Fremantle, Australia

After nearly 700 days of pandemic shutdown, the Australian port city of Fremantle is bustling with food and drink openings. The reimagined city center, Walyalup Koort, is part of a $270 million renewal project—the largest of its kind in the area’s history. (Walyalup is the Nyoongar name for the region, and Koort means heart.) The district includes ironically named FOMO’s hawker-style food stalls serving pho, ramen, kebabs, burgers, and even fried ice cream, and Funlab offers an array of, well, fun: bowling, mini-golf, arcade games, and cocktails. The Old Courthouse, dating back to 1899, has transformed into a lively bar where visitors can sip one of 18 single-malt whiskeys in the original witness box. The beer company Gage Roads, named after the shipping channel between the city and Rottnest Island, opened its 1,500-person capacity brewery and bar in a 100-year-old warehouse with portside seating to watch the ships roll in from the Indian Ocean. Farther down the Swan River is Jetty, which boasts a Mediterranean-inspired menu and waterside views to soak in western Australia’s famed sunsets.

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