The world has seen many great rivalries.
Pepsi v Coke.
Ferrari v McLaren.
Rome v Carthage.
And in Perth, the debate that — quite literally — divides a city: where is the better place to live, north or south of the river?
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Southsiders will go in to bat for Fremantle’s laid-back community charm, the vibrancy of Victoria Park’s food scene and the joys of riverside living.
Northerners boast about their beaches, the nightlife and possibly the beaches just one more time.
PerthNow spoke to well-known locals on both sides of the Swan about why they’re Team North or Team South and what they love about their patch of Perth.
Fremantle artist Anya Brock grew up south of the river in the suburbia of Alfred Cove. But, even as a teenager, she spent her free time hanging out in the port city she now calls home — both for herself and the Anya Brock Gallery.
“It was this gravitational pull,” she said. “Fremantle’s got an extremely creative heart and soul, and that’s what brought me to it.”
“Now we’ve just bought a house in Freo and I’ve dragged my partner from Doubleview. He was trying to send me houses (to buy), saying, ‘Maybe Cottesloe?’ and I was like, ‘Don’t bother’.
“The thing about Freo is you go anywhere and you see you’re living within a community.
“We lose sight of that in suburbia when we drive into the garage and don’t see anyone. Freo is a walking city.
“We’ve become so accustomed to perfectly designed suburbs that work perfectly and are devoid of any soul.”
“I loved my childhood growing up south of the river,” she said. “But as an adult I moved north to be closer to work and that’s where I’ve raised my family.
“We had so many adventures growing up south of the river, riding motorbikes, fishing and always exploring outdoors. As an adult, I love living north of the river, close to the city and vibrant cafe strips.
“To be honest I feel both sides have a lot to offer, but I’ll be staying north for now. Retiring to Margaret River would be nice one day though.”
Speaking of the South West. A quicker commute is one reason business leader Diane Smith-Gander enjoys her part of Perth. “The best thing about living south of the river is a quicker escape down south,” she said. “If you were meant to live north of the river Margaret River would have been up north.”
Perth lawyer John Hammond is another Perthonality who made the move. Having spent half of his life in the south, as a “Kent Street boy”, and half in the north, he says the latter has won his heart.
“Like the northern star, Cottesloe takes us home,” he says.
The fact that Mr Hammond and Ms Jolly both moved from one side of the river to the other between childhood and adulthood makes them comparatively unusual.
That is according to Curtin University’s Steven Rowley, a professor of property in the school of accounting, economics and finance.
“The vast majority of people will move within 10km of their existing dwelling so, obviously, if you’re north or south of the river you don’t tend to cross that 10km radius,” he said. “It’s where people are comfortable, it’s where they’ve got friends and family and you don’t get a lot of movement.