Keen to laze away a day or just an hour or two? Like the idea of not having to wander too far? Here’s my list of things to do in Maylands within a 100m or so stroll from the train station, which mostly revolves around eating, drinking, shopping and solving the evening meal crisis, with a bit of pampering (and maybe some alcohol) thrown in for good measure. For this post I’m leaving out the river and places further afield, so picnic and Picco’s Kitchen fans please forgive me!
Start with coffee…
Maylands has no shortage of great cafes, but if you’ve got some time and intend to sample a few then I’d get your first fix from Milkd on Eighth Avenue and move on from there. The outside tables are just the spot to catch some morning sun or you can wander inside and plonk at a table or banquette if you want to keep warm or avoid the rays.
Do a spot of shopping or browsing…
Maylands has an abundance of small, independent retailers and pop up shops that offer a range of homewares, clothing, collectables, gifts and accessories that you won’t find elsewhere, which makes it a lot of fun for shopping and browsing.
Many of the homewares stores have a vintage bent, there’s Vintage Emporium, Maine Home & Garden Design and at the time of writing a retro pop up shop in front of Metro Health – all along Whatley Crescent. Wanderlust offers a mix of homewares, clothing and accessories and on Eighth Avenue you’ll find Home Spirit, a shop packed with kitchen supplies and related gifts. If you’re a reader, you’ll love the second hand book selection at The Book Lady on Eighth Avenue – you might even find something to start reading at your next food stop!
And then there’s fashion. Lots of it. Blackcurrant Clothing, on the west side of the Railway line near the Dome, is very popular for it’s range of mostly Australian labels designed to flatter women with fuller figures (it stocks size 12 and up). Along Whatley Cres there’s Look Feel Be (LFB), with its own in-house designs mixed with other boutique labels and quality jewellery and accessories. LFB is housed within a pretty, art deco inspired store and offers make-up services and style coaching (you’ll need to book in advance for these). Designer 2 Boutique, which operates out of the old parcels office at the train station, sells pre-owned and new designer clothing with all proceeds funding the work of Citizen Advocacy Easters Suburbs. It’s only open on Friday’s and Saturday’s from 9:30 to 2:30 (may be closed on Friday during Winter – check their Facebook page for details) but is popular with fashion and budget conscious locals. And last but by no means least on Whatley are Mizled Clothing and Lulu & Sasha, both of which sell a mixture of women’s clothes, shoes and accessories catering to a range of ages and styles.
Around the corner on Eighth Avenue you’ll find Mo Better Boutique, run by the vivacious and stylish Lilly (who I reckon would give Patricia Field a run for her money when it comes to putting together an eclectic outfit), together with This Fine Day Boutique and Avenue Apparel, all stocking women’s fashion and accessories.
If you’ve got kids in your life take a squizz at Sosi, which specialises in gorgeous clothing and gifts for babies and young children. A few doors up from there you’ll find the Magic Shoebox which stocks quality children’s shoes (baby to teens) hand picked by the owner, Podiatrist Kath Lloyd. If you’re after more budget end fashions, try the local Vinnie’s outlet or Warehouse Fashion store both on Eighth Avenue – the latter stocks a large selection of cheaply priced men’s, women’s and children’s clothing and is known to have the odd great find or two.
Let them eat cake…
If you love cakes and sweet treats, visiting Maylands will give you decision making fatigue. First, do you go to Sherbert Cafe & Bake Shop or Mrs. S (or go for broke and go to both?). Then you’ve got to choose from the counters full of cakes, cupcakes, cookies, pastries, slices, brownies and more. Seriously, it’s worth visiting Maylands just for these two cafe’s alone. If you only have time for one, make sure you diarise a visit to the second soon after.
Let’s do brunch/lunch…
Long and lazy or short and sweet? Whilst Sherbert and Milk’d both have a selection of menu and counter items that make for a quick and tasty brunch or lunch, it’s Mrs. S (closed on Mondays & Public Holidays) and Chapels on Whatley (closed on Tuesday’s) that offer the more substantial brunch and lunchtime fare. Mrs. S just nudges out Chapel’s for popularity and likes on Urbanspoon but if you’re chasing a glass of vino with your meal it’s Chapel’s you’ll be heading to. Both can be very busy on the weekends so bookings are advised. Rifo’s, on the corner of Guildford Rd & Eighth Ave has its fans too and is open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Pamper time!
If you need a respite from all the eating, drinking and shopping or just feel like being pampered, book a massage or spa treatment at Gemma’s Health & Beauty Spa or a traditional Chinese Acupuncture treatment or Tuina massage at Metro Health, both on Whatley Crescent. Treatment & contact details are available on their websites.
It’s later in the day and I need something stronger…
If you find yourself in Maylands in the late afternoon/early evening on a Wednesday through to Sunday, allow yourself to get sidetracked by Swallow Bar. Swallow is one of Perth’s best small bars and accompanying its well thought out cocktail and wine list is a limited but seriously good selection of food. There’s live music most Thursday and Saturday nights and from 5:00pm on Sundays. Chapel’s also offers dinner, a happy hour (5-7pm) and live music on Friday and Saturday evenings and Rifo’s is licensed and open every night for dinner.
Ploy Thai, on Eighth Avenue, is a reported local favourite and there’s no charge to BYO if you want to grab a bottle from the BWS nearby – I’ve heard that they can struggle a bit with catering to coeliacs (hence why I’ve never been there) so maybe give it a miss if you’re gluten free or intolerant.
Time to head home, what’s for dinner?
If you’ve managed to fit in a few hours or more of self indulgence the last thing you want to do is head home and have a headache over dinner.
Before leaving, I’d be buying myself a lovely bunch of flowers from The Green Door Florist on Eighth Avenue then ducking into Smoult’s Continental Deli and/or the butcher’s at Hampshire on Eighth for my evening meal. If it’s late in the day, you’re feeling really slack and live nearby, you could always grab a take-away pizza from Rifo’s or something tasty to take home from Ploy Thai. Either way, it should be all sorted!
So, what do you think?
Have I managed to cover off your favourites or inspired you to spend more time there next time? Have you never been to Maylands and are now thinking of stopping by? As always, if you have any updates, feedback or think that I’ve missed something, leave a comment and let us know!
