Looking for a change from the city, I took the metro train to the end of the line at Fremantle on the coast. As the train approached the station I noticed an aircraft carrier docked alongside the railway line with helicopters and harrier jump jets all out on the deck. After dropping my bags at the hostel I went into town for some lunch – and discovered that the carrier was just one of a group of US ships on their way back from Iraq, and they had just docked an hour before, so the small seaside town of Freo’ (population 25,000) had just been overrun by over 5,000 US marines!

Over the next few days I got to meet quite a few of the marines – nice guys, but surprisingly, on a night out in Freo, I discovered that no booze in the desert, followed by no booze on ship meant that they weren’t quite the drinking buddies that the Paras had been a few months before when I did a wine tasting at the officers mess at a base outside Cardiff… quite possibly the most drunken night of my life – those boys like to drink! but that’s a-whole-nother story!!

One of my reasons for visiting Freo was to take up an invitation to visit the Little Creatures brewery I’d received after meeting some of the guys at one of the oddbins wine fairs (this years Edinburgh wine fair is very soon… get yourself along there if you can, LOTS of fun!)

Housed in what was once a crocadile farm, the Little Creatures brewery is also a bar serving gourmet pizzas as well as their range of beers (the Morrocan lamb pizza I had along with their darker Rogers’ beer was fantastic!)

I was met at the bar by Russell, one of the head brewers who had taken a few minutes away from the fermenters over the other side of the building to come and tell me a little more about Little Creatures. Russell isn’t a Fremantle local, he learned his trade back in the UK, he brewed at Fuller’s in London and at Ushers in my local westcountry town of Trowbridge before it closed a few years ago among others, before landing this tidy little number in the somewhat warmer climes of WA. 

The brewery is booming, as he goes on to tell me, with sales going from strength to strength since the brewery was set up – just 6 years ago! The brewery itself is growing in order to keep up with demand, and the bar has a new terrace out the back overlooking the docks which will be ready for the fast approaching Summer, and the Creatures loft, a late bar/eatery is already up and running…

The range has seen some new additions too – a cider, the Pipsqueak and the Bright Ale – which with its refreshing hoppiness and clean taste is my favourite of the lot.

The brewery is now a real feature of Fremantle, and with its friendly atmosphere makes a great place to stop into for lunch, or make a night of it! I ever you find yourself in Perth, I would highly recommend that you jump on the Freo line and pay these creatures a visit!