Placemaking power salute: Market Lane, Fremantle Markets

For some time now the good folk at the Fremantle Markets have been quietly kicking some placemaking goals.

With their improvements to Market Lane they’ve taken their placemaking efforts to a new level. The lane has been transformed from a drab entrance into an attractive, interesting part of the markets. Much needed seating with accompanying shade (very important for chronic sweaters such as yours truly) means that people can enjoy their food. Artificial turf combines with new greenery to soften the laneway, making for a more people-friendly place. Regular activities for the kids located in the lane attracts the crowds and cranks up the interest levels.

All of these new initiatives add up to a very earnest placemaking power salute being issued to the Fremantle Markets.

Heads up, Freo cafes: Poor customer service isn't cool

I've spent the last couple of days enjoying my birthday festival. It basically involves celebrating the two days either side of my actual birthday in an attempt to be excused from doing household chores (except cooking, for reasons of self-preservation).

On Sunday my wife's family made the trip down to Freo so that we could catch up over breakfast and celebrate the last day of my birthday festival. We left our apartment building and headed to Market Street discussing our many breakfast options. The only prerequisite was that ice cream be on the menu (Byron's input), and a faint but forlorn hope that we might find somewhere with air conditioning.

Option 1: Simple Nosh (on Norfolk Street, near Luna Cinemas)
Simple Nosh's smoothies had come highly recommended by a good friend so we headed off to Norfolk Street to try them out. Upon arrival we trudged around looking for seating for six, but despite plenty of floor space all the tables were set up in configurations of four and two.

We approached a member of staff about the possibility of having two tables pushed together. After vague assent, she promptly disappeared and wasn't seen again. 

After quieting a rapidly overheating nephew by plugging his mouth with a lollipop, we asked a second waitress if we could combine a table with the one we were sitting at. She responded by telling us with a marked lack of enthusiasm that no, that wasn't possible as there were no tables free - apparently the effort of turning her head 180 degrees to an empty table two metres away was too much on a hot Sunday morning.

With my wife showing signs of being on the verge of grasping the waitress firmly by an earlobe and marching her to the empty table for a lesson in furniture identification, the rest of the family wisely decided that if Simple Nosh simply did not want our money, we'd better just leave them to it. 

Option 2: X-Wray Cafe (near Luna Cinemas)
Due to its proximity to Simple Nosh, X-Wray presented as the next logical option for our group. It's been my experience that the food can be hit and miss (I gave up ordering eggs benedict because the hollandaise sauce was always curdled) but I've always enjoyed a friendly, welcoming and enthusiastic service at this cafe.

We sauntered into X-Wray and, after assessing the relative temperatures inside and out, grabbed one of the booths. It was still hot, but not quite as hot as the tables outside. Unfortunately for X-Wray the concrete laneway it sits next to acts as a bit of a heatrap. No sooner had I sat down than I was sweating profusely, and Byron was doing his best impersonation of a five year old in the last stages of heat exhaustion. 

The fan above our booth wasn't switched on, so we asked if it could be turned on, only to be told it wasn't working. My father-in-law then spotted an air conditioning unit near our booth. So, to the sound of weak laments from Byron pleading for a life saving ice cream, he went down to the counter to ask if it could be switched on.

This was happily agreed to, but five minutes later it still hadn't been turned on. So my father-in-law got up and went to the counter to find out again about the air conditioning. This time he was told that they couldn't turn it on, with vague references being made to lost or broken remote controls. He returned to our table and passed on the news. 

It's not X-Wray's fault that both the fan and air con were out of order, of course, although given the layer of dust on both one wonders whether this is a longstanding issue. But why had nobody had bothered to come over and tell us and explain?

Increasingly hot and disillusioned, we decided to move on.

Option 3: Il Cibo (on Market Street opposite Pioneer Park, near the train station)
Fifteen minutes later and after a brief diversion to Breaks (who had air conditioning but were full, no doubt for that very reason) we trudged into Il Cibo.

The wait staff were friendly. They actually greeted us with a cheery hello and a smile as we entered, which didn't happen at Simple Nosh, X-Wray or Breaks. Upon greeting us and seeing the size of our group, the waiter (who bore a remarkable resemblance to both former Chelsea star Gianfranco Zola and, according to my excited mother-in-law, Inspector Montalbano) immediately took the initiative and showed us some tables where we could sit, in comfort and coolness thanks to the functioning air con. This was good.

We sat down and noticed the friendliness and enthusiasm surrounding us. There were singles, couples, and families, all looking content and chattering happily. I immediately remarked to my wife that we should return to Il Cibo more often. The music wasn't too loud and added to the happy atmosphere. Byron was smiling from ear to ear as a scoop of vanilla icecream that he had ordered off the menu promptly arrived with a friendly flourish from the waiter. The food turned out to be tasty, too, and we lingered there for a long while after it was gone, just enjoying ourselves.

Conclusion
My father-in-law commented that in tough times, it is the level of customer service that helps to establish a point of difference for cafes and retailers. I have no doubt in my mind that Il Cibo has created its own point of difference for my father-in-law and that he'll be insisting that Il Cibo is our first option on future visits to Freo for breakfast. 

On this blog, I've talked about the importance of creating memorable experiences for people and having welcoming places. My wife's family did not have a memorable experience (well, not in a good way), nor were we made to feel welcome on Sunday morning. I felt embarrassed about Freo's businesses when my wife and I returned to our apartment. When will Freo's businesses learn that poor or indifferent customer service just is not cool?

And is business really that great in Freo that cafes need make so little effort? Somehow, I don't think so.

Freo Quick Shot: Crepes, cops and closing down sales

After an outing to a Parisian bistro with a menu exclusively en Francais resulted in my wife coming eye-to-eye with a steaming hunk of marrowbone (with sinew still attached), she became very attached eating out at the street side creperies. Lemon and sugar were generally the favourite. She would watch the cooks eagle-eyed as they assembled the ingredients, ready to squawk "Mais non!" if their hands hovered over anything other than fruit.

So we were both excited to see that a new creperie has opened in the High Street mall, a couple of shops down from Culley's. This weekend we snarfed down some crepes from the Paris Crepes Cafe. They were delicious and very well priced, and hearing the proprietors converse to each other in French while we ate was a bonus. My wife and I will be back for many more tasty crepes. What a great addition to the High Street mall!

This weekend, we were also were chuffed to see a couple of police walking the beat around Freo. We were especially glad to see them around the eastern part of the city centre. It makes such a difference to see police walking the beat, rather than cruising past in a car, especially during the day and in those parts of the city that are hotspots. I hope it isn't a one off.

Finally, my wife couldn't help herself from checking out the last day of Myer's closing down sale. I tagged along with her yesterday to see what the excitement was all about. Walking into the department store felt like being transported to 1980's Russia - vast empty spaces, swarms of people picking over two or three shelves of remainders. It was a little weird.

I'm sad that Myer is shutting up shop in Freo. My wife and I wheeled our first LCD television from Myer to our apartment on a trolley they lent us. I also went through a phase of hogging the massage chairs every Saturday afternoon following a tough game of basketball during the week. Now I'll have to pay for my massages.

I suppose I'm sad because for me, Myer has always been in Freo. I know that its closure was inevitable. It was badly run and it always seemed to be short-staffed. The place was in dire need of an internal refit and don't get me started on the outside of the building. Still, it won't be the same. 

Some lessons for Freo from the Show

My last post about my nephew's first visit to the Royal Show got me thinking about whether or not there were any lessons that could be gleaned for Freo. After thinking about it for a couple of days I've come up with a few, which I thought that I'd share with Freo Doctor Blog readers.

Lesson 1: Seeing Freo through the eyes of a child

The single best thing about hanging out with Byron at the Show was being able to get an appreciation of the world through his eyes.

I think that this is a great lesson for Freo. Happy and engaged kids means happy parents, which means memorable experiences. If families are having them in Freo then they're going to keep coming back. Lately my wife and I have noticed this very thing happening at the Fremantle Markets. Petting zoos, pianos, people walking around on stilts in costumes, entertainers making balloon shapes... They all have one thing in common. They invite kids (and adults) to engage and have a bit of fun.

Source: http://fremantlemarkets.com.au/

The other weekend my wife and I accompanied Byron to a pirate themed 5 year old birthday party. It was a hoot. All of the kids bar none all loved the bubble making toys that they received at the end of a treasure hunt. It got me thinking how cool it would be if word got out that there was some kind of bubble making device at Kings Square or the Esplanade or Bathers Beach.

Speaking of introducing fun, check out this cool website. I particularly like the world's deepest bin and the piano staircase ideas.

Lesson 2: Signage gives people an excuse to go to a destination

One thing that I did notice about the Show is that the signage could have been better. It probably meant that we missed out on certain activities and interesting places to visit.

It is a good thing that the City is launching Rea series of precinct focused signage. It'll also be important to think about a more micro approach as well. For example, little signs letting people know that the Round House is only a 2 minute walk in that direction. We are regularly approached by tourists looking for the Maritime Museum.

I like this approach that was sneakily tried in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Micro wayfinding at Raleigh via

I feel it gives people an excuse to check out a destination knowing that it isn't that far away.

Lesson 3: Food trucks

It's been a while since I last went to the Show and I'd forgotten the bevy of food options that were available. Freo Doctor Blog readers will appreciate that I enjoy my food. They'll also appreciate that food is probably the most crucial aspect of attracting people to an area. A classic example is how Gypsy Tapas has transformed its little part of Freo. All of the food vans at the Show got me thinking about how food trucks have become really popular around the United States.

Food trucks offer a great opportunity for Freo to expand on its array of food options. One of the benefits of Freo becoming food truck friendly is that they provide an opportunity for emerging food entrepreneurs to test themselves before committing to a more permanent arrangement.

A food truck in Sydney via

As well as providing an entry point into someone owning their business, Freo gets to maximise its awesomeness by creating a virtuous cycle. Foot traffic: tick. Active, festive streets: tick, tick. Economic vitality: Boom tick.

The Adventures of Byron: First time at the Royal Show

Last week I rocked up to the Royal Show with my wife and my four year old nephew Byron. I've never been massively into the Show and, now that I'm an old fart, I certainly wasn't expecting too much. I certainly didn't expect that our day at the Show would be so awesome.

Byron's nervous excitement

The day began with the standard Byron phone call to let us know that he was on his way. A bout of the nervous hiccups, coupled with Byron's belief that speaking faster would mean arriving faster, meant the conversation was less intelligible than usual, but my wife eventually established they were ten minutes away and went outside to greet him. Upon arrival, Byron bounded out of the car and, with a barely perfunctory goodbye to his mum, immediately set off briskly in the direction of Wesley Church. My wife, slightly perplexed, dashed after him and asked where he was going. "To the train station, Aunty Ness". He said, with a look that suggested it should have been self-evident. Byron was a little man on a very important mission: going to the Show for the first time.

Thirty minutes later we were all on the train on our way to the Show. Byron had force-fed me my cereal and skulled my cup of tea for me to speed things up, before proceeding to laugh heartedly at my man boobs as he handed me my clothes for the day. As Byron gave me my electric toothbrush, I thought that I could happily live with a mini-butler, besides having to suffer the ignominy of a four year old mistaking my chest for the female version.

Byron got us both to line up at the door with him three stations early, such was his anxiety that we would miss our stop. As the train rolled into the Showgrounds train station, Byron began to tremble with excitement. I began to appreciate what the day really did mean to him.

While we waited in line to buy our tickets, I began to get an inkling that I was in for a special day. There was something refreshing about seeing my little nephew so genuinely excited about the prospect of going to the Show for the first time. I even began to get sucked into his world and started to show tell tale signs of excitement myself. I didn't start hiccupping nervously but there was plenty of high fiving and power saluting going on between me and Byron. It was probably at this point that my wife began asking herself what she was getting herself into: babysitting two boys at the Show for the day.

Keeping my cereal down on the rides

After a short wait we entered the Show. Byron jumped around and did one of his spontaneous celebratory jigs when we pushed through the turnstile, before the scale of the place overtook him.  So many people, so many rides, so many things to look at.

As we walked around, Byron gradually came to his senses, and by the time we reached Kiddieland he had collected himself. An executive decision was made and five minutes later I was sitting next to him on one of those awesome looking spinning rides - the type that makes your stomach lurch and turns your brain into mush. While I was concentrating on not projectile vomiting my cereal onto one of the 5 year olds sitting across from me, I could discern Byron's voice yelling "faster, faster!". Much to Byron's chagrin, the ride eventually came to an end. Chock full of adrenalin he jumped out of his seat and skipped down the steps, while I tried to collect myself and settle the contents of my stomach. I looked up to see him sprinting off to the spinning tug ride, which if anything looked worse. I got up and followed him, still not entirely certain that my cereal wasn't going to make an appearance.

 

Byron enjoying a ride without worrying
whether or not I was going to vomit on him


Freo Doctor Blog readers will be relieved, as were our fellow riders, that I managed to avoid vomiting. It must have been first ride jitters as, after a pep talk from my wife ("There were children still in nappies on that ride, you sissy"), I was soon in gear. Immediately after each ride finished, Byron would leap off and issue a round of high fives. I can see that power saluting is strong in this one.

Time really does fly when you're having fun. After giving each of the rides and a game a try, we decided to grab a bite to eat before checking out the show bags.

Byron's first show bag

In the lead up to going to the Show, my wife had been telling Byron all about the show bags. He always responded with the kind of polite interest that suggested he didn't see what the fuss was about. So, I'm glad to report that Byron's first ever show bag more than exceeded his expectations.

He had seen the occasional person wandering around with an out-sized Spongebob Squarepants twill bag slung over their shoulder, and very quickly decided that was the bag for him. When Byron, who is very rarely lost for words, was asked by the lady at the showbag stall which colour hat he wanted in his bag (bright pink or bright yellow), he just stood there with his mouth agape, not able to form a response. It was a moment to savour. For the rest of the day, he dragged that show bag around like a badge of honour.

The massive hat from Byron's first show bag

Wrapping up

A couple of hours later we were back at our apartment and Byron was still exuding the glow of an awesome day at the Show. We were putting on a reenactment of the acrobat show we'd seen for his Mum. The rest of the day was interspersed with wrestling (four year old boys really enjoy wrestling), bumper car and haunted house rides, a visit to the dairy hall and to the baby animals, two chairlift rides (where his uncle was a bit of a scaredy cat) and of course, the fireworks.

On the way home after the fireworks

It was a great day. My wife and I were both chuffed when Byron declared to his Mum as we were taking him down to his car that the Show had definitely lived up to his expectations. Pretty cool. It would have been interesting to know what he dreamt about that night. Me, I went to bed having enjoyed the very rare pleasure of spending the day seeing the world through the eyes of a child again.

Evaluating Notre Dame's place in Freo (Part II)

My last post looked at the great Freo town-gown trade-off. In today's concluding post, I''ll shoot the breeze about what we can expect from Notre Dame and how the recently adopted MOU stacks up.

PART II

What can we expect from Notre Dame?

I'll come clean. I feel there's a tad too much emphasis on the City attempting to elicit a financial commitment from Notre Dame in the Memorandum of Understanding.

Yep, I've flipped my thinking on this one. I just don't think that it is the City's place to attempt to force Notre Dame into this kind of financial arrangement. Firstly, the City does not have the power to compel Notre Dame to do so. Secondly, I can imagine that it would be difficult for the City to have any credibility with Notre Dame if it isn't doing the same thing with other large not-for-profit organisations in Fremantle.

Rather than focusing on a dollars and cents contribution, I now believe that the opportunity presented by the Memorandum of Understanding is to focus on:

- mitigating what we're trading;

- maximising what we're gaining; and

- identifying what we should be gaining but not currently receiving.

Setting aside the diminished rates base for reasons I've already mentioned, it seems logical that the Memorandum of Understanding focuses on activating the West End, and how Notre Dame can help with managing the demand for parking. It also feels reasonable that the City and Notre Dame agree on maximising the benefits of economic development and heritage restoration.

Finally, something that I feel Freo should be gaining, but that Notre Dame isn't providing as well as it could be, is community development.

How does the MOU stack up?

Armed with a tasty mug of freshly brewed Yorkshire Gold tea, I decided to tackle the City's website in an attempt to download the MOU. After my fifteenth mug, I eventually discovered that only the old MOU could be downloaded. Not to be outdone and because I was over-stimulated, I made like the spy in Len Deighton's 'The Ipcress File' and deduced that, as Council had made the decision to adopt the new MOU, the document would have been included as an attachment as part of a Council Agenda. So after another series of clicks, I excitedly found the new MOU document.

(Maybe somebody at the City could update the website so that finding and downloading the new MOU doesn't require experience working for MI6? In the meantime, I won't link to the City's website.)

Now back to the MOU.

I finished reading the document and immediately concluded that 'encourage' must have been trendy at the time of its drafting.

My second reading left me thinking that this MOU is all about getting Notre Dame to figure out that street activation is a good thing. Great in theory... but I will be awarding a big cup of hot fat to both parties for agreeing to the two year timeframe for starting a street activation strategy.

A positive aspect of the document is that Notre Dame will look at expanding its academic activities to locations throughout the city centre. This'll free up space in the West End, which will allow for its activation, and reinforces the importance of the Stan Reilly site.

If you're looking for money don't expect too much. Notre Dame has agreed that it will contribute up to $75,000 per calendar year. Remembering that they don't have to pay anything, and that they will be expected to continue their heritage restoration and building upgrade programmes, I'm cool with this aspect of the MOU.

Economic development gets a guernsey. Freo businesses are expected to be Notre Dame's first port of call. It'll be interesting to see if this does in fact happen.

Two aspects that could have been given more attention are Notre Dame's community development, and its role in providing movement options for its students and employees. This neglect probably also deserves a cup of hot fat as well.

Another detail that is missing is any word on how the MOU will be implemented. Who will be responsible on the City's end, and who will be the point of contact at Notre Dame? How will groups like FICRA, the West End Traders Association and the Fremantle BID be involved?

Not withstanding the questionable implementation plan, I'm surprised to report that all in all the MOU gets a pass mark from me. ("I'm sure they'll be breathing huge sighs of relief in the Chancellor's office." - my wife.) Now it is down to implementation.

Now for some ideas

1. State Government subsidy to City of Freo for being so awesome?

Notre Dame, Fremantle Port, Fremantle Hospital are all subsidised by us taxpayers. They also all provide benefits to the wider Perth metropolitan region, let alone Freo. So why is it left to Fremantle ratepayers to bare a cost through losses in rates revenue?

I'd like to see the City of Fremantle, along with all of Fremantle's representatives in state parliament, advocating for the State Government to award the City a one off yearly subsidy. It happened in Connecticut - why can't it happen here?

2. Get cracking on the street activation strategy

This is a no brainer. There is no reason why the community must wait two years for work on preparing this document to begin.

3. Community development

I really like how the University of Western Australia provides its Extension Courses to the public. I'd like to see Notre Dame do something similar with a distinct Freo focus.

4. Heritage interpretation

Notre Dame does heritage restoration really well, but does it interpret the buildings well enough? I feel that there is room for improvement.

5. Courtyards open on weekends?

Notre Dame's courtyards are kick ass. Why can't they be open on weekends for the public to enjoy?

6. Reduce parking demand

What is Notre Dame doing to reduce the demand for parking by its employees and students? Does it offer public transport incentives to employees and students? Are enough bicycle racks being provided? Is it participating in any TravelSmart initiatives?

That's about it for Notre Dame.

I'm chuffed that Freo is a university town. I believe that there are a lot of benefits, which in many cases outweigh the costs. I think the MOU has the right focus - getting street activation, and I'm looking forward to seeing it implemented.

And for all those who made it to the end...

Last week I almost vomited on a group of toddlers during a Kiddieland ride at the Royal Show. After a long break and a bratwurst I regained my composure, but my nephew still refused to sit next to me on any rides more lively than the chair lift.

Evaluating Notre Dame's place in Freo (Part I)

My wife/editor told me that my next two posts were so dry (actually, she used a more colourful phrase that I won't repeat here), that I should share a piece of embarrassing personal information at the end as a kind of reward to anyone who finishes it still conscious. So if you make it to the end, there's a treat waiting. (No cheating.)
PART I

A couple of months ago now, Council adopted a new Memorandum of Understanding with Notre Dame University. Now that the dust has settled, I thought I'd evaluate the document, and Notre Dame's place in Freo.

Freo is not unique in having a university or college in its city centre, and that brings with it a set of inherent benefits and costs. The trick, of course, is to maximise the benefits and to mitigate, as best as possible, the costs.

I believe it's important to keep in mind that some of the most pleasant and liveable towns around the world are those with a university in their limits. Making the partnership work is clearly not impossible, or even all that difficult.

What is Freo currently gaining from Notre Dame?

1. Economic development

Notre Dame contributes significantly to Freo's economy. It is one Freo's largest employers and most consistent and biggest attractors. All those employees and students provide a solid base for sustaining local businesses in Freo's city centre. And if there was more affordable accomodation for students available in the city centre, the benefits would probably increase even more.

It would be great if somebody had managed to quantify the contribution that Notre Dame makes to Freo's local economy, but to date there are no figures available.

2. Parking revenue (either from paid parking or parking fines)

Again, there are no exact figures, but I'd imagine that during semester all those students also help to fill the City's coffers.

3. Heritage restoration plus tourism

Walking around the West End wouldn't be quite so enjoyable without the awesome heritage buildings, many of which have been restored by Notre Dame. These beautifully restored buildings represent a long-term benefit to all of Freo and attract tourists to the West End in droves.

During my research, I wondered out loud if private developers would have delivered the same outcome? I turned around to hear the sounds of my wife choking on her tofu. She clearly didn't think so and neither do I.

Now that I've covered what we're gaining, its time to think about what we're trading by having Notre Dame?

What is Freo currently trading by having Notre Dame?

1. Less revenue from rates

As a not-for-profit organisation, it is enshrined in legislation that Notre Dame, like other universities, does not pay rates. This also applies to the land occupied by Fremantle Port, Fremantle Hospital, St Patrick's Primary School, CBC Fremantle and other not-for-profit organisations littered around Freo's city centre.

It dawned on me that Freo's traditional role as Perth's second city has meant that it has naturally hosted important institutions. Notre Dame's presence in the West End reinforces Freo's second city tradition, but it also exacerbates the problem of sacrificing rateable land.

The problem is that local ratepayers (I'll get to taxpayers in my next post) are effectively subsidising, in part, the presence of these organisations.

2. The West End

The West End is becoming dominated by a single use. The issues of inactive ground floor frontages and the closure of many of the West End pubs have been well documented. Suffice to say the lack of diversity, especially in night time activities, subtracts from the precinct's vibrancy.

A lesson that can be learnt from this experiment is that in such a small area as the West End, the implications of allowing one single dominant land use can be severe. This lesson is something to keep in mind when it comes to thinking about the much ballyhooed Arthurs Head Art Precinct.

3. Parking bays

Local retailers will feel a tad aggrieved that students (and maybe Notre Dame employees) tend to take up a lot of parking bays. Having said that, most parking in the West End is managed so that people do not get to hog a bay for 3, 4, or 5 plus hours without paying for that option.

Summary

The interesting thing about Freo's town-gown trade-off is that you can't get the benefits of economic development that Notre Dame brings without acknowledging that there will be less revenue from rates. For me, the key relates to extracting maximum value. Ensuring that the benefits outweigh the costs.

I think I'll leave it at this point and give Freo Doctor Blog readers a breather. I'll be back tomorrow with a post that focuses on what we can expect from Notre Dame and my assessment of how the MOU stacks up.

Early morning on High Street mall

The other day, I had an early morning meeting in Freo. I like early morning meetings in Freo. They're a good excuse to enjoy the excellent eggs benedict and a tasty banana smoothie at the Mill Bakehouse on Norfolk.

I had a little bit of time to spare before my meeting and decided to relax on a bench in the High Street mall, with tree leaves rustling above me and the hustle and bustle of people starting the new day all around.

My particular bench faced Culleys. It was one of those 1980s era orangey benches. The kind that put your bum to sleep after about five minutes, no matter what gymnast-style contortions you employ.

Culleys was already doing a roaring trade at 8.30am... in pies? Yep, I sat and watched a middle aged couple chow down on a pair of Freo classics. Two other people were having a natter on a nearby bench, and a minute later a pair in their mid-50s cycled past and greeted some friends sitting with their dog underneath a tree. It was very pleasant, like a scene from a 1950's movie. There was only one slightly deranged and whiffy person (there's always at least one - I think it's a by-law) who walked past swearing at us as he made his way to Kings Square.

It was a good feeling, not being sweared at, but enjoying the early morning noises going on around me. I'd descended into a happy torpor when the sound of sweeping roused me from reading the match reviews of the grand final on my iPad.

It was the shopkeeper next door to Culleys, from Creations Jewellery and Designers, sweeping the area in front of his shop. I watched him for a couple of minutes. I was impressed at the old school sense of pride that he was showing. He swept for a couple of minutes before walking back into his shop to help his assistants set up for the day.

It made me realise that what we call little things, like that shopkeeper taking pride and care in his shopfront, are actually just as important as many of the so-called bigger things.

After finishing reading about the latest football trades gossip, I got up and began walking to my meeting with the odd gait of a man who has no feeling in his posterior. It made me happy to see, not fifteen metres further on, the barber from Norm Wrightson's Barber Shop sweeping the front of his shopfront.

It didn't escape me that they were both small, independent retailers. Both taking pride in their city.

Seeing as there is zero chance of me showing my gratitude with my patronage (a jeweller and a barber - I can't think of two places I am more unlikely to visit), I thought I'd mention them here instead.

Chewing the fat with...the family guy

The family guy performs a juggling act being a dad, local author, fitness fanatic and town planner.

I don't move in particularly exalted circles, even for Perth, and I don't know many people who have accomplished something significant enough to put them in the public eye. The magnificent Village Kid, until his recent passing, would have topped the list, and he was a horse.

The one exception in my (otherwise sadly lacking in celebrity) friend group is Will Schaefer, who's garnered media attention for both his fiction writing and his lack of road sense.* His debut novel, 'The Wolf Letters’, is a fantastic, pacey historical thriller/adventure novel set in 1930s England and medieval Germany, which has deservedly netted him recommendations from fellow celebs such as Susannah Carr and a spread in Men's Health magazine. There's not much more I can say, except that you should read it immediately and here's the link for the e-book.

(I raced through the book in a single sitting on a long-haul flight, and enjoyed it so much that I asked my wife to take a photo of me reading the book for Will (to use in publicity shots, future Men's Health spreads, etc, you understand). My wife, being my wife, neglected to mention that the airline seat had made my shirt gape in such a way that I was revealing a hefty slab of side-boob. I wondered at the time why she a) cackled to herself as she took the photo and b) didn’t show me the photo. Setting aside the fact that there is a R rated photo of me floating around, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Will has a particular talent for cool chase scenes and in making sure the action comes thick and fast.)

Today Will and I are on one of our bro-dates. We’re having one of our half yearly summits where we catch up and celebrate our successes: on his part, having his first novel published and then sell out, plus a new gig as a strategic planner; me, making it a year into blogging without any defamation suits. This time we’ve decided to check out the sumptuous and exotic sounding food at Lapa Brazilian BBQ in Subiaco.

Quick aside

Here is an insight into how the first part of the day went:

5:00am
Will wakes up and does 1067 push ups and chin ups listening to ‘Eye of the Tiger’.

5:15am
Will does some skipping. Daughters Lucy and Maya alternate sitting on his shoulders, swapping every 5 minutes. They each get two turns.

5:45am
Will sits down for a hearty breakfast of 6 sausages, 5 hashbrowns, 12 eggs (a combo of fried, poached and scrambled), baked beans (two cans if wanting to clear the system) and a pack of old school English smoked bacon; crispy style.

6:00am
Play with the kiddies. Generally involves impersonating male and female cartoon characters, having kiddies jump on belly, impersonating more cartoon characters.

7:30am
Quick massage for wife (if requested).

7:45am
Change into super sexy pink lycra cycle pants and equally sexy tight fitting (three sizes too small) cycle top that emphasise massively pumped, granite figure.

7:50am
Mirror time.

8:00am
Hop on the BMX and wheelie down the street on the way to Swaney’s joint. Wave to wife.

8:05am
Stops off at the local deli for a couple of cheese sausages and a sausage roll (you never know).

8:30am
Arrive at Swaney’s joint. A bit whiffy. Asks for a quick shower. Gets knocked back.

9:00am
Walk down to Freo train station. Swaney smelling really good. Will is a bit stinky.

9:25am
Arrive Subiaco. Swaney sits with crisply dressed and nice smelling Freo businessmen and Will hangs out with (to be honest, 'attracts') Freo’s more “interesting” types.

9:45am
Will arrives back in Subiaco. He missed the stop off because he was too busy conversing with Freo locals and had to get off at West Leederville. Probably showing off about running from Freo to Perth dressed up as a medieval monk.

10:00am
Coffee.

10:10am
Power saluting, lots of power saluting. Another coffee.

10:15am
Tour of Subiaco. Swaney gets “cramp” 20 metres in and returns to the café complaining of “sweating up” and not wanting to smell like Will. Will goes on by himself.

10:45am
Will returns. Swaney having drunk another 15 coffees is having a heated argument with his alter egos, the Fremantle Doctor and Captain Translator. Will sits in the corner pretending not to know his overexcited and very animated nice smelling friend with a hint of coffee breath.

11:00am
Will smacks his pal whilst yelling “snap out of it Swaney”. Smacks his pal again and once more for good effect…and then one more time (for not letting him have a shower).

11:05am
Presentation of new plans and consideration of different strategies. More power saluting.

Midday
Will and Swaney arrive at Brazilian restaurant to stuff themselves senseless.

12:05pm
Swaney does first prank phone call of his wife for the afternoon.

Back to the business at hand

Will and I enjoyed a merry afternoon of chowing down on some awesome food, power saluting and shooting the breeze about Freo. A big part of Will’s successes revolved around his running stunts to promote his book. They even led to an article on the back page of Men’s Health magazine.

We couldn’t avoid chatting about Freo and in between chomping away on some succulent and tender beef we moved onto this delicate topic. Will, who takes some time to collect his thoughts about what Freo means to him (and to knock off another piece of beautifully cooked morsel of chicken) begins with:

"The place is like a smorgasbord of potential good times. Just help yourself! Sure, you can shop or have a meal, just like you can in the city or at Hillarys, but you can also visit galleries, beaches, bars of all shapes and sizes, cinemas, quiet side streets with hundred-year-old cottages; there are museums, bookshops, lovely old civic buildings, grand residences perched on the hills, a famous Arts Centre, footy ovals, even a university and thriving harbours full of ships. Culture flourishes here. The number of good bands/musos around Fremantle is astonishing. Recently I read that Fremantle has the one of highest concentrations of artists in the entire country. Nowhere else in the state can boast of having anywhere near as much in the one place."

Gathering his thoughts, a slight grimace emerges on his face and I begin to guess where he is headed.

"Of course, you can make a case for Fremantle being a bit of an underperformer right now, despite the bajillions of good things it’s got going for it. I sympathise to some degree. Wouldn’t it be so much better if the place were several shades safer, especially at night? People who step off the train are greeted with a mess of buses and snarling cars. Businesses look like they’re having a tough time. There are vacant shops all over the place, which, like it or not, makes Fremantle feel like a wheatbelt town that’s long past its best days."

He doesn't linger too long on the negatives before he begins moving back to what he believes can be done to help Freo.

"But it’s people that are players in our memories and our futures.  Places are just the stage. And while the stage needs much work to bring it to its full potential – for example some extra greenery; some free, family-friendly, Council sponsored activities to brighten up the tired squares; and how about a major facelift to the train station to town hall route that guides visitors into the heart of town – the people you can meet in Freo are amazing. That’s why Fremantle means a lot to me and my family."

It's time for a little dessert and before we know it we’ve moved onto the topic of Will’s next promotional event for his book and the latest favourite cartoon character of his two young daughters.

Afterword

To find out more and to enjoy reading about his different stunts check out his website.
* Whilst holidaying in Germany with his wife's family, Will enjoyed a brief moment of notoriety as 'Autobahn Mann', when he found himself asked by several policemen to please stop cycling on the autobahn. Unluckily for both Will and Australia's international reputation as sophisticated cosmopolitans, there was a news crew close by who captured the whole thing on camera, and the German media had a happy twenty four hours chuckling into their beer steins. This is the sort of thing that seems to happen routinely to Will; I'm hoping that in between the next few installments of The Wolf Letters, he might write a few of them down for The Fremantle Doctor.

Freo Quick Shot: Placemaking power salute to Moore & Moore Cafe

Regular Freo Doctor Blog readers will appreciate that when I'm out and about I enjoy coming across examples of little things being done well to create a welcoming place.

It turns out that a classic example of what I enjoy so much has been under my nose for the past couple of weeks. 

Cool little signs at Moore & Moore Cafe

Fans of Moore & Moore Cafe will be familiar with Freo's first parklet (the alfresco seating area on Henry Street). For me, this little parklet is an example of the types of quality, small wins that can be implemented in Freo.

The other day, I noticed these little signs that have been installed at the parklet for a little while now.

'Street Seating for Furry Greeting' sign at Moore & Moore

'Priority to Puppy Power rrrhank you!' sign at Moore & Moore

Another example of how the little things count in creating a welcoming place

A hearty thank you and an accompanying placemaking power salute to Moore & Moore Cafe for illustrating that little things do count in helping to create a welcoming place.

Three lessons for Freo from my parents' trip to France

Mum and Dad

Mum and Dad have recently returned from three months of gallivanting around France. They visited Paris, spent time hanging out in Brittany and then journeyed down to the Pyrennes before subjecting themselves to the Tour de France crowds up north. I'm chuffed to report that they had a great time, so much so that I often wondered whether or not they'd return home.

Although they enjoyed themselves, I didn't get the impression that they wholeheartedly converted to the French style of cooking. My mum's approach to food is traffic engineer-esque (very risk adverse) and, largely due to a morbid fear of accidently eating duck, she lived on crepes (breakfast and lunch) and omelettes (dinner) for the majority of her trip.

My dad is one step up from a traffic engineer in gastronomic matters. He was slightly more adventurous in his tastes, sampling local specialities and even trying a morsel of duck, to my mum's disgust. However, a little bistro somewhere in the Pyrennes turned out to be his undoing.

Only two words are necessary to paint a picture of what happened next: steak tartare.

When he placed his order in his strident Australian accent, alarm bells obviously started ringing for the waitress who nobly tried to warn him that it was a taste he was likely to be unused to. But Dad, who is one of nature's most stubborn creatures, ignored her and insisted on going ahead with the steak tartare.

I can imagine him doing his darndest to hide his initial surprise when the waitress (probably with a wry Gallic grin) presented the dish complete with one huge, wet, orangey egg yolk resting in a crater of raw mince. 

My dad was shaking so much he couldn't focus

Now if you've read my article on the Sunken Cost Fallacy (click here) you'd know that many people would have persisted with eating (or hiding) the dish they had stubbornly ordered in the face of so many warnings to save embarrassment. Not my dad. He sent it back to get cooked.

Mum and Dad have been back for a couple of weeks now, so they've had plenty of opportunities to regale my wife and me with all their stories. Most of them sound very interesting. (I'm a little tired of hearing about crepes though. Seriously, my mum has turned into that dude from Forrest Gump who liked prawns.)

Listening to their stories, I've discerned three lessons from my parents' trip to France.

Without further ado here they are:

Lesson 1: Good ambience and simple manners go a long way

One thing my parents really came to appreciate travelling around France was the ambience of the restaurants and cafes. Mum and Dad comment over and over how pleasant it was dining in the many restaurants, bistros and cafes they discovered. Listening to their stories, I picked up on that they were made to feel welcome and comfortable. The music was never too loud, the service professional and attentive, and the interior cosy and well cared for.

Another aspect of the whole welcoming thing that they also noticed was how retailers, restauranteurs and cafe operators would greet them with a friendly "bonjour" and farewell them with a hearty "au revoir" without fail.

I can't help but get the feeling that this is an important lesson for Freo's traders, restauranteurs and cafe operators. Western Australia isn't really known for its outstanding service, certainly not compared with European standards. Maybe Freo's traders can buck the trend and make this part of its point of difference?

Lesson 2: Plenty of space and patience for cyclists

Mum and Dad are avid cyclists. Over the years I've slowly learnt to live with the image of my father in his brightly coloured lycra bicycle pants. Mum has developed a 'Rain Man' like knowledge and recall of each of the riders who compete in the Tour de France.

For my parents, cycling around parts of France must have been akin to me travelling to an awesomely kick ass Parisian bistro and tucking into my fair share of french onion soup, duck confit and steak and frites - a dream come true.

Mum doing her best Cadel impersonation in Brittany near Brest.

Normally Dad's lycra pants are more colourful.

Pedalling on their bikes around France, Mum and Dad noticed a big difference between French motorists and Perth motorists. They were given ample space on the road whether or not there was a bicycle lane. They came to appreciate the patience that French motorists had for them as they pedalled along on their way.

This lesson really goes beyond Freo and can be applied on a much broader level. Next time I have a cyclist pedalling away in front of me in my car, I'll think of Mum, Dad and those patient French motorists. Maybe us Freo motorists can be at the vanguard of treating cyclists (no matter how silly looking or somewhat annoying they can be) with a fair degree of patience?

Lesson 3: Paris is really a bunch of little villages
Initially my dad planned on spending only a couple of nights in Paris. I'm thinking that he was a put off by spending too much time in a big city. What would be the point of dealing with the noise, people, traffic?

Fortunately for my dad, he has a pretty cool strategic town planner (and budding placemaker) as his first born son. Over a couple of months, a little like the way the City of Freo's website breaks you down to the point where you can't be bothered checking it out any longer, I managed to convince him that they would enjoy a week in my favourite city.

Mum and Dad really enjoyed Paris. My dad confidently declared "Paris really is just a bunch of little villages" when he described what he enjoyed about his stay. Mum and Dad both responded to the pedestrian scale of Parisian streets. Walking around Paris was a pleasure. They enjoyed the interest that comes from walking and having street-level interaction. They even liked the consistent quality of the classic six and seven storey Parisian residential buildings.

Mum and Dad liked the pedestrian scale of the Parisian streets.

I reckon there is an important lesson for Freo that lies in my dad's description of Paris. Two million people reside in central Paris. It is a city that has built up to six and seven storeys. It is also a tourist city. And yet it has retained its distinctiveness. For my parents, Paris was a city with soul.

So what about Freo? The good news is that change or development doesn't have to signify the end. What is crucial is that new development - whether it's Kings Square or the Woolstores Shopping Centre - must retain Freo's distinctiveness. I would prefer that when people come to visit or live in Fremantle, that they know they're in Fremantle and not anywhereville Perth.

Freo Quick Shot: A Creative Bureaucracy - Cheers to That!

Dean Cracknell is the author of this post. He is a Freo devotee dedicated to creating interesting, diverse places for people and is a guest contributor to The Fremantle Doctor blog. 

Dean can be followed on Twitter by checking out: @city_pragmatist

It is generally accepted that the beer barn (large pubs that cater for extra large numbers of binge drinking patrons) approach to managing our drinking habits has helped contribute to anti-social behaviour around Perth. This isn't a great situation when we're all working towards trying to create vibrant, liveable and welcoming places.

So is this approach changing? Unfortunately I don't think so, if the response by the State Government buraucracy is anything to go by. On this issue, the Department of Racing, Gaming and Liquor, the Liquor Commission, the Health Department and WA Police seem to be all about harm minimisation. This tactic is often reflected in the objections to small bars by the Health Department and WA Police. In summary, the bureaucracy is effectively trying to maintain the status quo.

For me, the status quo doesn't appear to be working. Something needs to change and I feel that the most fundamental issue is to begin changing our drinking culture. A key component of this would be promoting small bars.

Small bars are intimate spaces. Compared to beer barns, they provide a different option for people looking to enjoy a relaxed drink. My wife, who has experienced her fair share of small bars, is adament that small bars are great because they are small. She maintains that it is much easier to be an idiot when you are an anonymous person in a large crowd in a beer barn. Conversely, the small space of a small bar acts as a natural regulator of people's behaviour as they are less anonymous. In this type of environment, being seen as someone who can't handle their booze isn't a good thing.

I was miffed when I read that the State Government had rejected the City of Fremantle’s request to permanently extend the relaxed liquor licensing laws, which proved a success during the world sailing championships last year. Fourteen Freo restaurants were licensed to serve alcohol without a meal during the championships and the sun kept on coming up. Kelp at the Kidogo was immensely popular and worked so well, so well that the world didn't come to an end. People actually enjoyed themselves. What a great opportunity to build on these successes.

I feel disappointed that those in the upper echelons of State Government bureaucracy seem incapable of thinking outside of the square and applying a degree of common sense to this issue. It can be assumed that they enjoy their fair share of trips to Melbourne and to Europe, so what happens to them on the return trip?

I'm equally enthused to see the City of Fremantle having a crack at getting these outdated restrictions amended. In the words of Mayor Brad Pettitt promoting a “more mature and international style of drinking” is essential in Freo (and Perth) becoming a vibrant city. To this end, my wife is happy to see that there are some small bars cropping up in and around Freo.

I firmly believe that reforming our drinking culture will require changes to our current restrictive laws. This will require the bureaucracy to start thinking more creatively. Small bars are part of the solution, not part of the problem.