Bedford

One thing you'll never be short of as a visitor to Bedford - a pleasant suburb about 6km east of Perth's CBD - is the opportunity to "shop 'til you drop." Bedford is brilliantly served by major shopping complexes, including Bayswater Shopping Village and Morley Galleria.

Excellent public transport to and from the city means that it's just a few minutes into the heart of one of Australia's most impressive capitals.

Perth - and its port city of Fremantle - have some of the best restaurants in the country, especially if you are a seafood fancier. There are some great bars, too, and the vital club life in and around the city has been even further enlivened by the big and bustling Burswood Casino.

Part of the City of Bayswater, Bedford was still predominantly a rural area until well into the 1940s, with many dairies and poultry farms scattered about, along with nurseries and Chinese market-gardens.

It was - and still is to a great extent - a working man"s suburb, with the railway workshops in Midland being a major employer.