So Perth

The Cook Government has committed $10 million to finalise the planning, design, and approvals for a METRONET station at Karnup, to be built on the corner of Paganoni Road and Mandurah Road. Works are expected to start in 2028.

The finished station is costed at $156 million. Once it opens, the trip from Karnup into Perth will take about 46 minutes, and residents will be able to travel anywhere on the network for as little as $2.80 under the Go Anywhere Fare.

Karnup will sit between Warnbro and Lakelands on the Mandurah Line, in what is currently the longest gap between two stations anywhere on Perth’s metropolitan rail network. The Liberal Party, which made its own commitment to the station a week before this announcement, puts that gap at about 14 kilometres, with residents in Karnup, Golden Bay, Singleton, and Secret Harbour facing a bus trip of roughly 20 to 25 minutes to reach either station.

The station will also have a bus interchange with at least eight stands, a dedicated pick-up and drop-off area, and more than 400 parking bays.

How it’s being paid for

The $10 million is spread across 2026-27 and 2027-28, and covers the Public Transport Authority completing final planning, designs, and approvals. The rest of the $156 million isn’t locked in. The State Government intends to fund half the project through land sales in the region, and will ask the Commonwealth for the balance through future Budget processes.

“With new housing developments in the process of being finalised, we will continue to see local public transport patronage grow and so the time is right to deliver Karnup Station,” Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said.

Increased housing, increased demand

Planning has been finalised for a 39-hectare housing precinct next to the station site, expected to deliver more than 800 homes. The Government plans to sell that precinct in the final quarter of this year, with the proceeds going towards the station itself.

Around it, DevelopmentWA has partnered with Mirvac on the first 1,500 homes of a 4,000-home joint venture across a 484-hectare master-planned community, and Golden Group has released 1,235 lots on Redwood Avenue off Mandurah Road. All of it sits inside a wider Karnup District Structure Plan, due to go to government later this year, that could eventually deliver up to 20,000 homes.

Karnup has been flagged as a priority growth corridor for years, largely because of what’s being built nearby. The defence precinct at Henderson and the Westport container terminal at Kwinana are both expected to generate thousands of jobs within reach of it.

Karnup and the Secret Harbour by-election

Karnup was a Labor commitment at the 2017 state election, then shelved when the federal Coalition government put its money into Lakelands instead, covering 80% of that station’s cost. Lakelands was completed and opened in 2023. 

Last Monday, WA Liberal leader Basil Zempilas committed a future Liberal government to building it.

“Labor promised Karnup Station in 2013, again in 2017 and again in 2021,” Zempilas said. “Nearly a decade after Labor came to government, there is still no money in the State Budget, no construction timetable and no delivery date.”

That was said a week before the Cook Government put $10 million on the table, and there is now a construction start date attached. There still isn’t a projected completion date, or a confirmed source for roughly half the money.

Karnup sits in the electorate of Secret Harbour, where a by-election will be held on August 29th following the resignation of Paul Papalia in July. A record 16 candidates are set to contest the seat. The Liberal candidate is Rockingham councillor Ryan Robertson.

“People in Secret Harbour and surrounding suburbs are tired of being told Karnup Station is coming,” Robertson said. “They have watched Labor make the same promise election after election while the station has remained unfunded and undelivered.”

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Teams will race to gather and sort as much rubbish as they can at Koombana Bay in Bunbury tomorrow, in the Western Australian debut of SpoGomi, a competitive litter-picking sport invented in Japan. A second event follows at City Beach the next day.

It’s part of Keep Australia Beautiful Week, which runs from Monday to Sunday this week, and brings community clean-ups, school activities, and litter-prevention initiatives to towns across the state. This year’s theme is Beautiful Spaces, Happy Places.

SpoGomi splices the Japanese words for sport and rubbish, and works on a simple premise that teams collect litter within a set area with a time limit, then earn points based on the weight and type of what they gather. It was invented in 2008 and has grown into an international competition with its own World Cup. The Bunbury and Perth events are the first to be held in Western Australia.

“Western Australians care deeply about our environment and Keep Australia Beautiful Week is a fantastic opportunity for everyone to get involved in protecting the places we love,” Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn said.

“Whether it’s joining a community clean-up, taking part in the new SpoGomi litter pickup competition or simply putting your rubbish in the right bin, every action helps create cleaner, healthier communities.”

On the eve of Keep Australia Beautiful Week, the Cook Government has pointed to a 38% drop in litter across Western Australia since 2022, which it credits to community action and state programs including Containers for Change, the container deposit scheme that pays a refund on eligible drink containers.

“The significant reduction in litter across our State shows what can be achieved when governments, schools, businesses, volunteers and local communities work together,” Swinbourn said.

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The Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 scored 97 out of 100, carries a 25-year cellaring window, and sells for $36.99. It took Best of the Best in Ray Jordan’s Top 100 Reds 2026, ahead of the Evans & Tate Redbrook Estate Shiraz 2023 on 96.

This year’s tasting to find the best wine selling for less than $50.00 a bottle was “a real shootout between the 2023 West Australian vintage and the 2024 vintage from other states”, Jordan wrote. The four wines that made the final taste-off all came from Western Australia, showing the state’s depth when it comes to Australia’s best red wines.

When someone like Ray Jordan gives us a list of wines that he thinks are the best drops, we listen and take a lot of notes. But who is Ray Jordan?

Four decades of tasting notes

Jordan has been writing about wine for more than 40 years. His first articles ran in early issues of the national wine magazine Winestate in the late 1970s, while he was working in Sydney as a newspaper correspondent. Between 1989 and 2023 he wrote more than 3,000 columns as a regular newspaper wine columnist. He is the author of the WA Wine Review, and of its earlier title, the WA Wine Guide, which he wrote from 2000 to 2022. 

He authored (and co-authored) multiple books about wine, and in 2011, the WA Wine Press Club awarded him the Jack Mann Memorial Medal for his contribution to the state’s wine industry. He currently writes a regular column for Business News and contributes to the wine platform Wine Pilot.

To say he knows wine is an understatement. It’s like saying the other Jordan knows how to play basketball. 

How does he judge the Top 100?

Every wine in the tasting sells for less than $50.00, and the list is split across four price brackets to make it easy to navigate your own wine journey: 

• under $15.00
• $15.00 to $25.00
• $25.00 to $35.00
• $35.00 to $50.00

Each wine carries a score out of 100, and Jordan judges each bracket on its own terms. And he shows that you don’t always have to spend a lot to get a great bottle of wine. “Quite simply, you can get highly drinkable wines selling at less than $15.00 in Australia,” Jordan says. 

Cabernet came through strongly across every bracket. “We should be drinking a lot more of this great grape variety,” Jordan says. That, of course, is no secret to anyone who’s made a trip to Margaret River, where the cabernets are part of the region’s soul.

Our picks from Ray Jordan’s Top 100

We’ve pulled a few wines from each price bracket based on what we like the most, and what we think you will enjoy. They are obviously all from WA, and we’ve added some notes so you know what to put on the table alongside them. 

$15.00 to $25.00 WinePairs withNikola Estate Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre 2025Roast lamb, charcuterie, or spiced slow-cooked dishesForest Hill Highbury Fields Cabernet Sauvignon 2024Roast beef, grilled steak, or hard aged cheesesWills Domain Mystic Spring Cabernet Sauvignon 2023Slow-cooked beef, winter casseroles, or grilled red meatFerngrove Estate Shiraz 2023Roast lamb, grilled meats, or mushroom dishes $25.00 to $35.00 WinePairs withAmelia Park Shiraz 2023Braised beef, rich stews, or venisonLeeuwin Estate Prelude Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2023Roast duck, game birds, or herb-crusted lambVasse Felix Filius Cabernet Sauvignon 2023Rack of lamb, roast beef, or mushroom dishesFrankland Estate Shiraz 2023Roast lamb, beef ragù, or mushroom dishesFervor No Royalty Syrah 2023Mushroom risotto, roast pork, or charcuterieLenton Brae Cabernet Merlot 2023Cheeseboards, roast chicken, or lighter red meatsForest Hill Vineyard Malbec 2025Barbecued lamb, grilled meats, or anything with chimichurri $35.00 to $50.00 WinePairs withXanadu Cabernet Sauvignon 2023Standing rib roast, aged steak, or slow-roasted lambEvans & Tate Redbrook Estate Shiraz 2023Roast lamb, duck, or mushroom dishesCherubino Laissez Faire Syrah 2023Duck, charcuterie, or roasted vegetablesWills Domain Eightfold Shiraz 2022Kangaroo, game meats, or peppered steak Download the Top 100 Catalogue Now

The Ray Jordan Top 100 Red Wines 2026 catalogue is available here and at most Liquor Barons stores, with specials running from August 1st to 16th. Many of the wines are limited releases and stock varies by store, so availability won’t be the same everywhere. 

After you pick up a bottle from the list, we’d love to know what you thought about it.

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Up to four grouped houses or apartments could be built without development approval under a package of planning changes the Cook Government announced on Tuesday. Where a proposal meets planning standards, only a building permit would be needed.

That exemption currently applies to single houses only. Western Australia is the only state with a clear-cut planning exemption of that kind, and the State Government says extending it to other forms of housing puts WA further ahead of the rest of the country.

Also in the package is a new deadline at the subdivision stage. Local governments would have 28 days to respond to proponents after receiving engineering drawings for road design and waterways, a stage of the process where applicants have long waited without a statutory timeframe.

The rest is a mix of legislative, regulatory, policy, and practice changes aimed at the slow points in the system. More local planning and region scheme amendments would be able to progress concurrently, which the State Government estimates could save around 12 months in approval timeframes. Structure planning and subdivision practices would be streamlined, condition clearances sped up, and the Western Australian Planning Commission would gain stronger powers to modify, progress, or cancel structure plans.

“By expanding opportunities to progress local and region scheme amendments concurrently, we will significantly reduce the time it takes to move from rezoning to subdivision and development,” Planning and Lands Minister John Carey said.

Carey said the package would not lower the bar for what gets built. “We’re also pursuing exemptions and shorter approval timeframes for lower-risk residential developments, without relaxing standards,” he said.

What it means for councils

Development approval is the point at which local governments apply their own planning policies, including things like tree retention rules which a number of Perth councils have adopted in recent years. WALGA’s model tree retention policy, revised in early 2026, works by requiring development approval for tree-damaging activity on private land. The release doesn’t say how policies like that would apply to developments that no longer need approval.

Perth has the lowest tree canopy cover of any Australian capital city, and a WALGA analysis rated WA as having the weakest protections for trees on private land of any state in the country. Most infill development in WA is medium density, with duplex and triplex projects replacing single homes and clearing the mature canopy that came with them.

The local government sector has not yet responded to Tuesday’s announcement. When the State Government widened the authority of development assessment panels in 2023, WALGA argued the changes would erode local government’s role in planning.

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Police officers and fire and emergency services personnel who trained in the past five years can now apply for a Keystart home loan with a 2% deposit and no lender’s mortgage insurance, after the State Government expanded eligibility for its Skilled Start Home Loan on Monday.

Skilled Start launched in December and was limited to people who had started or finished a formal apprenticeship, graduated from TAFE or university with a Certificate III or higher, or begun work in an eligible building and construction occupation within the past five years. The expansion adds a pathway for frontline workers who earn their qualification at an academy rather than a campus.

Who qualifies now

Eligibility covers anyone who completed training at the WA Police Academy or with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services in the past five years and is still employed in that field. Graduates of equivalent Australian policing and emergency services agencies qualify too, including Australian Federal Police officers, as long as they hold a paid operational role and are living in Western Australia or planning to move here. 

Recruits and trainees are also included — basically anyone in a paid recruit or trainee program through either academy can apply while still in training.

There are limits on who counts as frontline, though. Volunteer, honorary, and unpaid emergency services members are not eligible under this pathway. Neither are non-operational staff working in areas such as HR, finance, ICT, or administration, although those workers may still qualify through the existing Certificate III route.

“Our police, fire and emergency services personnel dedicate their lives and careers to keeping Western Australians safe, and we’re proud to support them with more opportunities to achieve home ownership,” Police Minister Reece Whitby said.

Skilled Start requires a deposit of 2% or $2,000.00, whichever is higher, charges no lender’s mortgage insurance, and applies a one percentage point discount to Keystart’s standard variable interest rate. Buyers who build pay $400.00 a month during construction and can put the first home owner grant towards their deposit. 

“Through Keystart, more early career frontline workers can access a Skilled Start Home Loan, and get into a home of their own with just a 2 per cent deposit and lower ongoing repayments,” Treasurer Rita Saffioti said.

What’s the catch?

Skilled Start caps the purchase price at $700,000 for an established property and $750,000 for a new home, an off-the-plan purchase, or a home under construction. Perth’s median house price was $938,000 for the 12 months to June, based on REIWA figures, which puts the median Perth house beyond what this loan will fund.

The expansion targets people at the very start of their careers. The Western Australian Police Union has been pointing at the other end of the service.

Union President Simone Taplin told 6PR Mornings in June that recruitment matters, but that retention is where the pressure sits. “We’ve had at least 50 retirements and 80 resignations in the last few months, so replenishing those and actually remunerating our police officers to make sure that they are career police officers is something that we need to look at,” she said.

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Blue and pink fairy orchids are already out along the Loop Trail in Kalbarri National Park. Snail orchids have come up along the Mullewa Wildflower Walk, Murchison rose is flowering near Island Rock, and mulla mulla is spreading white and yellow across Carnarvon. Wildflower season on Australia’s Coral Coast normally runs from early August to early October. This year, rain across the region has brought some early first blooms, so now’s the time to plan a wildflower road trip.

The Coral Coast starts at Cervantes, just under two hours’ drive north of Perth, and runs 1,100 kilometres to Exmouth. The flowering doesn’t happen everywhere at once. It usually begins up around Exmouth and the Ningaloo coast, then moves south through the Mid West, reaching Nambung National Park and the Pinnacles in spring. 

Here are the places that you should be adding to your itinerary.

Lesueur National Park

The first place you’ll want to add sits roughly 250 kilometres from Perth, off Indian Ocean Drive near Jurien Bay. Lesueur National Park holds around 10% of Western Australia’s known flora inside its boundaries, with more than 900 plant species recorded there, including hakeas, grevilleas, banksias, kangaroo paws, lambertia, and a long list of orchids.

The 18.5 kilometre Lesueur Scenic Drive is sealed and suits most vehicles, and there are walking trails off it if you want to get out and look properly. It’s close enough that you can make it a day trip from Perth, or an overnighter, but we’d suggest taking your time and making a full trip of it.

Coalseam Conservation Park Credit: Australia’s Coral Coast

Coalseam is about 400 kilometres from Perth, roughly four and a half hours. It’s the most reliable place on the Coral Coast for everlastings, and the carpets of yellow, white, and pink flowers running across the country are why it turns up in most people’s photos of the season. Chances are you’ve seen photos of Coalseam, including a lot of the ones that we’ve used.

Two things to know before you commit to it. The gravel road on your way in can close after heavy rain, so check with a visitor centre before going. And Depot Hill, the smaller everlastings site near Mingenew that people usually go to at the same time as a Coalseam visit, is closed for the 2026 season.

Mullewa and Pindar Credit: Australia’s Coral Coast

Mullewa sits inland from Geraldton and is the town most closely tied to wildflower season. The Mullewa Wildflower Walk already has an abundance of snail orchids along the trail.

“It’s been busy as usual at the Mullewa Visitor Centre, and we’re gearing up for what looks set to be a bumper wildflower season. With early blooms already appearing and strong interest from visitors, we’re looking forward to welcoming travellers eager to experience the incredible wildflower displays our region has to offer,” said Natalie Hillier, Manager of the Mullewa Visitor Centre.

The town runs Outback Bloom, its four-day wildflower festival, from August 27th to 30th, with guided walks, expert talks, photography workshops, and the wildflower show and bushland diorama in the Mullewa Town Hall.

Just outside Mullewa, about 454 kilometres from Perth, Pindar is the place to find the wreath flower (Lechenaultia macrantha), which grows in circular formations of frilled red, white, and pink petals and appears almost nowhere else. Locals are reporting promising conditions for it this year. It commonly grows on the roadside verges, so when you’re pulling off the road, park with some thought about the plants so you don’t crush them.

Kalbarri National Park Credit: Australia’s Coral Coast

Six hours from Perth and 570 kilometres up, Kalbarri is a popular spot for many reasons, but it should be known more for the wildflowers. Blue and pink fairy orchids have been spotted along the Loop Trail, Murchison rose is out near Island Rock and along the coast, and guinea flower and purple thryptomene have both been recorded.

Access is easy compared with the inland stops. Sealed roads run to the Kalbarri Skywalk, the Z-Bend lookout, Hawks Head, and Ross Graham inland, and to Red Bluff, Natural Bridge, Rainbow Valley, and Mushroom Rock on the coast.

Carnarvon and Cape Range National Park

Carnarvon is bursting with colour, with mulla mulla currently in white and yellow, with pink and purple due later in the season. The hardy native flowers grow across large stretches of the surrounding country and are the reason plenty of people stop rather than drive straight through.

Cape Range National Park, at the far end of the run near Exmouth, is about 1,250 kilometres from Perth and 12 to 13 hours of driving. It’s flowering now with just about everything you could imagine!

What it costs and what you’ll need

You don’t need a four-wheel drive. Sealed roads reach the great majority of the hotspots listed above, and the exceptions are gravel rather than serious off-road.

Park entry fees apply at Nambung, Lesueur, Kalbarri, Francois Peron, and Cape Range national parks, at $17.00 per vehicle carrying 12 or fewer people, or $10.00 concession. Picking wildflowers is illegal in Western Australia and carries a fine of up to $2,000.00, so photos only, and stick to the marked paths. 

Remember that canola fields are private property so don’t enter those fields, no matter how good the yellow looks from the road.

Accommodation in Wildflower Country fills up through August and September, so make sure you have a plan for where you’re staying before you lock in the route.

Australia’s Coral Coast runs a Wildflower Watch page, now in its second year, that collects sightings from locals and wildflower enthusiasts on the ground. It’s the closest thing to a live map of what’s out and where.

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Brabham Hotel opened this morning at 11:00 am, giving a rapidly growing Perth suburb a pub that locals can call home. Inside there’s a modern bistro, a dedicated sports bar, a beer garden, and a private function space for those special events.

Parents will be happy; there’s a large outdoor playground within the beer garden, and an inside playroom next to the bistro so parents can eat while the little ones stay occupied. The beer garden also has live music sessions and screens showing sport, which is going to make it popular for Freo fans on their run towards the big dance in late September.

“We are so excited to finally welcome the Brabham community through our doors,” said Venue Manager Dave Snelgar.

“We wanted to create a genuine local where families, friends and sports fans could come together, whether it is for a relaxed meal, a few drinks, live music or a big game.”

The food menu is as you’d expect from a venue like this, leaning on pub staples — chicken parmi, fish and chips, steaks, and burgers, with maple sriracha fried chicken wings, salt and pepper squid, pork belly bites, and crispy eggplant alongside them.

Opening weekend

The pub is marking the occasion with a Locals Weekend from Friday, July 31st to Sunday, August 2nd.

• Friday starts with Spin the Wheel, a meat raffle, and giveaways, with live music from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm and sport on the big screen. 
• Former West Coast Eagles ruckman Nic Naitanui drops in on Saturday from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, followed by another round of live music from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. 
• Sunday is the one for the kids, with a Teddy Bears Picnic pop-up, face painting, and free entertainment from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm, then live music from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

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Perth Film Studios will open to the public for two days in September, with a careers day for students on Friday, September 11th and a family open day on Saturday, September 12th. Entry is free, registration is required, and capacity is limited across sessions.

Free tickets and the full program will be released on August 3rd. Until then, the Arts and Culture Trust is taking registrations of interest so people are notified the moment booking opens.

The Friday careers day

The first day is aimed at secondary students weighing up a career in screen. It’s open to teachers, principals, and educators at WA high schools, TAFEs, and tertiary institutions running film, television, and related courses. Schools will book their excursion sessions directly; students don’t need to register individually.

The program covers education pathways and the range of jobs a production runs on, with industry professionals and filmmakers on site. Job roles on show run from runners and riggers to programmers, post-production staff, line producers, location managers, gaffers, and games animators.

“Whether you’re a student, a local, a Western Australian creative looking to break into the industry, or simply curious about how it all works, this is your chance to step inside and learn more,” Creative Industries Minister Simone McGurk said.

“We want Western Australians to feel proud of the creativity happening in their own backyard and to enjoy a fun, hands-on day that brings our world-class screen industry to life.”

The Saturday open day

Saturday is family day. The studios will run live demonstrations, hands-on workshops, and activities across the site, including a Behind-the-Scenes Zone that takes visitors through each stage of shooting a music video in a working studio.

Australian screen productions including Outback Truckers and Whale Shark Jack will make appearances. Spare Parts Puppet Theatre is bringing the interactive puppet whale from The Whale, and Freestyle Now will perform a BMX Bandits-themed stunt show.

Fremantle-based Ben Elton will be the keynote speaker on the Saturday session, hosting an in-conversation session on his career writing and producing across television, radio, film, and theatre.

“The Perth Film Studios open day is a chance for families to explore the magic of filmmaking right here in Malaga,” Deputy Premier and West Swan MLA Rita Saffioti said.

“There’s something to spark every imagination – from movies to games, costumes, and special effects.”

“This is an opportunity for the community to see the screen industry in action and experience firsthand what we’re building for the future of Western Australia and our economy.”

How to get tickets

If you’d like to attend, you can register your interest here to be notified when general tickets go live.

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Perth will host AFL Origin two more times over the next four years, with a WA side to meet South Australia at Optus Stadium in February 2027 and Victoria again in 2029. The State Government confirmed both fixtures earlier today.

The February match this year sold out, drawing 58,141 to Optus Stadium for the first elite-level Origin game staged in Australia since 1999. Victoria took the Polly Farmer Cup by 24 points, 18.17 (125) to 15.11 (101), after WA cut the margin to six early in the final quarter.

WA and South Australia have not met at this level in almost 30 years, and the 2027 game will mark 50 years after the first State of Origin match was played at Subiaco Oval in 1977. Adelaide Oval then hosts the 2028 fixture between South Australia and Victoria, before Origin returns to Perth in 2029 for a rematch with the Victorians.

“Hosting the 2027 and 2029 AFL Origin against South Australia and Victoria is a significant boost for our local tourism industry and businesses, offering more local jobs,” Premier Roger Cook said.

“Western Australia has proven the natural home of AFL Origin after hosting the successful return this year against Victoria, drawing thousands of interstate visitors and millions of viewers from across the country.

“Western Australia cannot wait to host South Australia next year at Optus Stadium, in what will be the 50th anniversary of the first Origin match played in the State.”

Revenue from the sold-out February match totalled $1,501,500, which the State Government says is being reinvested into WA football through AFL Origin legacy initiatives including targeted school programs and regional talent development. Revenue from the 2027 and 2029 matches is earmarked for community participation.

“This year’s AFL Origin was a huge success, and bringing it back for two more years means even more fans will get the chance to experience the very best of our homegrown talent,” Sport and Recreation Minister Rita Saffioti said.

“We’re committed to ensuring the benefits of our major sporting events flow down to our grassroots clubs, with more than $1.5 million from last year’s event reinvested directly back into community football across our State.”

“AFL Origin is not only inspiring the next generation of football stars but building the programs and pathways they need to develop their talent right across Western Australia.”

How much is it costing taxpayers?

What hasn’t been disclosed is how much the Cook Government is paying to keep the fixture in Perth. Leaked documents obtained by 9News Perth and Business News, reported at the start of July, put the State’s spend on attracting major events at $33 million, including $13 million for Rugby World Cup matches. Cook disputed that total, telling WAtoday the figures didn’t line up with the government’s own record keeping, and pointed to $180 million in economic benefit from major events in the 2024-25 financial year.

Tourism Minister Reece Whitby, who has said every dollar spent returns $2.80, maintains that individual event fees stay commercial-in-confidence, on the grounds that disclosure would undercut WA’s ability to compete for events against other states and countries.

Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas has been pushing for those figures to be published, and named the Origin match among the deals he wants costed publicly, asking in March: “how much did AFL State of Origin cost?”

The post Perth Locks In AFL Origin For 2027 And 2029, With South Australia Up First appeared first on So Perth

Treebate reopens on Monday, August 3rd, with 10,000 more rebates of up to $150.00 for Western Australians who buy a native tree and plant it on their property. The terms have loosened in year two: anyone who claimed in the first round can claim again, and the $150.00 can now be spread across up to five trees rather than spent on one.

“More than 10,000 Western Australians took part in the Treebate program’s first year, helping to increase tree canopy, support local biodiversity and create more liveable suburbs,” Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn said.

“We’ve listened to community feedback and expanded the program so residents can now claim a rebate of $150.00 for the purchase and planting of up to five native trees.”

The first year of the $6.9 million program cleared its 10,000-tree target, with more than 10,000 Western Australians claiming a rebate.

Perth’s canopy problem

Perth has the smallest tree canopy of any Australian capital city, and the Cook Government’s Urban Greening Strategy commits to lifting cover across Perth and Peel to 30% by 2040. Year two of Treebate is aimed at the suburbs sitting furthest from that mark.

“This round, we want to focus on Western Australia’s outer suburbs, which have typically had a lower percentage of urban canopy than the inner suburbs,” Swinbourn said.

Reaching 30% means planting faster than Perth loses trees, and the losses have been steep. The polyphagous shot-hole borer has forced removals across the metropolitan area since it was detected in East Fremantle in 2021, including at Hyde Park, and in June 2025 the national management group overseeing the response accepted the beetle could no longer be eradicated, shifting the work to slowing its spread. 

How to claim a Treebate

The rebate matches what you spend, up to $150.00, and the tree has to be a native with a canopy that reaches at least three metres at maturity. Claims need a tax invoice and a photo of the plant label showing the scientific or common name. The ServiceWA app is the quickest and easiest way to claim the rebate, with a paper form also available for anyone who can’t, or doesn’t want to, use the app. Postal claims can take up to 30 days and require 100 points of identification. Claims close once the annual allocation of 10,000 has been reached.

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The big screen at Northbridge Piazza is showing events from the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games live, and it’s on every day until Sunday, August 2nd. The piazza is a free, open-air public space, and it’s being billed as the central place for Perth to gather and get behind Australia’s athletes.

Western Australia is well represented in Glasgow. Pole vaulter Nina Kennedy is carrying the flag for Australia, alongside track-and-field star Peter Bol, swimmers Iona Anderson and Shayna Jack, and 2025 Para cycling world champions Kane Perris and Luke Zaccaria. 

“As we’ve just seen with the World Cup, Western Australians love getting behind our athletes, and Northbridge Piazza will be a great place to watch the action live from Glasgow,” Sport and Recreation Minister Rita Saffioti said

“We have an incredibly talented group of WA athletes competing, and there will be plenty for people to cheer about.”

“I encourage everyone to wear their green and gold, head into Northbridge and get behind our athletes.”

A few minutes from the piazza, the WA Museum Boola Bardip has opened a pop-up in Hackett Hall marking Perth’s own turn as host, when the city staged the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. The display gathers memorabilia from the WA Museum, the State Library of Western Australia, and the State Records Office, including the original gold, silver, and bronze medals designed by Frank Norton. Trevor Bickle’s 1962 pole vault gold is there too, alongside competitors’ and officials’ badges, volunteer uniform pieces, opening ceremony tickets, and souvenir programs.

“As we celebrate our current Commonwealth Games athletes, we’re also recognising the remarkable story of Perth’s own Games through this special exhibition at the WA Museum Boola Bardip,” Creative Industries Minister Simone McGurk said.

“The exhibition offers a fascinating glimpse into a landmark chapter of our State’s history, showcasing treasured objects that capture the excitement, ambition and community spirit of the 1962 Games.”

“Located within walking distance from Northbridge Piazza, the exhibition is the perfect complement to the live Games experience, connecting past and present through sport, history and culture.”

“Whether you remember the 1962 Games firsthand or are discovering these stories for the first time, this exhibition is a wonderful reminder of Western Australia’s proud contribution to the Commonwealth Games and the stories that continue to inspire new generations.”

The history behind this year’s Games

This year’s Commonwealth Games were initially meant to be held in Australia. Victoria was awarded the 2026 Commonwealth Games and handed them back in 2023 over a projected cost blowout beyond $6 billion. 

Glasgow stepped in to keep the event alive and is staging a lighter-than-usual version: ten sports across four venues, down from 19 at Birmingham in 2022, with hockey, cricket, rugby sevens, badminton, and diving among those cut. Victoria paid around $380 million in compensation to back out of hosting the Commonwealth Games, much of it directed to Scotland, so Australian taxpayers have largely bankrolled a Commonwealth Games held on the other side of the world.

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This one is for those of you who love truffle season as much as we do. 

There are a few truffle dinners and lunches every year that we’d move mountains to go to. Sunsets Bar & Dining at The Lodge Wadjemup has just added another to that list. And that makes for a great excuse to go to Rottnest Island for the day (or weekend).

So, what’s got us excited about this truffle lunch? Firstly, it involves three of Perth’s top chefs coming together to create magic: Executive Chef Tom Ferne from Sunsets, Guy Jefferies from Millbrook Winery, and Gord Kahle from H&C Urban Winery.

Credit: The Lodge Wadjemup

Secondly, the menu. Think dishes like octopus croquette, toasted focaccia with wagyu bresaola, swordfish ballotine, and dry-aged duck breast, all with a generous serve of truffles, and paired with some of WA’s top wines.

Thirdly, the venue. Rottnest Island is like a second home for most Perth people, so we’re sure Sunsets needs no introduction.

Views from Sunsets | Credit: The Lodge Wadjemup

It sits at the heart of The Lodge Wadjemup — Rottnest Island’s newest fancy hotel — where you’ll be overlooking the island’s salt lakes while enjoying your long truffle lunch. The perfect spot to while away the hours on a Saturday afternoon.

Make a weekend of it Credit: The Lodge Wadjemup

We’ve all spent a summer day on the island; however, the winter months bring a different perspective. As you may have noticed, Perth winters aren’t overly wild, barring a day or two here and there. If you pick the right weekend, you get all the blue skies, with much fewer people, which makes it the perfect place for a weekend staycation. 

There’s plenty to keep you busy while you’re there and not enjoying a truffle lunch: here’s a guide to some things you should add to your weekend itinerary. 

If you are making a weekend of it, you’ll want to stay at The Lodge Wadjemup, and we’ve organised the perfect package for you. It bundles a discounted stay at The Lodge Wadjemup with a ticket to The Truffle Table, breakfast the next morning, and return ferry transfers with Rottnest Express. Take advantage of the offer and book your weekend staycation here.

The Truffle Table tickets

Date: Saturday, August 15th 2026
Time: 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Tickets: $240.00 per person

Book your ticket here

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Swedish chef Björn Frantzén is bringing Brasserie Astoria to Crown Perth, in a space inside Crown Towers that has never previously been open to the public. Crown announced the Perth venue today alongside a sister restaurant for Crown Sydney. Brasserie Astoria is expected to open next year.

Frantzén is the only chef in the world holding three Michelin stars at three restaurants simultaneously: Frantzén in Stockholm, Zén in Singapore, and FZN in Dubai. His cooking draws on Nordic heritage, Asian influence, and French technique.

Brasserie Astoria first opened in Stockholm in 2021, in a converted 1870s cinema, and has since expanded to Singapore, Marbella, and the Maldives. It offers an extensive à la carte menu, with several dishes served on carts and finished at the table. 

Crown Perth CEO Brian Pereira said, “Brasserie Astoria continues the strong investment in Crown Perth and expansion of our range of new offerings – from casual meals at the Urban Food District to elevated fine dining. We’re confident that sophisticated Perth and travelling diners will embrace one of the world’s best restaurants in one of the world’s leading hotels.”

Én by Björn Frantzén will open high in Crown Sydney with views across the Harbour, joining Nobu, Woodcut, a’Mare, and Golden Century. Crown says details on the concept and menu will follow in the coming months.

“Australia has long been on my radar for its incredible produce and vibrant food culture,” Frantzén said. “Crown Sydney and Crown Perth offer the perfect stage to bring our vision to life, and I’m excited to share our culinary philosophy with a new audience.”

Both restaurants will build their menus around seasonal Australian produce.

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