T HE vendors call this place “Brunswick by the sea” because of its likeness to that culturally diverse and trendy Melbourne suburb.
It’s a good-natured joke amongst their Victorian friends, but it does have a ring of truth.
South Fremantle also has a history of migrants: 12 per cent of the suburb’s population still speak a foreign language at home, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Nearby, particularly on Wray Avenue and South Terrace, are old family-owned businesses, trendy new cafes and restaurants opened by young entrepreneurs, clothing shops, hairdressers and organic produce shops.
A good life
The vendor who shows me around says they’ve lived a good life here, going to the beach and drinking at bars in Fremantle while being just a 20-minute walk or short CAT bus trip from home; a boon for anyone who enjoys quaffing more than 0.02 at one of Freo’s many pubs and clubs.
The brick and iron cottage, built in the mid-1990s, is a Mediterranean delight.
An alfresco dining area, paved with aged red bricks and confined by a rammed-earth fence with leafy creepers, is just outside a glass sliding door from the kitchen and lounge room.
Almost everything in the garden can be eaten, and the aromas will likely make you want to.
My guide says the subtle scent of rosemary, nestled by the main bedroom’s windows beside other herbs such as tarragon and parsley, lingers on warm summer nights.
The other edible goods are lemons, figs, olives and limes — kaffir, as well as the regular kind.
Inside are two bedrooms (the third is part of a self-contained studio/guesthouse in the courtyard) and an upstairs office overlooking the open living area and large Oregon pine timber beams that hold up high, pointed ceilings.
It hasn’t been renovated (other than new appliances), which surprises me.
“It would have been very avant-garde and modern when it was built,” the vendor says.
It faces north, meaning windows are positioned to make the most of the winter sun. The terracotta tiles throughout soak up the sun in summer and remain cool in summer.
The front verandah is lined with geraniums, and has been built close to the street’s footpath, like many old Fremantle cottages.
The quirkiest feature is an attic storage room with a mini doorway metres up a wall in the main bedroom.
It can only be accessed with a ladder. But once you’re in there, there’s enough space to stand up. It’s a room for Harry Potter, I joke. They laugh, and sigh, thinking about how much they’ll miss this place. The Melbourne couple is selling to go back to Brunswick, the suburb not by the sea.
by EMMIE DOWLING
11a Wesley Street, South Fremantle
$940,000
Gail Jenkins 0412 106 959
Mark Brophy real estate
9335 9800