COTTS-WALLOP: Ritzy suburb kills Perth divide debate
Just where does Cottesloe, one of the city's ritziest suburbs, sit on Perth's north versus south divide argument?
In the comments section of the story published on PerthNow on Monday, Brian P asked: 'Since when has Cottesloe been north of the river?'
It caught the reaction of a number of readers, with John T replying: 'Since 1870 Brian.'
EshayPride Z said: 'Since the last Ice Age.'
While Haydn R quipped: 'I think you had better look at a map!'
The question was simply: Is it better to live north or south of the river? Where Cottesloe sits on the map. Credit: Google
However, it brought up an intriguing though light-hearted debate.
It prompted PerthNow to call a number of prominent Cottesloe locals to gauge their views.
High-profile lawyer and former Cottesloe mayor John Hammond is well placed to comment on the subject, having grown up in the south but spent much of his adult life in the premium beachside suburb.
'I do see it as north of the river,' he said all the way from Italy, where he is holidaying, on Tuesday.
'The suburbs from Perth to Mozzie Park, in particular, have a lot more trees and that's why it feels so different.
'And the battle to keep density lower has largely, I think, been successful so you're not getting the huge high-rise nodes that you get in South Perth.
'And Fremantle's got the ugly Fremantle Hospital.
'Fortunately, we don't have anything like that, excluding the hospital precinct, of course. But even that's been quite well done because it's treed all around.'
Mr Hammond also pointed out that most of the power lines in the area were underground, giving it a different feel. Some of the humorous comments that have been coming in. Credit: PerthNow
Cottesloe MLA and former Property Council of Australia WA executive director Sandra Brewer said that while the suburb was technically north of the river, she felt it was actually quite central.
'It's certainly north of the Swan River but really it's quite central in terms of location in our city,' she said.
'I always notice if I need to visit an industrial area, you know, it can be faster to go to O'Connor or Osborne Park depending on the traffic.'
However, Ms Brewer did admit a soft spot for the south of the river beacon of Fremantle.
'Cottesloe really is more proximate to Fremantle than it is Perth city, so if you want a night out for dinner the tendency might be to gravitate south,' she confessed.
'And the train line makes it extra convenient. Just being on the Fremantle train line makes it super easy to visit the port city for a meal or a night out but there's also fantastic options if you want to travel into the city as well.'
Ms Brewer said she actually believed that Cottesloe, which had a 'lovely beachside vibe', held its own unique place in Perth.
'The vibe in summer feels quite International, actually, I would say it feels Mediterranean or European,' she said.
'The heat and the singlets and the Alfresco beverages. You know, it really does feel a bit like a European holiday vibe.
'And that just gives it a feeling of its own.'
Ms Brewer said she also enjoyed the suburb's 'country feel'.
'In some ways it has a bit of a country feel because it's an area that hasn't changed much and there's a lot of retirees and pensioners that are from the Wheatbelt or country WA, so it does have a bit of a village feel as well,' she said.
And she said her teenagers loved the 'Cott life' because there was 'a lot going on'.
Perhaps the last words should go to Mr Hammond, who as parochial as he is about Cottesloe, is even more so about WA.
Don't forget he's on holiday in Italy!
'You know how people rave about Capri and all those places, I still think Western Australia leaves it all for dead,' he exuded proudly.
'You've got space. I'm staying up from a beach in Portofino where you've got 1000 people crammed together all with sun lounges that you pay 30 euros a day for and umbrellas, and you're escorted to your seat.
'Down at Cottesloe, you just go and grab the closest bit of sand and put your towel down.
'And you get into the water in Italy and you need plastic shoes because the pebbles hurt your feet so much.
'We've got the best beaches in the world.'
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