- Tiana Speter
EXCLUSIVE: Funny gal Amy Hetherington shares her fave places to get properly pickled
In case you are living under an especially heavy rock, there's a whole lotta awesome going on in the Western part of Australia. And in honour of the every-growing music and cultural scene kicking in Western Australia, today we're bringing you something a bit different! Fresh off performing at FRINGE WORLD Festival in Perth, funny gal Amy Hetherington shares some memories and must-visit watering holes in Perth in-between taking her 'Where They Hide The Crazy' show over to Adelaide and Melbourne. Go share in some of the Perth-tastic fun below!
"PICKLING PERTH"- AMY HETHERINGTON'S GUIDE TO PERTH'S WATERING HOLES
As a Curtin Uni graduate I spent my prime drinking years in Perth.
*** cue montage flashback of drunken adventures at The Shed, Paramount and Hip-E bar ***
I lived in WA before the Melbourne-inspired quirky bars starting popping up! Now whenever I’m home my friends take me to these gorgeous, trendy, chic (and expensive) cocktail bars and niche wine lounges.
Don’t get me wrong…. It’s delightful. But sometimes my heart yearns for nostalgia… a classic pub vibe or a place with a repressed memory carved into the back on a toilet door.
So, here’s my top 5 waterholes in Perth for people that like to remember when Perth was still catching up.
--LITTLE CREATURES – FREO--
I remember when Little Creatures opened and we all lost out sh*t about how cool Perth was. I can’t go past it. It’s the go to spot when you have interstate visitors, your guaranteed to bump into someone you know and if you’re lucky you’ll see a seagull steal a chip from a kid on the jetty. The beers are still some of my favourite and they have an excellent comedy night on Saturdays.
AMY'S BEST LITTLE CREATURES MEMORY: had one of the best drunken D&Ms with a girl in the toilet… if you’re reading this Amber, you deserve better and we’re all proud of you darling and no one can tell you just threw up.
--HULA BULA BAR--
Heck yes! Don’t care about your opinions on this place I LOVE IT SICK! I always felt so fancy when we went to the Hula Bula Bar and ordered ridiculous tiki cocktails. I loved the theming and the cheesiness and the fun of it all. It was the first stop on many a huge adventure through Perth when I first moved there and I definitely didn’t steal/borrow the decorations off the cocktails *wink*
AMY'S BEST HULA BULA BAR MEMORY: taking photos of ourselves with cocktails before the word “selfie” was in our common vernacular.
--ROSEMOUNT HOTEL--
I saw a lot of live music at The Rosemount and I always had a good time there. I lived in Perth when a lot of bands skipped WA on their tours, so we were always super keen and front row when they included us. I love the beer garden, the honest pub grub and the fact it doesn’t try too hard to be something it isn’t and how old school Perth it remains.
AMY'S BEST ROSEMOUNT MEMORY: we held a charity event there for the Leukemia Foundation and I got to auction off some boys to raise coin. I’m pretty sure someone’s Mum bid for their son back.
--THE BALMORAL--
South Perth for the win (ooohh controversial). As a Curtin student the Vic Park Albany Hwy zone was a go to and The Balmoral always drew me in. It’s a friendly place (I’ve had some of the best flirts waiting for a drink there). I think the fact my parents used to go there when they were dating also carries that nostalgia for me.
AMY'S BEST BALMORAL MEMORY: this one is a bit of an ‘awwww’ but having Dad take me to The Balmoral for dinner every second Friday because he’d drive from Albany to Perth to come and visit me when I moved away to start my uni degree…. Ahhh that’s not a tear in my eye… I’ve just been looking at my computer too long and my eyes are tired.
--CURTIN UNI TAV--
Hey guys I had to do it. This was THE place that I learnt how to drink and how to regret those decisions. I loved my time at Curtin and The Tav was a huge part of the social life I had there and were I formed some of my best friendships (including with my now husband Paul). It always reminds me of jugs of beer, red bull vodkas and blissful procrastination from looming uni deadlines.
AMY'S BEST CURTIN TAV MEMORY: requesting Train’s “Drops of Jupiter” on the jukebox every single time we went there and then singing in the most obnoxious and loud voices we could possible muster. By the end of our degree The Tav staff stopped fighting it and joined in the singing with us. We’re all functioning adults now but I reckon if that song came on at a bar we were at we’d still sing with the same gusto.
AMY HETHERINGTON'S 'WHERE THEY HIDE THE CRAZY' SHOW IS CURRENTLY ON THE ROAD. FOR TICKET INFO AND MORE, HEAD HERE.
BY TIANA SPETER