Perth International Arts Festival 2015

As part of the line-up for the $22.4 million festival, World War I themes feature prominently, with giant puppets set to roam the streets and the stories of Indigenous soldiers presented on stage.

In total, more than 1,000 artists will feature in the festival's 63rd year.

"We're very fortunate this year that almost everyone we wanted to come to the festival has said yes, so actually the scale of it and the intensity of it is increased by the fact that people around the world, artists around the world really want to come and play in Perth," festival director Jonathan Holloway told the ABC.

"It's by far the largest festival Perth has had."

This is the fourth and last year Mr Holloway will sit as director of the festival, before handing over the reins to a yet to be announced successor.

His first festival included the grand spectacle of Place Des Anges, which saw high-wire performers dump nearly two tonnes of feathers on ecstatic crowds above St George's Terrace on a hot summer night in 2012.

He said while Perth audiences have always been "incredible", there was a courage and willingness to engage with performances that had emerged during his four years at the helm.

"We've seen them really engage in unusual and unexpected ways of connecting with arts," he said.

"Whether that be through iPads, or under feathers or on the beach at dawn, whether that be rolling about with death in wheat, or breaking bread with deaf-blind Israeli performers, it's been an audience all along that's really taking creative risk

A Word from the Director:

My four Festivals as Artistic Director in Perth have been about two things – stories and experiences

The stories have spanned millennia and have explored who we are, where we have come from, our current situation and where we might be going.

They are stories about this land, between the desert and the sea, defined by and beholden to both. Stories of our relationships with each other and with the rest of the world. The truth of our digitally complex, environmentally conscious, culturally diverse world and how we reconcile with it.

While the stories are intellectually complex, it is the visceral experiences that have the power to transform and define us.

Curating experiences is less straightforward than telling stories. No two people approach a Festival moment in the same way, and no four people will agree on the meaning – or indeed value – of the experience they just shared.

No two Festival journeys will be the same, and our hope is that your travels through this Festival will include experiences both intimate and epic. Experiences that whet the appetite and stimulate all five senses. Moments that allow us to remember something we all knew as children – that the map is not the territory, that the best discoveries are made by straying from the path or committing to a fantastic voyage.

Stories and experiences in perfect collision can propel us around the world in one Festival. In our constant search for and celebration of the extraordinary, we have looked far and near, seeking out ever new ways to harness the greatest talent from around the world and nurture the best artists from Western Australia.

Perth International Arts Festival is a beautiful and much loved thing, and I have been honoured to spend half a decade getting to know its character and its desires, and to have guided it to new places.

And so we come to another crossroads, and the beginning of our next great adventure …

Bon voyage.

EVENT DATES - 13 Feb–7 March 2015

Find out what is on at the Perth International Arts Festival 2015 at the official site

Ten Best Free Things To Do In Perth

The crucial third Test begins in Perth tomorrow. For cricket fans with a spare day away from the action (or who need to escape the scenes on the field), here are some suggestions for the best things to do on little or no budget.

Free walking tours
See another side of Perth on a free i-City tour. Volunteer guides lead themed walks every Monday to Friday from the Information Kiosk in Murray Street Mall. Take a tour of the city’s gardens, follow an art trail or take in the gold rush history. The tours take up to two hours, and you can join in or leave anywhere along the way. Alternatively, download the free audio tours and maps and do it yourself.
See www.perth.wa.gov.au

Explore Fremantle by bike
Pick up a free bike at the E-Shed markets and explore the area’s heritage buildings, markets and fascinating maritime and convict history as well as a beach or two. Run by the Free Wheeling Freemantle initiative.
See www.fremantlewa.com.au

Free movies and yoga in Northbridge
There’s free entertainment in the Northbridge Piazza in central Perth, including free yoga and Tai Chi class in the mornings. If you haven’t got tickets to the WACA, you could perhaps catch the game here during the day. Otherwise watch a movie on the permanent LED screen in the evening.
See www.showmeperth.com.au for listings

Perth's Cultural side
The Perth Cultural Centre is in the heart of the city, and is home to a range of free state-owned attractions. Explore the stories and culture of the local Aboriginal people, unique flora, fauna and biodiversity at the WA Museum or see the country’s biggest aboriginal art exhibition at the Art Gallery of WA. There’s also free WiFi, markets and an urban orchard.
See www.perthculturalcentre.com.au

Cottesloe beach
There are 19 white sand beaches within easy reach of the city centre to while away a day on, but Cottesloe is one of the most popular. Surf or snorkel by day, or wait for the magnificent sunsets, when locals flock to the bars and cafes that line the beach. It becomes an outdoor art gallery in March with the free Sculpture by the Sea exhibition.
See www.sculpturebythesea.com

Lunch with a view
Kings Park, one of the largest inner city parks in the world, has great views of the city and the Swan River. Perched on Mount Eliza, the park includes 400 hectares of natural bushland, lookouts and botanic gardens which showcase the incredible array of flora from around the whole of the state. Take the Federation walkway through the eucalyptus tree tops, or see one of the Kimberley’s immense boab trees. There are free BBQ facilities. Free guided botany walks run daily (except Christmas Day).
See guided walks http://www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/services/tours/guided-walks
**Note: Currently these walks are cancelled due to high fire risk

Sample some of Perth’s fine craft beer
Little Creatures Brewery (cited by David Gower as one of the best places to go in the city) is set inside a massive converted boat shed right on Fishing Boat Harbour. Get an insider’s look at the process with free tours of the brewery at 1pm, 2pm and 3pm.
See www.littlecreatures.com.au

Taste the Swan Valley
Spend the afternoon touring the Swan Valley, the oldest wine region in Western Australia just 25 minutes’ drive from Perth city. Many local producers offer free samples for its wine, craft beer, cheese, chocolate and ice cream. Of course, you may find something you can’t go home without.
See Swan Valley food and wine trail

Learn to play the didgeridoo
Fremantle is home to Australia's largest specialty didgeridoo store. Didgeridoo Breath runs lessons and workshops for beginners through to advanced players. You can get a 15pminute session for free.
See www.didgeridoobreath.com

Explore the city for free
You can get around the city using the free CAT (Central Area Transit) bus. Three separate lines navigate the city’s key attractions from Northbridge to East Perth and West Perth. Additionally, a free transit zone operates in the city area where passengers can travel for free on any bus. Look for the red FTZ logo on bus stops to identify the free travel boundaries.
See www.transperth.wa.gov.au
These suggestions are courtesy of Tourism Western Australia

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/australiaandpacific/australia/10513251/Perth-Ten-of-the-best-free-things-to-do.html

By Jolyon Attwooll

Need a hotel in Perth? Come and book a stay at Metro Hotel Perth

Metro Hotel Perth offers guests a wide range of stylish and spacious hotel accommodation, with most rooms enjoying spectacular panoramic views of the Swan River and Perth city. The hotel is close to Perth’s major tourist attractions, Perth Zoo, Kings Park and the river foreshore. The Burswood Casino complex is 2.5 kms from the hotel as is the famous West Australian Cricket ground. Located within walking distance from the hotel are many fantastic restaurants offering a wide variety of international cuisines.

Click here to view hotel: http://www.metrohotels.com.au/perth-hotels/metro-hotel-perth-13

Victorious Australia Bringing Same Squad to Perth for 3rd Ashes Test

Australia will take the same 12-man squad to Perth for the third Ashes test this week after humbling England by 218 runs to win the second match in Adelaide on Monday.

Selector John Inverarity said in a statement that uncapped fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile and 12-test paceman Doug Bollinger would also be in Perth on standby and would train with the squad for the test match "should they be required."

Australia fielded the same team in Adelaide that thrashed England by 381 runs in Brisbane, the first time in a year that the team has been unchanged for consecutive tests.

Coach Darren Lehmann was reluctant to mess with a winning formula for the WACA, where their pacemen will hope to wreak maximum damage against a shell-shocked England side on a bouncy wicket.

"At the moment, all good," Lehmann said of his bowlers' fitness for the third match starting on Friday.

"(If they're) 100 percent, they'll play. If not, they won't.

"From our point of view, we've just got to keep what we're doing now. Not change too much. Just make sure we adapt to Perth conditions. As you've seen, we adapted very well from Brisbane to here, and now we go back the other way."

Australia lead the five-test series 2-0 and can wrest the Ashes away from holders England with victory in Perth.

Australia squad: Chris Rogers, David Warner, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke (captain), Steve Smith, George Bailey, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris, Nathan Lyon, James Faulkner

Perth Monopoly Board in the Planning

AN official Perth Monopoly game is in the planning, with Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi already throwing in her two cents worth regarding which landmarks to include.

Ms Scaffidi, who was last year dubbed second best mayor in the world, was one of the first on Tuesday to "like" the project's Facebook page, where members of the public can suggest landmarks they'd like to see included.

Top of her list was the 50-year-old Council House, which glows in a variety of colours at night following the addition of more than 22,000 LED lights in 2010.

She also suggested Kings Park, which City of Perth wants to include within its boundaries along with James Packer's Crown Casino at Burswood.

The park is currently administered by the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority while Crown falls within Victoria Park.

Ms Scaffidi defended the City of Perth's plan to annexe more land, which has been rejected by Victoria Park Mayor Trevor Vaughan as "cherry picking".

"We're disappointed that some parochialism has slipped into this argument," Ms Scaffidi told AAP.

"They are very passionate about their local communities but we need to lift our horizons very strategically about what is the capital city and the form of local government that is going to serve our greater city well for the next 30 to 50 years.

"If we just do small tweaks and minor boundary changes, it's really not going to be worth the expense or the bother."

Ms Scaffidi also said the City of Perth remains staunchly opposed to the Liberal-led state government's plan to run light rail down its main pedestrian malls as there would not be enough room to accommodate both trams and foot traffic.

She said light rail would be good running down the main corporate thoroughfare, St George's Terrace, however.

Ms Scaffidi also said Transperth buses should not be allowed in the CBD as they add substantially to congestion, leaving the free CAT buses and light rail to ferry people around the small CBD zone.

Back on Monopoly, she suggested Jutland Parade in Dalkeith - one of the nation's most salubrious suburbs - could be Mayfair.

The game is scheduled to hit the shelves in November.

PCB Welcomes Perth Hotel Expansion

Metro Hotel Perth will increase its room capacity by almost 50% as management looks to capitalise on ever increasing demand for Perth hotels.

Following a $3.5 million renovation to all 94 rooms in 2009, Metro Hotel Perth is embarking on a new project which will include major renovations to the lobby area, hotel, pool area and restaurant.
Forty-six new rooms will also be completed by the end of the year, bringing the property’s offering to 140 rooms.

Making the announcement yesterday, Metro Hospitality Group chief operating officer George Bedwani said the additional rooms were vital to address accommodation shortages in Perth, where occupancy currently stands at 85%.

“We believe the hotel industry in Perth will remain buoyant over the next five years as there continues to be capacity constraints due to few major hotel developments being built in Perth,” he said.

“This hotel is in high demand [and] we are now going the next step to ensure we benefit from the anticipated growth and demand over the next 4-5 years,” Bedwani added.

With the latest Deloitte Global Performance Review predicting that Perth occupancy will peak at 89% in 2014, Perth Convention Bureau chief executive Paul Beeson said the additional capacity comes as a fitting time for the MICE market.

“The effects on MICE will be positive, with an increase in room stock and by extension more competitive rates,” he told The Nibbler. “The WA government’s efforts to incentivise hotel development continue to stimulate additional room stock, and The Metro Hotel is a direct result of this.”

Construction will commence mid year and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2013. Management has promised the development will cause “minimal disruption” to guests.

Perth Zoo's Baby Echidnas Looking Sharp

THEY weighed less than a gram when they hatched, but Perth Zoo's two baby Echidnas are growing into their spikes.

The baby short-beaked echidnas now tip the scales at more than a kilogram but they have plenty more growing to do and could reach up to seven kilograms, zoo keepers say.

Babbin and Nyingarn gained world attention late last year as the first young - or puggles - successfully bred from zoo-born echidnas. Their four-year-old mothers, Mila and Chindi, were also born at Perth Zoo.

The puggles spent their first two months in their mothers' pouches before nestling into their nursery burrows and are just starting to venture out to explore their surroundings.

The zoo has 15 echidnas, eight of them born at the facility.

Echidnas have no major predators in the wild due to their spines, but dingoes sometimes eat them.

Perth Zoo Australian fauna supervisor Belinda Turner said the zoo's successful echidna breeding program was helping experts learn more about echidna behaviour and breeding.

An international echidna workshop is currently being held at Perth Zoo to discuss their reproductive behaviour and increase their breeding success at other zoos.

BABBIN THE BABY ECHIDNA AT PERTH ZOO TODAY. PICTURE: SUPPLIED PERTHNOW

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Perth Booms But WA Regions in Peril

Hotels in Perth and mining centres continue to thrive in Western Australia while the South West of the state remains in peril.

Latest figures show occupancy in Perth CBD and Geraldton at 86% and 83.4% respectively while in the South West more than half the rooms are empty with occupancy sitting at just 45.3%.

Occupancy across regional WA as a whole was 62%.

The figures, released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) for the September quarter, further illustrates the gulf between mining and city centre areas and regional tourism centres.

Tourism Council WA said the government is relying on the mining boom and under investing in tourism.

"WA has the second lowest level of funding for tourism promotions of any state," chief executive Evan Hall said. "As a result hotels are booming in Perth and mining towns from business travel, while regional tourist towns are struggling.

"There's more to our economy than digging holes in the ground and it's time for the government to make tourism and events a state priority."

ABS figures show Broome occupancy at 79%, Exmouth 66%, Margaret River 54%, Esperance 51%, Derby, West Kimberley 46%, Busselton 44% and Augusta 28%.

Australian Hotels Association (AHA) WA chief executive Bradley Woods said measures are being taken to drive tourism.

"Initiatives by the State Government, including a new regional marketing campaign to generate tourism in regional Western Australia should result in a boost for those tourism regions who are currently doing it tough," he said.

'Vibrant Perth' Bid to Draw Tourists

Perth will be rebranded under a campaign to attract interstate visitors, while almost $8 million will be spent on tourism marketing in the regions, the State Government will announce today.

The Tourism WA campaign, to be launched in Sydney and Melbourne next week, will feature a 60-second cinema advertisement and eight shorter versions for digital and social marketing. They focus on Perth's music, arts and cultural scenes, nightlife and beaches. Tourism Minister Kim Hames said the new brand reflected the energy and vibrancy the city now exuded.

The State Government will also announce a new marketing campaign for regional WA, committing $7.9 million over four years through Royalties for Regions.

The funding will go towards a new 1001 Extraordinary Experiences campaign and produce two new commercials to entice interstate and local visitors to the regions.

Tourism Council WA chief executive Evan Hall said this season would be "make-or-break" for many operators.

Mr Hall said interstate tourism contributed $1.4 billion to the WA economy last year.

Packer Bets on Perth Crown

JAMES Packer continues to gamble heavily on luring Asian tourists to his Australian casino resorts, with Crown announcing plans yesterday to spend $568 million building a six-star hotel at its Perth casino. The deal with the West Australian government also includes a boost to its gambling facilities.
The announcement comes as Crown seeks permission from New South Wales and Queensland gaming regulators to lift its stake in Echo Entertainment from 10 per cent to 25 per cent.

The Echo investment is part of a plan to engage its local rival in a joint venture focused on Asian VIP gamblers. Crown intends to create a billion-dollar luxury destination at Sydney's harbour showpiece, Barangaroo, but needs Echo's casino licence - and money - to do it.

Crown announced yesterday it had an in-principle agreement to pay the WA government $60 million for land for the hotel development.

The government has agreed not to oppose an application for 500 additional gaming machines at the Perth casino and 130 additional gaming tables, according to Crown. The application will include plans for private VIP gambling salons.

The hotel, to be known as Crown Towers Perth, adds to the $2.2 billion Crown is spending on its two Australian casino resorts to attract Asian gamblers from the strong competition in Singapore and Macau.

''Our goal is to create an integrated resort capable of competing with the best in the Asian region,'' Mr Packer told a Perth audience late last year.

He has made no secret of the need to invest heavily in luxury accommodation and facilities to compete for China's lucrative tourists, who are displaying an appetite for travel, gourmet food and gambling.

A third of Crown's Australian revenue last year, about $800 million, was generated from international visitors.

Most of this revenue comes from high rollers and other international customers. But the recent opening of two casino resorts in Singapore has affected Crown's business, especially in Perth.

The increase in gambling facilities in Perth would be phased in over the next five years subject to the approval of the Gaming and Wagering Commission of Western Australia, Crown said.

Construction of the 500-room hotel on a property adjacent to the casino will begin early next year and take three years, according to Crown.

The development is expected to include restaurants, bars, resort and convention facilities.
The company's shares closed 2¢ higher at $8.47 yesterday.

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Film Festival a Revelation

The Revelation Perth International Film Festival is one of the fastest growing film festivals in the country, annually attracting more than 10,000 people and showcasing new, ground-breaking national and international films. 

The 15th annual festival has attracted Hollywood actor, director and screenwriter of contemporary cinema, Crispin Hellion Glover (Back to the Future, Charlie's Angels, The People Vs.Larry Flynt, The Doors), iconic Australian comedienne Judith Lucy as well national and international filmmakers, musicians, screen artists, academics and distributors. The festival will be held from July 5-15, 2012.

WA Gets Taste of Big Apple Arts Scene

Perth will get a bite of The Big Apple from June with an exclusive series of exhibitions from New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). 

The Picasso to Warhol: Fourteen Modern Masters exhibition is a result of collaboration between the Art Gallery of WA and MoMA, with funding support from Eventscorp. 

As the only venue in the Southern Hemisphere to host an exclusive series of six exhibitions across three years, this is a major opportunity for West Australians to be a part of a unique cultural experience. 

The Picasso to Warhol: Fourteen Modern Masters exhibition will be on display at the Art Gallery of WA from June 16-December 3, 2012.

(Source: Talking Tourism issue 217)

Perth Airport Expansion In The Works

Perth Airport has announced it has secured Broad Construction Services (WA) Pty Ltd to undertake the first stage of it’s A$300 million expansion works of the international terminal.

The initial construction stage will begin in May 2012, and includes a major expansion of the incoming duty free retail shops, immigration area on the first level and the baggage reclaim hall.

The expansion which is scheduled to be completed in 2014 will help alleviate the congestion in queuing and waiting times for its customers.

Perth Airport chief executive officer, Brad Geatches said the expansion would ensure the airport was able to meet the rapid growth in international passenger numbers.

 “We are very aware that, due to the growth in international passengers to over 3.3 million in 2011, more than 220,000 up on the prior year, the current international arrivals experience is not what it should be,” Mr Geatches said.

“We are committed to ensuring everyone who travels through Perth Airport has a high quality experience, so we are completely changing the arrivals journey and doubling the size of all processing areas.”

Mr Geatches said Broad Construction Services is also currently working on the construction of the new A$120 million Domestic Terminal, which will service regional WA and some interstate routes from early next year.

Additionally, in an effort to reduce congestion to the International Terminal, Perth Airport has just completed a new intersection between Tonkin Highway and Dunreath Drive.

The A$10 million intersection is located to the north of the current Tonkin Highway/Leach Highwayintersection.

The intersection allows passengers to travel between Tonkin Highway and the International Terminal, however, it does not allow access to the Domestic Terminals.

“We are investing more than A$750 million over three years to expand Perth Airport, and the transformation of the current International Terminal represents the first stage towards achieving our vision of having all commercial air services operating from one convenient location by 2020,” Mr Geatches added.

(Source: http://www.etravelblackboard.com/article/131126 )