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Try as you might, and contrary to expectations, it's hard to get excited about PERTH , although its lack of urban grime creates a favourable first impression. Western Australia's modern capital of 1.3 million people has a reputation for sunshine, youthfulness and an easy-going lifestyle - after work, people often go sailing or swimming. It is perhaps because of this complacency that Perth lacks the substance and charisma, and the tension, of diverse wealth and ethnicity, that make a really great city something more than just a group of modern skyscrapers. In the 1980s mineral prosperity and a spate of cocky, self-made wheeler-dealers (now largely bankrupt or disgraced) created a mini-boom for Perth. Wealth begat growth, recognition and an exciting, "upwardly mobile" tag; suddenly Perth, separated from everywhere else by thousands of kilometres of desert or ocean, was the place to be. But the many glass towers that rose on the city's skyline in the 1980s are still only half full, mocking the callow values of that era's transient prosperity. Although upbeat campaigns have managed to attract some people back into the city centre outside office hours, apart from shopping and some museums and galleries, the centre has little to offer tourists bar the buzzing restaurant and club district of Northbridge . If you're looking for action, imitate the locals and head for the hills, the beaches, the western suburbs of Leederville, Subiaco, Claremont and Cottesloe, or cruise on down to the port of Fremantle, 20km from Perth.
Your Tip for Perth
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