JUST a 20-minute train ride from Perth, the delightful WA community of Guildford is a gem just waiting to be discovered.
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Established in 1829, it is one of the city’s original three towns, evidence of which is still visible in the way it is laid out and its lovingly preserved streetscape.
Yet Guildford is far from a relic sealed in a time capsule. While deservingly proud of its heritage, it is a living, breathing community buzzing with quirky antique shops, cheerful cafes and curious attractions.
Groups such as the Swan Guildford Historical Society and the Guildford Association have been active in promoting its attractions, including the new poppy plaque trail commemorating more than 100 pre-1918 homes where Anzacs bound for Gallipoli once lived or left from.
Cross the road from the railway and you will be on the James Street strip, with its cafes and antique shops. The Guildford Hotel (part of the poppy plaque trail) is a landmark. Three Anzacs stayed there and there are 12 more Anzac homes along the street.
The pub is adjacent to where, in 1891,US daredevil and would-be parachutist Miss Millie Viola took off in a hot-air balloon that landed her ingloriously in a swamp.
Next door is the old Vaudeville Theatre (1897), now home to an antique shop. It was the site of WA’s first beauty contest.
For something completely different, visit the Museum of Natural History is nearby. Here you will find all manner of animals respectfully preserved by taxidermist Michael Buzza, not to mention the odd dinosaur exhibit.
Afterwards you can enjoy gelato at Tubs Gourmet Gelato, which scooped up major awards at the Perth Royal Dairy Show, or check out the Guildford Village Potters Gallery – with artwork on display and available for sale. WA’s oldest pub, the Rose & Crown, may beckon for a beer.
One block back is Guildford Primary School, WA’s oldest, which is also part of the poppy plaque trail.
After you’ve explored James Street cross the road and visit the central park, Stirling Square, the site of the War Memorial, St Matthews Church, Anzac commemorative rose beds and Memory Gates erected to commemorate the gunners and cavalrymen who trained at Guildford Camp during World War I.
The town is easy to explore on foot. Four self-guided heritage walk trails, start and finish at the Old Guildford Courthouse.
Hop on the train to Woodbridge to visit Woodbridge House, a grand National Trust property built in 1883 for newspaper editor, pastoralist and parliamentarian Charles Harper.
The turreted mansion is set in magnificent grounds where it is easy to imagine the colonial elite hobnobbing in their finery far from the eyes of the hoi-polloi.
Many significant events took place at Woodbridge House. Its billiards room was the first home of nearby Guildford Grammar School, which was founded by Harper in 1896, before moving to its present site in 1900.
Today the school is known as one of WA’s finest. Its alumni include author Randolph Stow, TV personality Andrew Denton and the late actor Heath Ledger, who won an Oscar in 2009 for his role in The Dark Knight.
It, too, is on the poppy rail, having lost 11 ex-students at Gallipoli. Among them were Gresley and Wilfred Harper, sons of Charles.
The story of Wilfred is said to be the inspiration for Peter Weir’s film of the same name. In his history of the war, Charles Bean described an account of Wilfred going over the top at the Nek “like a schoolboy in a footrace, with all the speed he could compass”.
Back in Guildford, head to Fishmarket Reserve (a 10-minute walk from the station) and take a walk by the Swan in peaceful bush surrounds.
Hungry? Why not grab a juicy, elbow-groaning burger from Alfred’s Kitchen (open from 5pm weekdays; 12.30pm weekends), a Perth fixture since 1946 with its own streetside firepit.
