainless steel fountain. Just a working, clearly marked tap that's actually designed to fill a bottle, with some way to report it when it breaks.

We've managed to make free electric BBQs a normal part of public parks. Surely reliable drinking water isn't a ridiculous next step.

Is this noticeably better in some council areas than others? Because the difference between the parks I've visited has been pretty wild.

A bus route that is consistently late and bottlenecked as it is essentially being asked to take on the capacity of a train service has a lot of services? Checkmate, Rita Saffioti!

The 950 route does a lot of heavy lifting but my god, it is neither quick nor direct from the city. The route is simply being asked to do too much.

The fact there are that many trips and yet the buses are regularly filled up to the point they regularly have to reject people from entering the bus at Elizabeth Quay station is exactly why UWA needs more public transport infrastructure, not less.

I love a scotch egg , just watched beard smash some awesome scotch eggs and now I’m on a mission. Where’s the best scotch eggs in Perth ?
Prefer SOR

Photo for reference

I live coastal, NOR and I love that we can hear the beach. What I miss most is hearing birds.

With new housing being squeezed in so tight, the only place you find birds are in the trees in the little parks they build, which may not be near where you live. Older suburbs all still have natural trees, which have been there for ages and birds...

New suburbs, just concrete and silence.

wondering what shopping centre has the most off the rack, cheap-to-mid line suits in perth?

i know the cbd is best for boutique stores with bespoke suits but i'm just after the more generic formal wear stores such as Roger David etc. etc. basically asking what shopping centre has the highest concentration of them.

thanks in advance !

I was driving on along albany hwy this morning (Bedfordale way) in a 70km/h bit. The driver in front of me was doing 50km and randomly speeding up/slowing down. I assumed maybe an elderly driver as there are a lot of retirees in the hills. I couldn’t overtake so stayed back and hoped they would turn off a side street. All of a sudden they slam their brakes on (pedal to the metal) in the middle of the hwy. I’m thinking an animal might’ve ran out or they are having a medical episode??? My emergency brake system kicks in so I don’t hit them, then they start reversing at a rapid speed towards me, I have to illegally over take to avoid being hit. Unfortunately couldn’t see the driver or get the rego. I think they wanted to follow me but another car came around the bend and over took them too. Has this happened to anyone else? I live rurally so there aren’t a lot of main roads cameras around. It seems like they were trying to do a rear end fender bender scam.

Hi everyone,

So, I applied for a company that has multiple locations state-wide.

The advertisement stipulated the position would be located at their Alkimos, Butler or Leederville location. I'm located in Alkimos, so any of those locations would be fine.

I was offered the job and received my written offer today, confirming the position is in Fremantle.

I'm conflicted about it. I do want this job (it's good pay, relevant to my degree ect), but the location is obviously not what was advertised and is a long commute. I confirmed with the recruiter and she said this was definitely the right location.

Just wondering what everyone else's experience has been with considerable commutes to work. I had a long commute before, and it wasn't particularly ideal after a while.

Please let me know if there’s a better place to post this.

Looking to join a competition shooting club in WA. Ideally looking for an active club participating in competitions around the state.

Looking for club recommendations and/or places to avoid - I live and work all over the state from Karratha, Newman, Perth and margs across to Esperance.

Not interested in people’s political opinions; we’re talking about lawfully abiding shooters in the most strictly regulated state in Australia.

Could you get an appointment? Did the cost put you off? Did someone take the time to listen and help?

We want to hear what getting healthcare has actually been like since May this year, whether it went well, badly or somewhere in between.

We’re gathering experiences from patients, carers and families to show WA Health what worked, where people struggled and what needs to improve during 'the winter peak'. That includes experiences with GPs, hospitals, emergency departments, specialists and other health services.

If want to have your opinions and experiences added, and can spare 10 minutes, please fill out our SURVEY HERE by 4 November.

Thanks for helping us make healthcare fair for everyone in Western Australia.

More about us: We’re the Health Consumers’ Council WA, a not-for-profit based in Mount Lawley. We bring West Aussies’ healthcare experiences to health system decision makers and push for a fairer health system for everyone in WA. If you need support to raise a concern about your healthcare, our free, independent advocacy service may be able to help, or we have plenty of free resources on our website.