Highgate Suburb Profile

One of the main attractions of living in Highgate is reaching your local favourites on foot, a pastime cherished by the locals after staggering home from the many restaurants, pubs, and bars on any given night of the week. Living in Highgate offers the perfect blend of convenience and culture, with a big drawcard being the range of restaurants serving outstanding international cuisine, including Mexican, Italian, and US-style BBQ, not to mention The Queens Tavern, which has been a favourite local watering hole for decades. Although many visit the area for the bars and restaurants, it’s not all about dining out for the residents, who are also dangerously close to gourmet outlets such as Fresh Provisions, Elmar’s Smallgoods, and the local bakeries attracting foodies from all over the metropolitan area. 

Bordering the swanky neighbourhood of Mt Lawley, a small percentage of Highgate’s population move here to be within walking distance of Perth College, one of the state’s premier all-girls’ schools. Falling under the dynamic City of Vincent, Highgate’s town centre is one of Perth’s most vibrant and creative places to live in and visit, immediately evident from the street art, cafes, and florists spilling out onto the street. 

Highgate is easy on the eye with tree-lined streets adorning rows of character homes and architectural treasures, including modern innovations and Art Deco buildings. It’s worth getting off the main Beaufort Street drag to explore the many side streets and local parks to walk off some of that decadence. 

Area Features

Food

Highgate has always been popular for its cuisine, and understandably so, given the options. With a few new offerings of late including The Beaufort and Twenty Seats, many of the restaurants cater to the neighbourhood’s young hip crowd. There is an emphasis on high-quality spirits and wines to accompany the plethora of sharing plates within Highgate’s Mediterranean and modern Australian cuisine restaurants.

Bars

There was a time when punters would be spilling out of venues along Beaufort Street most nights. Given the recent challenging times for hospitality venues, many bars have evolved into restaurants with excellent drinks lists and Si Paradiso is a prime example. The Queens Tavern has been a permanent fixture since its construction in the 1880s. Its chic industrial renovation in the 1990s was considered ground-breaking and set the tone for many other eating and drinking establishments along Beaufort Street. 

Feeling Green

Part of Highgate’s charm is its leafy streets and green open spaces. Brigatti Gardens is a lush oasis with plenty of shade, while Jack Marks Reserve is popular for dog owners. Although there’s some debate over which suburb Hyde Park technically belongs to, Highgate has claimed it as its own for very good reason. Spanning across 15 hectares, it features lakes, play equipment, a stage and walking paths – plus Chu Bakery is across the road as an added bonus.

Public Art Trail

Delve into Highgate’s creativity by following the City of Vincent Public Art trail. Keep an eye along Beaufort Street, Chatsworth Road, Mereny Lane and Kaadadjiny Lane for murals and art installations by local street artists. Check out the Barlee Street carpark mural and see if you can recognise some of the familiar faces or pose with the Tandem Riders sculpture on the corner of Beaufort and Vincent Street.

Urban Spas

Established in 1994, Keturah is located on Beaufort Street and has had many years to perfect its offerings to rejuvenate the soul as much as the body, skin and hair. Just a few metres away, you’ll find AMZ Brow X Beauty, Head Turners Salon and the European award-winning Bruno & Alberto’s Coiffeur, sure to tame your tresses among its 1840s antique dressers before heading for a night out to show off your new look.