You’ll often hear people say there’s ‘something in the water in Western Australia’. No, not because the city is drenched in sunshine and wrapped in enamel blue. Not because its genetically-blessed locals trot from beach to bar like a tourism ad on perpetual loop. But rather, because of its concentration of musical talent.

The geographically isolated city has a legacy of musically punching above its weight, producing such talents as ’80s megastars ACDC, cult indie outfits Tame Impala, Pond and The Panics, and the darling of Australian pop-rock Stella Donnelly, to name just a few.

And the heartland of its music scene is undoubtedly the coastal ‘burb of Fremantle (or Freo, as the locals call it). With its ramshackle pubs, the scent of Norfolk pine trees and its shipyard cranes rising out of the sea, Fremantle is a bohemian enclave flanked by the Indian ocean, with a spirit unlike anywhere else in Australia.

And as you would expect for a postcode harbouring Perth’s most talented spawn, it’s live music offerings are second to none.

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Ask any Freo music lover worth their keep, and they’ll tell you Mojos is the place to be. The all-you-can-eat equivalent of live music venues, this North Fremantle institution hosts an array of bands and lives acts every night of the week, with a focus on undiscovered and up-and-coming local talent. Also, it’s one of Stella Donnelly’s favourite Perth venues, need we say more?

Locals were aghast at the closing of the Fly-By-Night club, an iconic not for profit musicians club established in the 80s, but thankfully an impressive new venue has risen from its proverbial ashes. The aptly named Freo Social has opened with a bang, including a $250,000 acoustic makeover, and a killer line-up of local and international bands and performances every night of the week.

If you’re in town for summer, be sure to swing by the Fremantle Arts Centre’s free annual summer concert series. Take a picnic and spread out on the large south lawn area and enjoy Freo’s balmy summer evenings with a side of live music. It’s also worth a gander through their exhibitions, housed in a stunning 1800s heritage building.

For something a little more intimate, the underground cave-like Aardvark Bar, also known as the Odd Fellow, is in the basement of the Norfolk Hotel—where you can get up close and personal with a host of live acts. Named after the classic Aussie Rules football move (don’t worry, I’d never heard of it either), Rock Rover brings together a spirited mix of live entertainment, producers to rockers, comedians to dancers, rappers to balladeers, in the hallowed halls of South Fremantle Football Club.

After all that cochlear stimulation, you’ll be good and ready for a beer and a feed at one of Freo’s many seaside pubs and eateries (fish and chips at Cicerellos on the wharf is hard to beat).

While you’re there, take a moment to gaze out to the horizon as the enamel blue of day fades into black. And, if you haven’t quite grasped it yet, perhaps you’ll recognise that there is, indeed, something special in the water here.

As Western Australian author Tim Winton said, “There is nowhere else I’d rather be, nothing else I’d prefer to be doing. I am at the beach looking west with the continent behind me as the sun tracks down to the sea. I have my bearings.”

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