A local’s guide to Fremantle: ‘It feels like everyone is living the good life’

Food

We have fantastic access to fresh seafood in Freo and it’s served up in places that aren’t over-the-top swanky. High-end food and drink with a relaxed and welcoming vibe is a huge part of the culture here.

Related: ‘There’s history in these walls’: is Mojos in Fremantle Australia’s best music venue?

Madelena’s in South Fremantle is lovely towards the end of the day; a golden light comes through and you can sit outside. It’s got sustainably caught fish and a great wine selection; they really are experts. Meanwhile, at Young George in East Freo, the chef – Melissa Palinkas – is really inventive. I like the kangaroo dishes and would probably just keep ordering that, but the menu is always changing.

Ode to Sirens slaps. It’s in the centre of town, a modern Greek fusion with lots of vinyl records being played and a strong emphasis on innovative female artists. Bread in Common is in one of the many converted warehouses here and there’s excellent lighting – the older I get, the more that’s important to me! The food is amazing but you can just have a coffee or a glass of wine too.

Green spaces

Every local can tell you how to get to Monument hill. It’s a favourite spot to watch the sunset and from the reserve the cranes in the port look like dinosaurs. It’s best with friends, a picnic blanket and some cheeky Chouette – an amazing wine label by a local guy, Tom Daniel. Someone needs to bring dips. Someone always forgets dips.

If you’re a dog lover like me, the best beach is South Fremantle dog beach. It combines two of the best things about living – cute animals and a great beach. I used to live nearby and would visit most days. Everyone’s feeling good, the dogs are happy, the water’s beautiful.

Nightlife

You can’t visit Freo without seeing live music at Mojos bar in North Freo. It’s an institution. The best way to enjoy it is to meet someone cute at Mrs Brown bar next door; lamp lighting, great art, vintage furniture and, again, an excellent wine list. Flirt over a chilled red, pop into Flipside Burgers and order something like the Taxi CAB burger before seeing a band at Mojos; you have everything you need in this little hub. Expect to not know how you ended up on Port beach at 5am with a huge smile on your face and someone else’s pants on. There may be fire twirlers and dolphins, too.

Strange Company, a small bar, is smack-bang in the middle of the city. It’s got incredible interior design by a local architect firm, spaceagency. You actually do always end up meeting strangers here and having a lot of fun. It takes a quintessential Freo turn after the sun goes down when it fills with the locals more interested in chatting in dark, wood-panelled corners – there’s a David Lynch kind of vibe.

Inspiration

Fremantle Arts Centre is built in the Australian Gothic style and is just an incredible live concert space. It’s got capacity for hundreds or thousands but also really intimate shows. I saw Billie Eilish play here in 2019. It’s definitely haunted AF though! Everyone knows it. I’ve played there a few times and have heard lots of stories from staff. It’s hard to talk about without sounding like an absolute fruit bat but Fremantle has a lot of history.

Neighbourhoods

Fremantle has a unique mix of people. It feels like everyone is living the good life and just letting each other live and let live. Each neighbourhood has a slightly different … atmosphere? I don’t want to say “energy”, I sound so Fremantle!

South Fremantle is youthful and hip. A fun mix of fire-twirling hippies and people who want to sit down in a fine-dining space like Madalena’s. There are some great pubs – including the Local hotel and South Beach hotel – food trucks on the beach, furniture stores and some crystal shops. It’s what people would think of when they think of Fremantle.

Even though there’s bigger venues in the centre of Fremantle such as Freo Social, North Fremantle is still the music hub of Fremantle. It’s more rock’n’roll . East Fremantle is a bit more upmarket. There’s a lot of money there. Fremantle is a pretty expensive place to buy a house, generally, and East Fremantle wears that on its sleeve. It’s a lovely wander, with a lot of green spaces and a really good walk along the Swan River.

Stay

The Local hotel ($170 a night) is quite an institution. You always have a pretty rock’n’roll time there, with lots of alfresco space and good pub fare. The rooms upstairs are nice, clean and simple with a cool, funky vibe – a bit of personality. Warders hotel (from $299) puts patrons up in the old limestone cottages in the buzzing hub of the city, right next to Fremantle markets. That area is quintessentially Fremantle. I really do love this city.

• Abbe May is an award-winning singer, songwriter and guitarist based in Perth and Fremantle.